How Can I Improve My Tennis Serve?

Step by step

1. 1. Use a continental grip

   Hold the racquet as if holding a hammer so the racquet face can rotate naturally through contact.

2. 2. Set a consistent stance

   Place the front foot at an angle to the baseline with the back foot roughly shoulder-width apart and weight balanced.

3. 3. Build a repeatable toss

   Release the ball from a straight arm at around eye level height above the hitting shoulder, slightly in front of the body.

4. 4. Reach the trophy position

   Turn the shoulders, bend the knees and keep the racquet arm relaxed with the elbow up.

5. 5. Drive up into the ball

   Push from the legs upward, let the racquet drop behind the back, then accelerate up to contact.

6. 6. Pronate through contact

   Allow the forearm to rotate so the racquet face squares up at contact and finishes across the body.

7. 7. Practise in focused sets

   Serve sets of ten balls to a target, tracking how many land in, rather than hitting a basket without a goal.

Start with the grip

Almost every serving problem starts with the grip. A continental grip lets the racquet face rotate naturally, which creates spin, control and racquet-head speed. A forehand grip forces the arm to muscle the ball and usually produces a flat, short serve.

If the continental grip feels awkward, serve at half pace for a few sessions until the contact point feels normal.

Make the toss repeatable

The toss is the only part of the serve entirely under a player's control. Release the ball from a straight arm with the fingertips, not by flicking the wrist, and let it rise to just above the peak of your reach.

A useful test: toss ten balls without hitting and let them land. They should all bounce in nearly the same spot, slightly inside the court and in line with the hitting shoulder.

Use the legs and the trophy position

Power in the serve comes from the ground up. Bend the knees as the toss goes up, keep the tossing arm extended, and hold a relaxed trophy position with the racquet elbow raised.

Then drive upward. Players who jump forward instead of upward lose height on contact and hit the net more often.

Add spin before adding power

A slice serve is produced by brushing across the outside of the ball, and a kick serve by brushing up and across from low to high. Spin keeps the ball in the box, which raises first-serve percentage far more than extra speed does.

A reliable second serve with spin protects the whole service game, because double faults, not slow serves, lose matches.

Practise with targets and numbers

Place cones or ball cans in the corners of the service box and serve sets of ten to each target. Record the number in. Improvement is far quicker when practice has a score.

Finish every practice serve with a first step into the court so the serve trains the point, not just the stroke.

• 10 serves wide, 10 down the T, 10 into the body
• Track first-serve percentage each session
• Serve some sets under pressure: restart if two miss in a row
• Film the motion from the side every few weeks