Setting Up the Shoulder Rotations on a World Class Serve

[bottle]

Subordinate arm extension to UAR? Whether one is nine feet tall or not?

I'm thinking now, after several serving sessions only, that one should subordinate arm extension to UAR, but do it as part of the preparation for forward UAR. How much flexibility does one have in one's shoulder? The less one has the higher one may want to lift elbow in down together up together design. The next question is how extended (or bent) the arm is at its acme (high point). Some effective servers have a straight arm at that point, most probably the right angle of "trophy position," others could experiment with even less angle than that between the two halves of the arm. This is something to fiddle with. There is no easy answer, but some serves may be far better than others when arm is set at a certain length. I like the idea of fingers then loosening and that occurrence only to cause one to miss hitting one's own head.

One wants to save UAR, i.e., backward upper arm rotation, for this part of the serve, it seems to me, as arm folds together combined with a bit of looseness in forearm to create vertical alignment for the forward UAR about to occur. UAR in two directions conflicting with each other as elbow is held back, perpendicular to the quick vertical wheel about to happen, seems key. Yes, arm will straighten as part of the forward UAR when it is allowed to release out of the conflict (see Brian Gordon's animation of arrows fighting against each other. The arrows are curved in opposite direction around the upper arm). UAR, I say, is what to maximize, not necessarily the amount of tract through which folding arm permits the racket head to fall.

[bottle]

I just put up an addition to the previous post that is very important at least to me.

[bottle]

Moral of this Story?

In the repeating video of Isner, UAR takes racket both up and down before contact. (Shoot me, but I prefer UAR-- upper arm rotation-- to ISR-- internal shoulder rotation-- to describe the same thing.)

Subordinate arm extension to UAR? Whether one is nine feet tall or not?

Much later addition: Keep elbow back to make UAR a tight but speedy vertical circle and don't worry about subordinating anything. To learn this motion use opposite hand to hold elbow back and wag the racket up and over, up and back, repeating again and again until you understand that this is what you want in your serves because of the greater acceleration it produces over what you were probably doing (if you were anything like me). We hear all the easy superlatives from the sport scientists about the power of UAR but they don't bother to tell you to hold elbow back for much greater acceleration. Maybe they don't know it themselves? I certainly didn't know it until yesterday. This interpretation of the arm work core of a serve also helps define pronation (internal twist from the forearm) in a more understandable and less academic way. The pronation is the last instant change of direction that keeps you from cleaving the ball in two. But is there overlap from one to the other (UAR to pronation)? No doubt sometimes. Maybe all the time. I'm sure one contributes to the other but the delineation (when it happens) now seems pretty important (the later the better). Hope this all makes sense.

[bottle]

In the repeating video of Isner, UAR takes racket both up and down before contact. (Shoot me, but I prefer UAR-- upper arm rotation-- to ISR-- internal shoulder rotation-- to describe the same thing.)

[bottle]

"Cartwheel and trunk turn start at the same time." That says to me that the distinctive cartwheel or tilt-a-wheel motion itself is rotating from trunk turn. The hitting shoulder therefore comes around more than it would from either.

[bottle]

Think of throwing a tennis racket as high in the air as possible.

Combine that tip with this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEpd...ature=youtu.be) and YOU'VE GOT IT! No?

[tennis_chiro]

Importance of fast Internal Shoulder Rotation

Check out this video on YouTube: 3min video

http://youtu.be/yEpdoAZiHWQ

Though this is a sports science analysis of the 105mph pitcher Chapman, it brings up some interesting points relevant to the service motion, particularly the importance of the speed of firing of the internal rotator cuffs and front deltoids.

God Bless,
TennisHacker36

Just read Yandells argument against comparing pitching to serving. No one would ever say to a pro pitcher you've big a big fast ball... Here's a tennis racquet... Go practice serving... Your fast ball will improve... John wins the argument...

No harm in learning a few interesting tid bits on pitching biomechanics.

That clip on Chapman clearly makes the point that you can have significantly faster Internal Shoulder Rotation. And we know from tennis biomechanists that Internal Shoulder Rotation(ISR) contributes about 40% of the speed to a serve. I have my students do my little drills for ISR, but mostly just so they can learn the motion. This makes me think it would even be beneficial to have even my accomplished servers do ISR not just for increased ROM, but also for increased speed in the motion.

I do actually try to get them to do this already, but usually they ignore me. Now I have a video that really shows what improved ISR can do for you.

don

[johnyandell]

If If I was doing that article now I would include the similarity in the arm rotations as Chas's articles identify, or the analysis of Sharapova and Murray that I did.

Think of throwing a tennis racket as high in the air as possible. That's a better analogy!

[tennishacker36]

Check out this video on YouTube: 3min video

http://youtu.be/yEpdoAZiHWQ

Though this is a sports science analysis of the 105mph pitcher Chapman, it brings up some interesting points relevant to the service motion, particularly the importance of the speed of firing of the internal rotator cuffs and front deltoids.

God Bless,
TennisHacker36

Just read Yandells argument against comparing pitching to serving. No one would ever say to a pro pitcher you've big a big fast ball... Here's a tennis racquet... Go practice serving... Your fast ball will improve... John wins the argument...

No harm in learning a few interesting tid bits on pitching biomechanics.

[bottle]

I like the materials in this article so very much. Of course there may be a confusion of authorial and editorial presence, but how could that matter when tennis technical clarification is the subject?

Immediately some tactile cues begin to suggest themselves, e.g., one ear to the ball and then the other in the third or tilt-a-whirl stage three stages before somersault, which somersault involves of course delayed wheel hub shift forward.

P.S. In the repeating clip of Isner, IAR happens before and after contact but pronation happens after contact. Just sayin'.

[bottle]

The conjecture that external rotation muscles are still at work even after the ball is gone ("the possible final stretching of the external rotators") seems provocative. What would so much delay in the conflict actually do? Or did these little guys give up and then reassert themselves like Napoleon?

[tennishacker36]

One thing missing I think: the backward bend of the trunk. The backwards lean puts the arm in the best position to achieve stretching of the internal rotators as leg drive begins. Very difficult to achieve this stretching if you're trunk is at 90 degrees as your leg drive begins - also probably will cause shoulder problems. Although, it's possible to injure your shoulder doing it correctly as well because some people have never had their shoulder stretch in this manor - unless they played baseball.

Good Point. Also, The Amount Of Stretch In The Obliques And Abdominals Created By Seperation Between The Shoulder Plane And Hips Is Another Important Factor In Terms Of Total Amount Of Racquet Spoed Generated.

God Bless,
TennisHacker36

[jdcremin]

One thing missing I think: the backward bend of the trunk. The backwards lean puts the arm in the best position to achieve stretching of the internal rotators as leg drive begins. Very difficult to achieve this stretching if you're trunk is at 90 degrees as your leg drive begins - also probably will cause shoulder problems. Although, it's possible to injure your shoulder doing it correctly as well because some people have never had their shoulder stretch in this manor - unless they played baseball.

[tennishacker36]

This Is A Brilliant Article!

As Far As Leg Thrust Goes, As You Pointed Out, The Stronger The Force Generated Through The Push Off, The Better Off The Server Will Be. The Reasons Are Three Fold: (1) A Higher Contact Point (2) Transfer Of Energy From Legs Going Upwards, Allowing For A Quicker Hip And Shoulder Rotation Through The Use Of A Faster Firing Of The Oblique (3) More Force Being Generated Upward In A Manner That Will Force The External Rotators Further Back Resulting In A Greater Elastic Stretch, That Will In Turn Produce Increased Force In The Internal Rotators. The Analogy Drawn In The Article Of Accelerating In A Vehicle And The Resulting Feel Of Your Body Being Pressed Back Into The Seat Is What I'm Getting At In Point Three.

God Bless,
TennisHacker36

[klacr]

Good breakdown of the critical components. To be honest, can't think that I ever ponder about any of this stuff while I'm serving. Just toss, turn and hit. But for my students I'm always watching for key movements and this is a great blueprint for what has to happen and what is currently happening.

There is an old line one of my fellow and albeit "shorter" USPTA testers always reminds me of..."never take a serve lesson from a pro over 6ft tall." in other words, a taller teaching pro will never fully know the serving plight of someone much shorter. Although I always have my student's objectives and goals in my mind and I take it seriously, in a moment of lightheartedness, many of my students ask me for that secret tip that will magically make there serve improve in the blink of an eye, I often retort back..."Grow to be 6'6". They always get a good chuckle out of it and we continue with their improvement. One thing I do to help them learn and stress technique and prove to them good serving is still possible I crouch down on one knee. I can still usually pop it pretty well and they feel motivated that at my new "height", a proficient and effective serve is within their grasp if they focus on the fundamentals and control.

Question: On the last clip of Isner serve in article. Is it me or does it seem like at contact he is bent over a bit too much at his waist on this serve?

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton