How do you serve?

[kiriharathedevil]

I started 3 months ago...but all i've practiced was my serve , what style do you use?

I've adopted the andy roddick service motion

[shiraishi]

Beautiful service motion the best if you really want to serve hard and flat. If you like his service motion I found a lot of good websites that break down his serve for you.

His first serve and second serve analysis: www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/4221210.html

His second serve analysis is here: tennis.about.com/od/playersmale/ss/roddickserve_10.htm


For me I really try hard to accomplish my flat serve but what really stuck to me was the kick and topspin serves. They come so naturally to me but problem is I can't get too much speed with them. The only plus factor is the consistency I have with it. I CANNOT do a slice serve. It's said to be the easiest but for me and my racquet I have never gotten it. So right now I'm just working on my flat serve percentage.

[kiriharathedevil]

I can't hit a slice either, only a topspin, i have decent speed, but im going for accuracy so i aim for the corner

Thanks for the links...those are exactly where i got my info from, i gave up on andy's motion and just do what feels natural

I''ve had no formal training....im 18 and so far i've learned from a 10 year old, and an uncle who can't tell the difference between a volley and a ralley...good lord i need a coach

[shiraishi]

lol what you need are some classes from a local club. Or just hire a pro for an hour and practice your serve for a bit.

[kiriharathedevil]

don't you mean, serve, forhand,backhand,volley lololol

okay nix the volley since no one volley's tennis is now a baseline game lol

[shiraishi]

Hmm I don't believe that superstition about tennis becoming a more baseline game. I still think the courts are definitely getting slower but the serve and volley does come in handy at times. I like the baseline but I also love the net so my game is a mix between defense and offense.

I power my first serve flat at least above 90's at time's and what happens is that my friend drops the return short and I get a chance to approach and volley the next shot back. But that's on a hartro surface. I don't think it's advisable for the courts at the USTA. My second serve is a kicker that goes out wide so I also get to get some approach from that. However, this only works on people who don't have great service returns.

[kiriharathedevil]

First serve flat....second serve kick? sounds like a professional tactic, most do that, roger federer did a ridiculous PoT like Kicker against someone
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDUHcAwOp5E

If your comfortable at the net thats good, but from what i've seen most players, even federer who is an allrounder prefers the baseline

Volleys are good to through people off, but a bad volley can be punished

[shiraishi]

Of course that's why I make sure to put my volley's away. Murray btw is an awesome modern serve and volleyer. Fed is just... an all court player so that justifies his baseline game. I'm trying to achieve that all rounder game plan so I'm really just getting into the whole serve and volley thing. My baseline game is great but being an aggressive baseliner just wasn't cutting it for me.

[kiriharathedevil]

Really? maybe your strokes aren't hard enough..?

If my murray you mean Andy murrey..then yea he's awsome, Ernests gulbis match against Robredo showed he has the potential to be all court in the future

[shiraishi]

No I hit plenty hard but I really hate playing the kids on the nike tour. Their all junk ballers, I need people who can keep up with my pace by adding theirs. That's the only way to play a really good baseline game -- to attack pace with pace and adding the occasional drop shot.

[jv12468]

i do a kick serv for reel

[kiru]

I naturally developed Roddick's server motion for some reason. My left shoulder hurts after a series of first serves, tough.(Right handed)
It's an everyday flat serve, but the pace of the motion is faster then normal.