Tennis Serve - A Couple of Basics

There should be another name for the shot that starts the point in tennis. Serve sounds too polite. People serve lunch, a nice welcoming activity. The tennis service should be anything but convenient for the person receiving it. The tennis serve should have pace. Yet speed is not the be-all and end-all. The beginner and even the more advanced player must understand that the serve must be accurate, reliable, and varied. It must be used with discretion and served with brains.

The following bit of information is very interesting. Everyone taking lessons should receive instructions on the physics of the shot. It does appear a tall player may have an advantage when it comes to the tennis serve. Given a man about 6 feet and allow him the 3 feet added by his reach, it has been proved by tests that should he deliver a service, perfectly flat, with no variation caused by twist or wind, that just cleared the net at its lowest point (3 feet in the center), there is only a margin of 8 inches of the service court in which the ball can possibly fall; the remainder is below the net angle. Given this, you can see why using spins on the serve is important. The proper spin will curve the ball down into the service area after clearing the net. Keep in mind, while executing the spin serve, it must be sufficiently speedy that the receiver does not have an opportunity of an easy kill. Placement is a key factor also. Good placement can give the server an advantage for his next return, admitting the receiver puts the ball in play.

Instructions for a beginner should include the tennis tip that the ball should be hit from as high a point as the server can easily reach. To stretch unnecessarily is both wearing on the server and unproductive of results. A good server will mix up the pace of the tennis serve.

Beginners should be aware of the foot faulting rule. The average foot fault is due to carelessness, over-anxiety, or ignorance of the rule. All players are offenders at times, but it can quickly be broken up. A foot fault is touching the baseline with either foot before the ball is delivered. The server should take care to place their feet firmly before the service line.

The tennis serve should be more than merely putting the ball in play. If possible it should give the server advantage in the point. With tennis lessons and practice, beginners or experienced players should develop a serve that can be an effective weapon.