Developing the Serve: Part 2

Teaching advanced fundamentals maximizes the development of the serve for juniors. In part one of this new series on junior development, I outlined some assumptions I hold true about how to teach young players. (Click Here.) These include using visuals and kinesthetics as much as possible, as opposed to verbal instructions. I also believe we should help young players develop the fundamentals of advanced technique from the very beginning. In the first article, we introduced the start of a teaching progression for the serve, focusing on developing a good arm motion with a serving grip. Now let's look at the next steps for developing the full motion. As I pointed out in the first article, about 45% of all shots hit in beginning level junior tournaments are serves. The serve is also the most complex motion by far, meaning that more things can go wrong. My strong feeling is that you have to be patient and invest plenty of time in developing the full motion. Every player, especially at beginning levels, needs as much quick success as possible. So step by step small successes are what players need to stay motivated and eager to improve. The 5 Stages help juniors...