Handle With Care

Service toss. We say it so casually you wouldn't think it's important But it's critical. Maybe it should be called a "service ball placement" or something more official. I remember coaches telling me, "be very careful and deliberate, like placing a teacup on a shelf". Or " hold the ball gently and carefully, like holding a baby bird". Well, I had no experience placing teacups, nor holding baby birds, but I think the point was clear. Be careful, and be accurate. Don't underestimate the importance of this placement.

One of the key elements to a quality serve is that it is struck at full extension, creating a straight line diagonal from the back foot to the tip of the racquet. That will only happen if the toss is correctly placed. With that in mind, a player must accept that they cannot hit a good serve from a bad toss.

That means we have to locate the toss correctly before completing the serve. And that means we are going to develop the discipline to NOT swing at what we know is a bad toss, right? Easier said than done. In the heat of battle, rounding up balls, worrying about the score, and countless other distractions that take us away from this singular task, make this simple (but difficult) task problematic for most players. So many junior competitors, and many adults too for that matter, simply wander to the baseline, fling the ball in the air, and allow wherever the toss went to dictate the quality, or lack of it, of the subsequent serve. Do you ever do that? Walk to the line, no thought about where you are hitting or tossing, just fling it up there and whack it - and see what happens ? You are not alone. The serve is the most important shot in tennis as it is the only one your opponent has no part of. To consciously give up that advantage is a killer to your match results.

Let's talk about the "where".

First of all, you should always have an intended toss location. Know where you want the ball to be to maximize the serve you should have decided on before the motion, and the toss, were initiated.

For most of us, beginner through tournament competitors, there are distinct different toss locations depending on the serve you have chosen. Generally speaking, the flat ball should be a little forward and to the right. The slice will be more effective on a toss that's a little further back, and a little further right. The kick, or topspin serve, should be hit over your head. We teach the player to contact the ball over the right ear, or actually where the ear will be when the weight moves forward.

Everyone will make subtle adjustments in these general locations, and as your skills improve these separate toss targets will get closer together. .At a higher level, you will develop the skill to hit different spins on tosses that are closer together, but still distinct. This helps disguise your specific intentions from the receiver.

We talk a lot about pre-serve rituals and routines. I will save those specifics for another post, but in short let's assume you ALWAYS perform the following minimum prior to beginning the actual serve motion:

a) visually look across the net and identify your intention for where your serve will land

b) and prior to starting the motion, remind yourself where the toss needs to be in order to accomplish the serve you have designed. This habit alone will raise your percentages simply by having a plan before you begin, and slowing down long enough to concentrate on the specific task of serving.

Rushing is probably the junior player's biggest enemy. Sub-consciously, we feel we have to hurry up before we lose. Running to the baseline, flipping the ball into the air with no thought or plan, and playing "hit and hope" is a killer to success. If it's the most important shot in tennis, ( and it is!), why rush? Slow down, take a few deep breaths, and PLAN. Where will I hit it?, with what spin?, and where must I toss it to best achieve that?

Two other disastrous habits killing our serve success are-

tossing the ball with two balls in your hand. Really? If it's difficult to do with one ball, how could it possibly be accomplished with two? One of the most common, crazy, and destructive habits in tennis

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between serve rushing. You miss the first serve into the net and while the ball is still rolling out of the net you have the second serve toss in the air. SLOW DOWN. Breathe. Plan. Give yourself a chance to succeed.

So slow down and think about where you are throwing the ball. Seek out advice on what physical techniques will assist you on more consistent toss locations. Take care of that toss, and let the improved serves take care of your results.