Okay, firstly, the strength to winning matches is the ability to hold your serve. Usually, a set is won by holding every service game, then breaking your opponent serve. When this is the case  wind the set 6-4.

If you serve the first game, you must to break at 5-4. If you serve the setting game you must break at 4-4.

Therefore, holding serve is the most important thing in a match. If you do loose your serve work VERY hard to break them straight back. You must put in 120% effort to break them immediately otherwise the whole match can change around in a few games.

Therefore your second serve is the anchor for the match. Potentially the second serve will be one of the major influences in the outcome of your matches.

You need to work hard to develop a solid second serve you can rely on in ANY situation.

We often ignore serving practice. However we are guaranteed to need to hit that shot and hit it well !

There are many serving drills which will improve your consistency. The biggest issue to overcome is confidence. You need to practice enough to build your confidence for a match situation. Technique is only part of the Winning formula. Therefore, in practice try and stressful situations.

Here are a few examples:

* You must get 17 out of the next 20 serves in

* Convince yourself the score is 3-3 15-40

* You must serve 15 balls in a row before you are allowed to leave the court

The better you get the higher you can push these numbers. Imagine being able to say ok the next 30 serves are going in. If not I am going to go and give that person over there $50. That would be confidence !!

Enjoy ! Michael

Ok, I heard about this last night and tried it. This is a great little test and skill enhancer. We are not working on improving any stroke in particular however your whole game will improve.

The drill goes like this.

What you need - 2 players. One Serving and the other Receiving. 2 balls - one for the server and one for the receiver.

1. The Receiver starts the drill by bouncing a ball on their racquet, not letting it touch the ground.
2. The server serves another ball whenever he or she is ready. - Second Serve speed - about 80% serve.
3. The receiver must continue to keep bouncing the ball on their racquet, hit the ball the server served and continue bouncing the ball on their racquet.

It sounds difficult however you work it out after a few serves. What I worked out is - tap the ball gently only leaving the racquet about 1 foot. Just after the server makes contact with the ball tap the ball higher (not sure how high I was not watching the ball in the air - I was focussing on the return- maybe 3 meters)

This really trains you to work on your peripheral vision and after a while you are actually become quite relaxed and confident you can make the return and keep bouncing the ball on your racquet.

After you have finished that drill try hitting normal returns… How easy are they now !!!

By overloading your system you work on all your senses. An advanced version of this would be to have people throwing balls at you, random noise next to you, or obstacles you need to step around. When all these distractions are taken away and ‘all’ you have to do is hit a return it much easier !

What do you think? Leave a comment or let us know another drill you like and use

Michael

One of the most challenging parts of tennis is that nearly every ball is going to come to you differently. In most other sports there are not as many variables. This is one of the great parts about tennis, the challenge!

Ok having said that, the shot with the LEAST number of variables is our serve. We can PLACE that ball anywhere in the air, we can decide WHEN to toss the ball up. Two big variables !!

So why do people server inconsistently, or continually chasing their ball toss? The answer, an incosistent ball toss ! Sure a bit of wind might alter it slightly but really not that much.

What can you do? Practice your ball toss. Practice placing the ball in the air in the same spot over and over. Dont hit the ball practice the toss only.

Your ball toss - if you dont hit it - should land in the same place on the court. When I was young we used to place the racquet flat on the ground. Racquet handle butt against our front toe, strings toward the net. When we tossed the ball up it should land on the strings. We would practice landing our ball toss over and over, landing it on the same spot on the ground.

Only with a consistent ball toss, can build a consistent serve. Many people grip the ball too hard on the ball toss, ‘chuck’ it up then worry about it afterwards.

The ball toss should be a very gentle, gracefull placement. Start by holding the ball gently with your fingers. Nearly with your finger tips. Turn your hand so your palm faces your body. Gently release the ball with the tips of your finger, place it up there. Are you thinking about your ball toss differently now?

Work out where your toss should be for your different servers and practice placing them up there. Get the height right and how far forward or behind your head etc.

Enjoy ! Michael

It happens all too often. Before we know it we are about to serve a second serve. What happened to the first one? Did we just throw it away? Is it because we have a second chance that we treat the first serve with less respect?

We might just have a slap at it, go for a big hard flat serve and not really think about it. Then, if it goes in, well that is a bonus.

If you look at the statistics of elite level matches usually the winner has a higher first server percentage. Is this just a coincidence OR are we looking at something obvious here?

Lets think about it. In theory, when you are service your first serve you are in a stronger position than the returner. They do not know how conservative you are going to be, in actual fact they expect you to be attacking your first serve.

Therefore most of the time the receiver in defensive mode, just trying to hit a decent return to neutralise your server - then you both can fight for the point.

Now the interesting thing, on the second server the attitude changes. As the server, you must get this one in. You are more conservative. The returner is more attacking than what they were on the first serve.

The receiver steps up into the court and is ready to attack your potentially weaker second serve. The receiver is more positive and more prepared, which you do not want.

The point is that you have so much more advantage on the first serve than the second serve. Treat it with respect. How?

Work hard to increase your first serve percentage by really thinking about it before you hit it. Treat the first serve like you do not have a second serve. Maybe back the pace off a bit from 95% to 85% and add a little spin to increase the margin for error.

The first server already has ‘natural pressure’ associated with it. Let the natural pressure of the first serve work in your favor!

A great way to practice this is play a set only using a single server per point. Pretend second serves do not exist. Sounds scary doesnt it !! Yep, miss the first serve, its the oppontnets point. As I write this t makes me nervous !!

Look forward to your serve !! Until tomorrow !

Michael

During a match we tend to tighten up in pressure situations. Serving is where these pressures can mount up. Why? Well, we are expected to win our serve AND we are in control of when the point starts. (Here also lies the opportunity to become a very sold server - more about that another time)

If you find yourself pulling your serves into the net it is usually due to you dropping your ball toss shoulder too early.

Right handers - your left shoulder. Left handers - your right shoulder. (if ball toss shoulder wasnt clear enough )

This is definitely the case IF you find you are looking at the ground after serving. Some people are hunched over after the serve with little forward momentum.

So what to do? A very easy cue to remember in the match - is ‘keep your front shoulder up high’. I mean, really keep it up high for as long as you can.

In actual fact it will be forced down eventually as you make impact and follow through the serve.

See the example of the picture in this article. Federer has his left hand and shoulder reaching high. His front shoulder is much higher than the back shoulder.

‘Keep your shoulder high’ is the simple cue in the match to get your serves back on track.

By forcing this action you will stay very tall during the serve and it will force you to go ‘up’ and ‘out’ to the ball.

Stay tall, feel strong, and build a solid serve you can rely on in any situation.

Enjoy the tip? Checkout our previous tips

Signup - until tomorrow !!

It happens all too often. Before we know it we are about to serve a second serve. What happened to the first one? Did we just throw it away?

Is it because we have a second chance that we treat the first serve with less respect? We might just have a slap at it, go for a big hard flat serve and not really think about it. Then, if it goes in, well that is a bonus.

If you look at the statistics of elite level matches usually the winner has a higher first server percentage. Is this just a coincidence OR are we looking at something obvious here?

Lets think about it. In theory, when you are service your first serve you are in a stronger position than the returner. They do not know how conservative you are going to be, in actual fact they expect you to be attacking your first serve.

Therefore most of the time the receiver in defensive mode, just trying to hit a decent return to neutralise your server - then you both can fight for the point.

Now the interesting thing, on the second server the attitude changes. As the server, you must get this one in. You are more conservative. The returner is more attacking than what they were on the first serve.

The receiver steps up into the court and is ready to attack your potentially weaker second serve. The receiver is more positive and more prepared, which you do not want.

The point is that you have so much more advantage on the first serve than the second serve. Treat it with respect. How?

Work hard to increase your first serve percentage by really thinking about it before you hit it. Treat the first serve like you do not have a second serve. Maybe back the pace off a bit from 95% to 85% and add a little spin to increase the margin for error.

The first server already has ‘natural pressure’ associated with it. Let the natural pressure of the first serve work in your favor!

A great way to practice this is play a set only using a single server per point. Pretend second serves do not exist. Sounds scary doesnt it !! Yep, miss the first serve, its the oppontnets point. As I write this t makes me nervous !!

Look forward to your serve !! Until tomorrow !