IMPROVING YOUR GA ME
Improve Your Tennis With Better Serve Mechanics BY MICHAEL GREENE, ADULT/JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, WINDWARD LAKE CLUB
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or too many recreational players, having a reliable serve is more elusive than winning the lottery. One of the biggest reasons for this is an improper grip coupled with poor serving mechanics. While all of us would like greater consistency, better depth, pinpoint accuracy, increased power and diabolical spin from our serves, none of this is attainable without proper technique. In addition, many players try to go for too much too soon without first understanding the process of building/developing a skill like the serve. When it comes to your serve, picture a ladder where each rung represents increasingly more difficult aspects of the serve such as consistency, depth, placement, power, and spin. All of these performance-based goals are only achievable by first starting at the ground level and learning the proper fundamentals. This essential piece is easily overlooked because of the ever-increasing opportunities and pressure to play competitively. Such players will become increasingly frustrated and may open themselves up to acute or chronic injuries. For those who take the time to first establish the right grip and quality serve mechanics, climbing the ladder of skill 52
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development will result in a serve that is not only effective and reliable under pressure, but also a lifelong weapon. Here are some practical exercises for beginners and anyone whose serve may need a refresher: For those who have difficulty… 1. Maintaining the proper service grip, spend time off the court holding the racquet in the continental/hammer grip. A great time to do this is at the end of the day when you are watching your favorite show. Do this a few minutes each day and before you know it, it will become second nature. 2. With the throwing motion associated with serving, practice throwing a spiral with a small hand-sized football. 3. With the rhythm of the arms working together, make your own “serving sock” by placing a tennis ball inside a sock that stretches to about 27”, the length of a standard racquet. Practice the rhythm of the arms going down together/up together along with the entire swing as you feel the weight of the ball at the end of the sock move through the air without any hitches.
