Private Lessons: The Serve

Creating the "calm before the storm" increasing your chance of having a consistent serving rhythm.

In Part 1 of this series, I started my analysis of the common issues I see working everyday with players at all levels. Part 2 continues the analysis beginning with the critical but little understood concept of rhythm.

A player who takes the time to create what I call a "calm before the storm," has a much better chance of consistently hitting a rhythmical serve. To this end, everything you do prior to launching yourself to the point of contact should be done smoothly and calmly.

I see too many players start their service motions like they’ve got a train to catch! Typically, players who rush at the outset have inconsistent tosses and wind up either muscling the ball or dinking it.

It seems that servers who begin their motions with their hands above shoulder level are more often the ones who tend to “rev up” at the wrong time and create a “storm before the calm.” In other words, the higher you start the greater the potential for a faster motion that will destroy your rhythm. But however your motion begins, you need to…