Reynolds Tennis

Understanding the Serve - This shot starts every point in the game of tennis, so it is pretty important to have not only an effective serve, but one that is very consistent. You do get two serves, but many players hit the first one as hard as they can, it lands out, and then just tap the second one in only to have your opponent crush their return for a winner or a forcing shot. The key to an effective serve is in the wrist. On other shots in tennis, we are used to squeezing the fingers tightly during contact. It is just the opposite on the serve. The two tips to remember are “hit up” and “snap down”. This will allow you to create arc, but also to bring the ball down into the service box. If the ball goes long, you snap your wrist sooner. If the ball goes into the net you snap your wrist later. Then as you get the feel for both of these corrections you can increase the speed and vary the direction more and yet allow you to get the serve in with more effective results. Then try to hit your serves wide in the corner of the service box, down the center and into the body by working your wrist toward your intended target. The looser the wrist the more consistent and effective your serve will be. With a little practice you can improve your results on your serve and put more pressure on your opponents to miss or hit a weak return. Good luck to you with your new serve.