Warm Up with the OverheadWhen you’re warming up for a match, don’t be afraid to practice your overhead. Whether you hit a good shot or not, the motion of the overhead is similar to the motion of your serve. Instead of focusing on your overhead, think of it as a way to stretch out your shoulder to go serve.
Make your Second ServeThe serve is one of the most challenging parts of tennis, that’s why you get two. If you need proof, look at the pro tour stats. On average, pros are serving at 73%. So, don’t feel bad if you miss your first serve. Focus, relax, and adjust your grip. Your only objective is to clear […]
Return + 1While your opponent is serving, they technically have the advantage. A way to neutralize their advantage is by hitting a strategic return back to them. You shouldn’t hit an aggressive shot right away. The highest percentage shot is back to the server. This does a couple things. It puts your opponent on defense right away […]
Weak Second ServesEvery player knows what it’s like to miss their first serve, and the pressure that comes with the second serve. When you’re on the receiving end, you can add to the pressure without saying a word. The closer you are to the service box, the more you’ll get into your opponents head. Simply moving your […]
Toss It UpThe key to a powerful serve is to use your entire body. To practice this, try loading your body up and tossing the ball high and over the net. This gets you in the habit of using your bodys momentum instead of relying on the swing of your arm.
The Slice ServeLike any other slice shot in Tennis, to hit a good Slice Serve, toss the ball way out in front of your body and out wide. By the time you swing through to hit the ball, you’ll be hitting it at a lower trajectory. This makes the ball pull away and stay low.
The Serve FundamentalsThe toss controls where the ball will go once you hit it. Wherever your tossing shoulder is pointed to is where the ball will end up. If your serve is going long, you’re most likely tossing the ball behind you. If your serve is going into the net, you’re likely tossing too low. Don’t stress […]
The Serve RoutineYour serve routine is entirely up to you. You should include whatever makes you most comfortable while finding your grip and getting your tossing arm set. No matter what you include in your routine, remember to keep your body loose and let out an exhale before you serve.
Return a Low ServeTry using a continental grip and block the ball the next time you get a really low serve. Add a little backswing and forward momentum to it, so you can bring your body forward and not get stuck on your heels. Stay away from the chip and charge and the forehand slice. The forehand slice […]
Defending the Kick ServeA kick serve buys the server a lot of time to get into position and/or serve and volley. It also has lots of clearance and lots of kick up. Returning a kick serve, if you let the ball get above your shoulder, it’s never going to be a good return. You have to attack the […]
Returning a Soft ServeOne of the hardest serves to deal with is the cupcake or really soft serve. It might come from someone who serves the first serve at Mach 10 and then the second ball is maybe 20 MPH. You’ve got to move in and forward because the ball has no pace. The uglier the serve, the […]
Aggressive ReturnsThe key to playing aggressive tennis is to always be moving. If you stand still, you won’t have time to get moving, before the ball comes. You’ll be late and you’ll have no choice but to block it back and hope your opponent makes a mistake. If the goes into the net, you need to […]
Don’t Bounce the Ball Before You ServeWhen preparing to serve, don’t bounce the ball. You never have the right grip when you bounce the ball. And, bouncing the ball forces your weight forward, when you want to have your weight back. That way you can drive forward through the ball on your serve.
Attack the Second ServeToo many times, I see club players waiting for the second serve on the baseline. You know the serve has to bounce in the service box, so move in and be prepared to attack the second serve.
The Best Way to Warm Up Your ServeYour serve is the only part of a tennis match that you control 100%. Naturally, how you warm up is an important part of your serve. While there are lots of ways to warm up, you don’t want to come out hitting serves full speed. This warm-up isn’t just a great way to get your […]
The Perfect TossYour toss has the power to control your serve. To practice your toss, you probably learned the bounce drill where you work to make your toss land in the same place each time. However, the bounce drill forces you to focus on all the wrong things. Use this three ball progression to practice your toss […]
Warm Up with the OverheadWhen you’re warming up for a match, don’t be afraid to practice your overhead. Whether you hit a good shot or not, the motion of the overhead is similar to the motion of your serve. Instead of focusing on your overhead, think of it as a way to stretch out your shoulder to go serve.
Make your Second ServeThe serve is one of the most challenging parts of tennis, that’s why you get two. If you need proof, look at the pro tour stats. On average, pros are serving at 73%. So, don’t feel bad if you miss your first serve. Focus, relax, and adjust your grip. Your only objective is to clear […]
Return + 1While your opponent is serving, they technically have the advantage. A way to neutralize their advantage is by hitting a strategic return back to them. You shouldn’t hit an aggressive shot right away. The highest percentage shot is back to the server. This does a couple things. It puts your opponent on defense right away […]
Weak Second ServesEvery player knows what it’s like to miss their first serve, and the pressure that comes with the second serve. When you’re on the receiving end, you can add to the pressure without saying a word. The closer you are to the service box, the more you’ll get into your opponents head. Simply moving your […]
Toss It UpThe key to a powerful serve is to use your entire body. To practice this, try loading your body up and tossing the ball high and over the net. This gets you in the habit of using your bodys momentum instead of relying on the swing of your arm.
The Slice ServeLike any other slice shot in Tennis, to hit a good Slice Serve, toss the ball way out in front of your body and out wide. By the time you swing through to hit the ball, you’ll be hitting it at a lower trajectory. This makes the ball pull away and stay low.
The Serve FundamentalsThe toss controls where the ball will go once you hit it. Wherever your tossing shoulder is pointed to is where the ball will end up. If your serve is going long, you’re most likely tossing the ball behind you. If your serve is going into the net, you’re likely tossing too low. Don’t stress […]
The Serve RoutineYour serve routine is entirely up to you. You should include whatever makes you most comfortable while finding your grip and getting your tossing arm set. No matter what you include in your routine, remember to keep your body loose and let out an exhale before you serve.
Return a Low ServeTry using a continental grip and block the ball the next time you get a really low serve. Add a little backswing and forward momentum to it, so you can bring your body forward and not get stuck on your heels. Stay away from the chip and charge and the forehand slice. The forehand slice […]
Defending the Kick ServeA kick serve buys the server a lot of time to get into position and/or serve and volley. It also has lots of clearance and lots of kick up. Returning a kick serve, if you let the ball get above your shoulder, it’s never going to be a good return. You have to attack the […]
Returning a Soft ServeOne of the hardest serves to deal with is the cupcake or really soft serve. It might come from someone who serves the first serve at Mach 10 and then the second ball is maybe 20 MPH. You’ve got to move in and forward because the ball has no pace. The uglier the serve, the […]
Aggressive ReturnsThe key to playing aggressive tennis is to always be moving. If you stand still, you won’t have time to get moving, before the ball comes. You’ll be late and you’ll have no choice but to block it back and hope your opponent makes a mistake. If the goes into the net, you need to […]
Don’t Bounce the Ball Before You ServeWhen preparing to serve, don’t bounce the ball. You never have the right grip when you bounce the ball. And, bouncing the ball forces your weight forward, when you want to have your weight back. That way you can drive forward through the ball on your serve.
Attack the Second ServeToo many times, I see club players waiting for the second serve on the baseline. You know the serve has to bounce in the service box, so move in and be prepared to attack the second serve.
The Best Way to Warm Up Your ServeYour serve is the only part of a tennis match that you control 100%. Naturally, how you warm up is an important part of your serve. While there are lots of ways to warm up, you don’t want to come out hitting serves full speed. This warm-up isn’t just a great way to get your […]
The Perfect TossYour toss has the power to control your serve. To practice your toss, you probably learned the bounce drill where you work to make your toss land in the same place each time. However, the bounce drill forces you to focus on all the wrong things. Use this three ball progression to practice your toss […]