The following post is an excerpt from Championship Tennis. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Serving Myths
In addition to involving the most varied technique, the serve also invites the most interpretations on how it should be performed. Although certain parts of the motion can be
debated (e.g., pinpoint versus platform stance), there are some popular teaching points
that time has proven to be dated or inaccurate.
Here are a Few Serving Myths:
- Toss high and you’ll have more time. Studies using slow-motion cameras have
determined that a ball tossed 6 feet (183 cm) higher than the top of an outstretched
racket head passes through the hitting zone of the service swing 20 times faster than a
ball tossed around the peak of a server’s reach. If the player tosses lower, the ball sits in
the hitting zone longer. - Scratch your back on the back-swing. As the racket head passes between the dominant
hitting hand and the server’s head, the uncoiling inertia of the body’s kinetic chain
actually throws the racket away from the back, or the center of the axis. This desired
centrifugal force doesn’t allow for a muscle contraction, which would pull the racket
head down to accommodate a back-scratching position. - Hit down on a serve. Remember Artis Gilmore from earlier in the chapter? He was
7-foot-2 and still too short to hit down on a serve. So unless the player is about 8 feet tall
(according to our serve study at the Vic Braden Tennis College), it is in his best interest
to hit up and out while serving. - Bend your knees for great power. Though it can be important to the rhythm of the
server’s motion, knee bend supplies the least amount of racket head speed for the serve.
Instead, the player should focus on fluid, liquid power and hand speed. - There’s an ideal service motion. One of the most talked about myths in this book
is that there is one best way to hit a tennis ball. In fact, customization and personal
preferences play a critical role in a player’s ability to advance to the highest levels of play.
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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