All Blog Posts Tagged 'serve' (18)

Your weak return of serve is costing you matches.…

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Do you struggle with your toss?  If the answer is yes, then you’re not alone.  I'd say roughly 3/4 of Tennisopolis members do.

In Pat Rafter's second free video lesson, he shares a story about his struggle to develop a consistent & reliable toss.  He also tells us how he solved the problem, confused his own dad, and the rest is history - winning the US Open twice.…

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How to Hit a Kicker...

and why it is the Best Serve at the Recreational Level…

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One is - what 99% of the people that hold a racket play. That one is to try and hit the ball over the net. The other is what most pros and some college players are capable of, and that is utilizing the entire body and playing an effortless, precise, powerful and "natural" looking game. It's time for all of us to elevate our teaching and playing and get more players in that second category. Everyone can play the game utilizing their entire body to stroke the ball - on all strokes! Help…

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Tennis-Parents Beware

When I was teaching in a club atmosphere I controlled the development of my students on a weekly basis, now teaching at a resort I don’t have that luxury, but the weather is great. Most of our patrons are here for long periods of time or back two to three times a year, so I do have input.

My concern is primarily with the juniors. I can’t tell you how many kids I work with have a solid baseline game but no clue how to hit a formidable serve, not to mention…

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This is a follow up, to my post on how to become a great returner. Most recreational players are enamored with the speed of fast serves. And I'll agree, it's fun to swing away on the first serve. But in terms of importance, it's consistency, placement and then power. Keep it in this order. Because you can't have a good serve without consistency.

I equate consistency with topspin. When you hit with topspin you are adding safety to your shot. With this in mind, it makes sense…

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So..I'm not a video editor or anything, but I had some video of me at the Legg Mason 2010 Singha fast serve contest last year. I was kinda reminiscing about how crazy that entire day was, but I ended up using the video to make a little movie on the movie maker on the computer. I had originally made a longer video and saved it, but somehow it got messed up and I had to start from scratch again.…

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There are many different muscles that contribute to the velocity and power of your Tennis Serve. And not only does each muscle deserve specific attention, but as a whole the muscles should be trained in a way that together they produce power that begins in your toes and is transferred up your body and out to the ball.



Below is an image that displays specific pivot points during your serving motion and is labeled as each of the main muscle groups are activated in…

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Placing your serve is critical in doubles. If you are hitting short weak serves or serves to your opponent's strong side, you leave your partner vulnerable to attack at the net or you allow your opponent to control the points off the return.



You can remedy this by choosing a target and working on keeping your serve deep in the service box (except for the wide serve which should be placed shorter in the box). You will begin to control and win more points if you have good placement of… Continue

This dude tore through the draw at the Pattaya Open, one of the biggest tournaments in Thailand. His ability to hit shots was remarkable.



Big Power from a Wrist Snap



Superman DUNK Putaway I saw this and went WOW...…

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First Shot at the Net





Second Shot in… Continue

Jumping into your serve is a… Continue

I love this serve because Shuai is about 5 feet 4 inches tall, but her serve is… Continue

I attended the USTA Tennis Block Party on Saturday at the HCC Campus in Tampa, Florida. One of the events at the block party was One on One Doubles..... this is a new concept in singles play that is highly competitve, fast paced and a great workout!



Basically you play a cross court singles match using the doubles court. Serve and volley or you lose the point! (Good volley work for baseliners like me!) The founder, Ed Krass, is a Blues aficionado and pumps out the tunes during… Continue