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Tennis – the serve introduction

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This is the intosport.com tennis academy. This video guide will teach you the fundamentals of the serve. Serving is the most important shot in tennis, because it’s the only shot that is played in every point of every match. It’s also the only time that you have complete control over the outcome; all the other shots you play will be in reaction to what your opponent does.

• 1. Service Rules +

  Every point in the game of tennis starts with a serve. The server has two attempts to hit the ball into a diagonally opposing service box. If you miss your first attempt, known as a first service, you’re allowed a final second chance, known as a second service. If you fail to land the ball in the correct box with both attempts, your opponent wins the point.

  When serving you have to be aware of foot faults. If your feet are in the wrong place during the serve then it will be given as a fault by the umpire. A foot fault occurs if: your feet touch the ground inside the baseline, your feet touch the wrong side of the centre line, or your feet touch the wrong side of an imaginary extension of the side line. A foot fault is treated in the same way as a fault on a serve so you either get given a chance of a second serve, or if you were on a second serve the point is lost.

  One final aspect of the serve is when the ball hits the net cord and goes over the net landing in the correct service box. When this happens a ‘let’ is called and you replay the shot as if nothing has happened. But if the ball hits the net cord and lands anywhere else then it’s treated as a normal fault. The best possible type of serve is known as an ‘ace’. If you manage to serve correctly to your opponent’s service box and they fail to make contact with the ball then you’ve aced them and you get the point without them ever hitting the ball. The serve might seem to be a little complicated but you’ll soon get the hang of it.

• 2. Serving Technique +

  Let’s start with the grip. The serve grip that is normally taught to beginners is the continental grip; you may also hear it referred to as the ‘chopper’ grip. The starting position for the serve is just behind the baseline close to the centre mark. In the singles game standing close to the centre mark means you’re in the middle of the court when your opponent returns the ball. In doubles, most players move to a wider position as the doubles court is wider and your partner will be covering the other half of the court.

  To begin the serve stand sideways on with your non-racquet side closest to the net. For right-handed players this means the left foot will be closest to the baseline and for left-handed players the right foot will be the closest. With your feet about shoulders width apart place your front foot a little less than 45 degrees to the baseline and your rear foot parallel with the baseline. Your weight should be evenly balanced with perhaps a little more on your front foot. With the ball in your free hand bring the racquet and ball together, resting the ball on the throat of the strings of the racquet.

  Throw the ball up higher than you can reach with a swing of the racquet and far enough in-front that if you didn’t hit it, it would land in-front of the baseline. Bring the racquet up to meet the ball with an over-arm throwing action, keep your head up, watch the ball and make the contact point with the ball as high as you can. Reach to meet the ball and once you’ve made contact allow the racquet to follow through down to the opposite side of your body. The momentum of the service action will probably move you forward and onto the court, recover quickly, step back behind the baseline and into the ready position so you’re all set to receive the next shot.

  To get a good serve going you need to concentrate on placement, power and consistency. You should practice at developing a consistent service action and learning to direct your serve to different parts of your opponent’s service box.

• 3. Serve Drill +

  Here’s a simple practice drill. Start by having an imaginary line down the centre of the service box and practice hitting your serves to either side of the line, everyone you play will have a weaker side so being able to choose which side of the service box you aim at will give you confidence to direct the ball to your opponent’s weaker side.

  Another useful drill is to start with a first serve followed by a second serve and then to switch sides and repeat. This is what you have to do in a match so it makes sense to do it in practice.

• 3. Recap Serving +

  Ok, so that was the serve. Let’s just recap. Throw the ball up higher than you can reach with the racquet and far enough in front so that if you didn’t hit it, it would land in front of the baseline. Keep your head up, watch the ball and make contact as high as you can and be sure to recover quickly into the ready position.

  Practice hitting to either side of the opponents service box and practice a sequence of first and second serves, alternating the sides of the court.

  So now that you have the serve mastered be sure to check out all the other useful video guides, tips and fitness advice at intosport.com.

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