Tennis is a skill-intensive game. There are lots of critical factors that you should focus on to thrive in the game. Developing a strong tennis serve is one of them. To succeed in the game field, you have to excel in this skill. Tennis serve plays a very crucial role in dominating the game. The right selection of tennis shoes for men and tennis shoes for women along with the right tennis serve will defiantly give you a competitive edge. Tennis shoe fitting also really matters. So select wide tennis shoes if your feet are wide and select flat feet tennis shoes if your foot is flat.
As the tennis serve is the start of the game, you should focus on making it useful. If you can put some pressure on the opponent player with a classic serve, there are chances you will have a much smoother game in the longer run. As they say, “First Impression is the Last Impression.”
Had enough of the emphasis on a better server? Let’s dive deep into it and see some tennis serving tips by which you can improve your tennis serve more.
Table of Contents
Tennis Serve Technique That Work – First Serve Tennis
Having a single tennis serve style may be suitable for beginners. But for the more advanced players, you need to have more than one tennis serve technique to fully dominate the game.
Instead of just focusing on one tennis skill, we will give you complete information about three different tennis styles so you can become more confident in your tennis serve.
Best Tennis Serve Techniques at a Glance
- Flat Serve
- Kick Serve
Both these different serving styles have their pros and cons. We will see the pros and cons of both of these serving techniques. So, you can choose the serving style according to your preference.
1. Flat Serve
The first serve technique that we are going to discuss is perhaps the most common tennis serve technology. This serve technique is synonymous with power and reliability. It is the serving of choice for beginners and professionals alike.
This serve technique requires the most power and has very low to no swing. No doubt, perfect tennis serving method to get in the game.
- Power – The most significant advantage that you will get with this technique is the power of the shot with tennis serve speed. With a more considerable amount of energy, the speed of the ball will be much higher, and thus your opponent will have a much lower response time. Therefore, your opponent will have to react quickly, or he will lose the ball.
- Low Bounce – When the ball is served using the flat serve technique. The ball will have a shallow bounce as compared to the other methods. Hence, it will be difficult for your opponent to attack back with a powerful shot.
- Perfect Aim – Another great reason to use this technique is the control of aim. This tennis serving technique has perhaps the best aim control out of all the other serving techniques. So, aim your shot right at the money with the flat serve.
- Spin – The most considerable disadvantage that you will notice with this type of service is the spin. There is very little to no spin with this type of service. Therefore, it will be very more comfortable for your opponent to judge the ball and smash it over the net.
- Speed – Well, speed can be killing for you too. The same speed that helps you deceive the opponent can be used by the opponent to shock you too. If the opponent uses the same speed of the ball against you, you will have a hard time.
Flat Serve Technique
Follow this guide to enhance your flat serve in tennis. In this, we have shown you step by step, how can you serve the best flat serve in tennis.
Grip
The first thing that you will make sure of is that you are holding the racket the right way. For the proper gripping of the racket. We will definitely advise you to use the continental grip. If you are not familiar with the continental grip. We will recommend you to learn it first. You can know more about the continental grip here.
Toss Placement
In order to have the perfect serve, toss the ball at about 14-16 inches in front of you and about 6 inches from the shoulder of the right side. This ball placement was the best ball placement in our observation for the flat serve technique.
Racket Angle
In this technique, we are not spinning the ball. Hence, you should try to hit the ball in the middle of the racket with no angle with full power. So, the ball has no spin and ultimate power to it.
Final Thoughts
The flat serve tennis technique is a very popular tennis serve technique. This technique is used by some of the most popular players like Roger Federer, James Blake, Maria Sharapova, and Chris Evert. In our opinion, you should master this technique along with some other tennis serve techniques in order to have the perfect serving capabilities of the tennis ball.
2. Kick Serve
Kick Serve tennis is the most sought-after and hard to master tennis serving technique on our list. It requires a serious amount of practice in order to master this technique.
The kick serves, or the topspin was introduced in the 1800s by Holcombe Ward and Dwight Davis. In order to generate the kick serve, you have to throw and ball over your head, and then you have to hit it hard on the opponent’s weaker side, brushing upward toward the dominant side.
If you want to be a skillful tennis player, you will definitely have to master this technique. You can always use the kick serve tennis technique to surprise your opponent with the extra amount of bounce and spin.
- High-Bounce – The key feature of using the kick serve is its high bounce. When the ball hits the ground, due to the topspin of the ball, it gets momentum; it gains height. Due to this increased height, it’s much difficult for the opponent player to hit back a proper shot. Hence, a very powerful weapon to start the game with.
- Control – IF you practice kick serve tennis technique enough. Eventually, you will be able to control the ball to throw it into the weak zone of the returner. This can get better and better with the passage of time. This technique is relatively easier to master, meaning more easier to control the ball.
- Slower Speed – Since you are applying topspin to the tennis ball. The speed of the balls gets very low, and the opponent gets plenty of time to respond.
- Lose Control– If you don’t apply the proper amount of spin to the ball, it sits into the legs of the opponent player. Thus, you will have a tough time handling the ball when returned by the opponent.
Kick Serve Technique
Follow the below guide to improve your kick serve in tennis. Here, we have shown you each step, how can you serve the best kick serve in tennis.
Grip
Just like the flat serve technique. We will be relying on the continental grip for the serving purpose of this technique too. In fact, the continental grip suits the kick serve technique the most. So, we insist you heavily rely on the continental grip too.
Toss
The flat serve technique requires you to toss the ball 14-16 inches and 6 inches right to the shoulder. But that’s not the case with the kick serve technique.
It’s a little different and trickier technique to master. You have to throw the ball right on top of your head and then hit it as you are coming behind the ball.
This serving style is harder than the flat serve and requires some practice in order to master it.
Racket Placement
You will have to hit the ball up to generate the proper topspin required for the kick serve. You have to hit the racket at the edge, parallel to the baseline.
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- Racket Speed – To activate the topspin effect in your tennis serve speed, you have to hit the ball with the same speed as you will hit the ball in the flat serve technique. Sometimes, you will have to hit the ball even harder to achieve the required spin.
- Brush Up – If you want to generate the extra amount of topspin required for the grip serve. You have to hit the ball at the edge. Thus, the ball spins and creates an extra amount of bounce.
Why is Tennis Serve Important
The tennis serve is a crucial shot as it allows the server to start the point and dictate the game’s tempo. A well-executed serve can earn easy points, create openings for winning shots, and put pressure on the opponent. It is a fundamental skill that players must master to achieve success in tennis.
How To Get a Faster Serve In Tennis
To improve your serve speed in tennis, focus on proper technique and body positioning. Practice your toss, use your legs and core to generate power, and snap your wrist at the point of contact. Strengthening your arm and shoulder muscles can also help increase your serve speed.
Return Serve
In tennis, returning serve is a crucial skill that can determine the outcome of a match. Anticipate the opponent’s serve, position yourself well, and keep your eye on the ball. Be prepared to adjust your return based on the spin and speed of the serve. Consistent practice and analysis of your opponent’s serve can improve your return game.
Final Thoughts
Tennis serve grip is an advanced tennis ball serving technique. This serving technique is used by many popular players around the world. The tennis ball is hit at the edge with proper tennis serve speed to hit the weaker side of the player with an extra amount of bounce. If you want to be a pro server for the tennis ball, it’s highly recommended for you to have proper grip serving skills.
Summing it Up
There are dozens of tennis serving techniques used in tennis by players at different levels. We included the two most common tennis serve techniques so that you can have a better serving. The reason for putting two serve techniques is to give you an edge over the competitor.
You should always try to include more and more serving techniques in your game to add versatility and effectiveness to the gameplay. The tennis serve begins the game, and you should definitely try to make a better impression at the start of the game.
You can Inform us in the comments section below what serving technique you are using and why you like it. Cheers!
FAQ | Frequently Ask Questions
Q: How to serve in tennis for beginners?
Ans: Beginners should follow below simple steps for a better tennis serve.
- Your standing position in a way that your back foot should parallel to the baseline while your front foot should be pointed towards the right corner of the net.
- Hold the racket in your hand like you hold the hammer
- Now the hitting part is very important. For this position, bend your knees, swing the racket at your back, toss the ball in the air, and hit with full energy.
Q: What are the different types of tennis serves?
Ans: There are different tennis serving techniques used by tennis players. But most common serving techniques are as below.
- Flat Serve
- Kick Serve
Q: What is a flat serve in tennis?
Ans: Flat serve requires power and reliability. In this technique, correctly hold your racket in your hand. Then toss the ball in the air about 14 to 16 inches. Now to try to hit the ball from the middle of the racket as we will not swing the ball in this technique.
Q: What is a Kick Serve?
Ans: Kick serve to require experience in tennis. You need more practice in order to get perfection in this tennis serve. In this technique, you have to toss the ball at top of your head and then hit it with the edge of your racket parallel to the baseline in order to get topspin.
Q: How to serve in tennis with spin?
Ans: You need more practice and experience in order to produce spin in the tennis ball. The simple technique is to brush the ball as perfectly as you can. It’s just like hitting the ball with a 6 O clock position to a 12 O clock position.
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