Tips for a better serve

Many players seemed to be convinced that the harder you hit the serve the better the opportunity to win a quick point. Their serves vary from 100 MPH on the first serve to 40 MPH on the second. The trouble is that they get their first serve in only 10 percent of the time.  This is not consistent enough to challenge the advanced player who will jump all over a weak second serve. To improve the effectiveness of your serve consider learning how to hit a topspin serve. This serve will help you be more consistent because it passes higher over the net and drops quickly into the service box.  The key ingredient involved in mastering a topspin serve is to learn how to hit the ball upward rather than downward.

Here is a method you can use to learn how to hit a topspin serve.

1. Position your toss slightly over your head or a few inches in front of your face.
2. Place your racquet over shoulder with the tip of the racquet facing the ground.
3. Toss the ball as described above and practice hitting the ball upward so that in clears the net by a wide margin but still lands into the service box.
4. As you master this technique you will notice more spin being placed on the ball.
5. You can increase the amount of spin placed on the ball by increasing the racquet speed.  As you master this technique you  increase the speed and action (jump) the ball makes when it hits the ground.
6. Once you feel comfortable with this motion go back to a full service motion rather than an abbreviated one.

George Haley