The Serve

The serve is one of the most complicated strokes in tennis. It is however, not the hardest. The hardest stroke to learn is the forehand. That in another post. I love the way we are able to teach the serve to students using a progressive method. The other key is not just how we teach it, but what we teach. I posted a video of Red Serve Play and you will see the young boy in the video is identical to what we teach.

I believe in teaching the students the same strokes as the professionals. I mean if that is what makes them great, why not duplicate that. The keys that are important on the serve are the grip, which we like to put the heel of the hand on number one.  The second is the contact point. The student must realize they are hitting up on the ball and not down. They must learn how to turn their forearm to make the racket edge turn flat to pull the ball into the court. In scientific terms this is called pronation.

In the video you also will see how the young boy takes his racket back. He takes it back on edge and then the racket face stays closed. Then he loops his racket down the middle of his back. The student ultimately learns the racket is continuous and not static.

For more information on our system for teaching the serve you can email me or set up a lesson for your young one.  I hope this information will also help you as you practice with your budding pro.