Private Lessons: The Serve

Without a service grip, you’re doomed to the “waiter’s” delivery. It may work fine when serving martinis, but it won’t deliver power and spin.

It’s generally accepted that the serve is one of the two most important shots in tennis (the other is the return of serve),
because it starts every point, and is the only shot not dependent on how the ball is delivered off the
opponent’s racquet.

As in all the strokes, learning the fundamentals is imperative if a player is to achieve
consistent placement, depth, spin, and power. Having confidence in one’s serve is something that can
really set a player apart. To serve well takes many hours of repetitive practice, but the rewards are
well worth it, and remember you don’t need a partner to do it.

On my teaching court and at my Nike Tahoe Tennis Camps, (Click here for info). I see many
of the same service mistakes over and over. The next two articles will identify them and discuss what can
be done to remedy problems. In this article, I’ll talk about the grips, the hitting arm, and the tossing
arm.

Let’s start with the grips. Plain and simple, there are just too…