A Multimedia Resource for Players, Coaches, and

Students of the Game - Includes videos, stills and text

By
Jim McLennan
Essential Tennis Instruction
 Copyright © 2009 Essential Tennis Instruction & Jim McLennan
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or
stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

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Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................4
Overview ......................................................................................................................................................5
Service Motion and Service Action .....................................................................................................6
Key Sequential Elements ........................................................................................................................7
Release The Toss At Eye Level .........................................................................................................................................7
Sink With An Extended Tossing Arm ............................................................................................................................8
Pull The Racquet Up And Into The Hit..........................................................................................................................9
Lead With The Racquet On Edge ................................................................................................................................10
Head And Eyes Up At Contact......................................................................................................................................11
Serve Tall ..............................................................................................................................................................................12
Inverted “V” At The Top Of The Swing........................................................................................................................13
Finish On Balance .............................................................................................................................................................14
On Court Exercises..................................................................................................................................15
Serve Within A Box ...........................................................................................................................................................15
One Two Three Rhythm – Without The Ball .............................................................................................................15
Locate The Swish Point ...................................................................................................................................................15
Toss Into The Swing – Machine Like Replicability .................................................................................................16
Tap The Back Toe At The Finish ....................................................................................................................................16
Loosen The Fingers...........................................................................................................................................................16
Snap Against The Fence .................................................................................................................................................16
Snap Down..........................................................................................................................................................................17
Serve To The Back Fence ................................................................................................................................................17
Tell Time At The Top Of The Swing..............................................................................................................................17
Read The Spin Of The Toss..............................................................................................................................................17
Identical First And Second Serves...............................................................................................................................17
Articles ........................................................................................................................................................18
Fingers And The Grip .......................................................................................................................................................18
Notes On Injury – The Rotator Cuff.............................................................................................................................20
You Are Only As Good As Your Second Serve.........................................................................................................21
The Sidespin Serve ...........................................................................................................................................................22
Cart Wheeling.....................................................................................................................................................................24
Learning In Reverse – To Feel The Service Action..................................................................................................25
Quantum Golf/Tennis......................................................................................................................................................27
Swing At The Toss Or Toss At The Swing?.................................................................................................................29
Badminton - The Cross Training Alternative ...........................................................................................................30
The Serving Window .......................................................................................................................................................31
Resources and References ...................................................................................................................33

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Introduction
The serve, the most unique stroke in tennis, may be the most difficult stroke to
learn, but when mastered the most important stroke in one’s game. That said I believe
an approach that emphasizes rhythm and balance, leads to serving mastery. There are
many additional elements to the serve, but truly they cannot be learned without a solid
foundation already in place.

The following material comes from multiple sources and many years of work. My
first coach, Blackie Jones, inspired me to “study” the game with a combination of
science, hard work and fun. The second influence on this project comes from Don Kerr,
former tennis coach at Tulane University in New Orleans, and free thinking Renaissance
man who continually worked outside the box. He and I developed and patented an
electromechanical teaching aide, the Whistler, which measured aspects of the serve, and
the device, though not a commercial success was the springboard into my intensive
study of the serve.

As you become physically aware of your balance and rhythm, and then practice
the on court exercises, I believe you will significantly improve if not master your own
serve. These methods have worked particularly well in my neck of the woods, and they
will work just as well for you. The secret lies in building slowly, paying continued
attention to detail, and staying on track with the progression of tasks. When you
assemble all the elements, your serve will come together as well. Enjoy the journey.

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Overview
Consider all the elements that comprise the serve. Stance. Weight shift. Knee
bend. Knee extension. Turning away from the receiver with the toss. Turning back into
the hit. Swinging the arm down then back up, dropping the racquet down again, and
accelerating up and into the hit. Positioning the tossing arm, releasing the toss, the
height of the toss, and the location of the point of contact. Bending the elbow, extending
the elbow, rolling the forearm, decelerating the racquet on the follow through. Truly,
this is the short list. And in any tennis lesson many of these elements may be addressed.
But as a lifelong player and teacher, I believe that when coaches touch any of these
elements, they inadvertently obscure the two keys to any successful serve, which are and
always will be – serving on balance, and swinging the arms and body in a rhythmic way.
Absent balance and rhythm, the long list of mechanical aspects of the serve will rarely be
mastered. But on the other hand, once you discover both balance and in rhythm,
anything becomes possible.

Using a “syber vision like” continuous loop (where you view this serve again,
again and again), take as much time as necessary to see and to feel how the balance and
rhythm look. The toss is not overly high. The feet do not move during the motion, but
rather stay on balance with a dual leg drive. The knees are not excessively bent. The
body is not hurled at the ball or into the court. Rather, all elements are synchronized
into a simple and efficient whole.

Jon Wong, nationally ranked and four year letterman at Stanford University,
provides the template for this project. His motion bears a striking resemblance to the
serves of both Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. All three keep their feet still during the
toss and as the racquet builds momentum up and into the hit. All three do not over
emphasize any one element in the motion, but rather create racquet speed in an
effortless manner. All three use a forearm roll at the top of the swing. And all three hit
and finish on balance. In the words of John Whitlinger, coach of the Stanford team,
“Jon had a very fluid serve, with a tremendous amount of velocity, but without a lot of
work. It was a simple, clean and very effective motion.” Key phrase – without a lot of
work.

In order to develop your own version of this delivery, first and foremost imprint how
this thing looks. Watch it so many times that you can see it in your mind’s eye. Watch it
further still until you can see yourself duplicating this motion.

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Service Motion and Service Action
Building the serve requires mastery of both the service motion, or the “macro”
picture, and the service action, the “micro” picture. The motion describes the overall
look and feel of the serve. Flowing, ease of motion, relaxed, effortless, super fluid swing
(See Articles – Quantum Golf) – the motion describes how the serve appears from a
distance. When coordinating all the body parts of the serve, from the legs, to the hips, to
the torso, to the shoulders, to the upper arm, to the forearm, to the hand, and finally to
the racquet – the goal of the motion should be to get all elements involved, but
importantly to balance the elements so that one aspect does not overwhelm any or all of
the others. Meaning, sometimes players overemphasize the legs to the detriment of the
torso and shoulders, other times the arm swings up and into the ball without adequate
contribution from the hips.

The action describes how the racquet snaps into the ball at the top of the swing.
The action involves the final elements of the motion, how the elbow straightens toward
the top of the swing, how the forearm rotates the racquet into the ball, and how the
coordination of these elements creates a whip like hit. And similar to difficulties within
the motion where one element may be overemphasized or neglected, as regards the
action some players have flowing swings without action at the top, and others have
muscular action without preceding flowing motion. Action will also describe the force of
the racquet against the ball, which can produce terrific spin, or terrific ball speed – and
when you learn to serve as well as Jon Wong – both spin and speed.

Back to macro and micro, when studying the serves of either the pro’s on tour or
the player on the adjacent court; make your own evaluations of motion and action. The
more you look for those indicators, the more you will be able to understand and
ultimately feel them on your own serve. Often, the greatest influence on motion and
action will be the extent of relaxation that occurs during the service delivery. Tight
players produce tight, cramped, effortful deliveries. Loose players, when on balance and
in rhythm, serve with long flowing whip like deliveries.

As you experiment with the following material, always focus on the foundation of the
service motion – namely are you on balance and feeling rhythm?

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Key Sequential Elements
The following sequence highlights key aspects of the serve. Shots were taken from
the baseline, the net post and the opposite baseline. Compare your serve with the
photos that follow. Differences will highlight balance, rhythmic, or mechanical issues.

Release The Toss At Eye Level

An accurate toss will be every bit as important as a rhythmic and balanced swing.
That said many players release the ball much too early and too low, so the toss travels
further and often errantly. Jon releases the ball at eye level. Note the impeccable
balance.

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Sink With An Extended Tossing Arm
As the toss “peaks” the knees bend and are equally weighted. The tossing arm
remains up and well extended. Further, the red line highlights the alignment of the
shoulders, so that Jon can easily swing up and into the ball.

(See Articles - Cart Wheeling)

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Pull The Racquet Up And Into The Hit
As the hitting arm moves up, the elbow remains well bent, with the racquet head
low and lagging behind the hand. Jon whips the racquet in an “up and out action” and
here we clearly see the racquet accelerating on an upward path.

(See Articles – Learning in Reverse – Throw a Dart in the Ceiling)

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Lead With The Racquet On Edge
The arm is now fully extended. As the racquet approaches the ball, the forearm
rotates in the wink of an eye, snapping the racquet head through the ball.

(See Articles – Learning in Reverse – Unscrew the Light bulb)

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Head And Eyes Up At Contact
Fairly obvious concept, and Federer and Sampras are PERFECT at this moment.
Unfortunately most players (both professional and recreational) rarely achieve this
position. Moving one’s head prior to contact disturbs vision, balance, and in some
instances diminishes racquet speed.

(See On Court Exercises – Read the Spin of the Toss)

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Serve Tall
Eyes up, body fully extended, left arm tucked against the torso. Note the
alignment of the shoulders with the hitting arm (red) and the position of the racquet off
line with the hitting arm (yellow). This is as good as it gets.

(See On Court Exercises – Snap Against The Fence)

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Inverted “V” At The Top Of The Swing
At the top of the swing, the hand moves up as the racquet whips through the hit.
The inverted “V” as shown indicates a slowing hand and an accelerating racquet, much
like the feel of snapping a bull whip or wet towel.

(See On Court Exercises – Tell Time At The Top of the Swing)

(See Articles – Badminton - The Cross Training Alternative)

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Finish On Balance
Jon finishes with his weight forward and on the left foot. He has simply turned
into the hit without excessive bending at the waist.

(See On Court Exercises – Tap the Back Toe At The Finish)

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On Court Exercises
The following exercises identify specific elements of the serve. Do not attempt all
exercises at once, but rather, start with the first exercise, and take as much time as
needed until you feel comfortable, then progress in sequence to the next one and so
forth.

If you choose electronic coaching, simply send me an AVI file of your serve. Then
depending on what you do well and which areas need improvement, I will prescribe
specific drills to help you achieve a feel for balance, for rhythm, for a relaxed swing, or
for a whip-like hit.

Serve Within A Box

Find an empty cardboard box, an ideal size being the boxes used to ship cases of
tennis balls. Set up on court and warm up your serve, staying within the box from start
to finish. Serving within a box reinforces the importance of a good toss. Further,
because you will not be able to move forward, the only real source of power will be a
centered turn into the hit.

One Two Three Rhythm – Without The Ball

Position at the baseline or midcourt. Mimic an entire service motion from start
to finish without the ball. Somewhat like a dress rehearsal, this exercise allows you to
groove the serve, feel the legs, hips, torso, shoulders and arms, all without ever hitting
the ball. Many times this rehearsal magnifies problems in balance or tempo.

Once you have the knack, begin a quiet counting of the beat. Find a musical
tempo, where you can count one-two-three. More or less ONE - turn away from the net,
TWO - toss, TWO and ONE HALF-knee bend and racquet drop, and THREE - turn and
extend up and into the hit.

With practice, the tempo and three count beat will become habitual.

Locate The Swish Point

Practicing without the ball, swing with enough speed to produce an audible
swish. This should occur slightly to the right, slightly in front of you, and well above
your head. The swish point locates the moment of greatest racquet head speed, truly
your “spot.” Often students ask, “Where should I toss the ball?” This exercise will
answer that question. If the racquet swishes above and to your right, then toss to that
spot.

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Toss Into The Swing – Machine Like Replicability
Many players serve with dissimilar motions. The one-two-three count creates a
swish in a particular location and with a recurring tempo. But when introducing the
toss, the rhythm may become disrupted. Either the starting tempo becomes too quick,
or just the opposite, an overly high toss creates an extra beat when waiting for the toss to
drop.

In this exercise, step up to the baseline with two balls in your hand. Swing one is
totally pretend, one-two-three with a swish. Swing two is with the ball, attempting to
swing at the same tempo and placing the toss into the swish point. Swing three once
again pretend. Swing four at the same tempo and again place the toss into the swish
point.

Tap The Back Toe At The Finish

Serving from the baseline, hitting actual serves, practice holding your finish
where you count to three after the hit. Counting one two three, notice whether you can
remain on balance, but importantly note whether you can finish and tap your back toe at
the finish. Tapping lightly and on balance, with the back knee turned forward, indicates
a hip turn and weight shift into the hit, without loss of balance
(See Key Sequential Elements - Finish On Balance)

Loosen The Fingers

Pancho Gonzalez sometimes removed his pinkie finger from the grip, and other
times removed the pinkie and ring finger for a bigger hit. Loosening or weakening the
grip relaxes the arm, promotes a more fluid delivery, and creates a whip like hit.
However, loosening the fingers will only work when the motion flows without
interruption.

(See Articles – Quantum Golf)

Snap Against The Fence

The last two elements of the serve, as the racquet approaches the ball, are elbow
extension and forearm rotation. But as the elbow extends into the hit, the forearm must
be turned out and away from the right shoulder (if you are right handed). This exercise
clarifies opening the forearm, and forcefully rolling the forearm and racket into the
fence. At contact the racquet must be slightly to the left and NOT above the right hand.

(See Key Sequential Elements – Lead With The Racquet On Edge: Serve Tall)

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Snap Down
Positioned at the service line, practice a variation of the serve where you toss low
and way out in front, and snap down on the ball so it bounces high and over the net.
This will promote a full and vigorous snap, releasing the racquet head into the hit. Be
very careful not to hit your knee or shin.

Serve To The Back Fence

Serve from the baseline and hit up so the ball carries to the opposite fence on the
fly. Many times players are swinging forward rather than up and into the hit. The story
goes that as a kid, Pistol Pete served the first 10 warm ups to the back fence, the next ten
to the baseline (hitting up on everything) and then went to work on spin and accuracy.

(See Key Sequential Elements – Pull The Racquet Up And Into The Hit)

Tell Time At The Top Of The Swing

The service motion describes the overall picture of the serve. The action
describes the snap at the top of the swing. Ideally one should swing with a slow and
deliberate motion that finishes with a whip like snap. Rolling your forearm at the top of
the swing will both look and feel different than snapping the wrist. When rolling the
forearm you can see your watch just after contact, when snapping the wrist (incorrect)
you cannot.

Read The Spin Of The Toss

Players often remove their eyes from the point of contact, and look to the service
box prior to the actual hit (the author pleads guilty on this count), or become so
immersed in the motion that they overlook the toss and the hit. For our purposes, it
does not matter which way the toss spins. Rather, this exercise concentrates your eyes
on the toss and hit. As an aside, I have searched through the TennisOne Pro Strokes
Gallery, and found that most servers did not have their eyes up at contact. Sampras and
Federer were the only two exceptions; both had their eyes up and on the ball at the
moment of contact.

Identical First And Second Serves

As the saying goes, you are only as good as your second serve. Big, flat first
serves are of little use when supported by weak or tentative second serves. Too often,
players practice only their first serve, and in the end the second delivery bears little
semblance to the first. Further, when both serves are flat, the second serve tends to be
hit with a much slower tempo. Your goal will be to swing with identical tempo on first
and second serves, and to hit both with sidespin.

(See Articles – You Are Only as Good as Your Second Serve)

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Articles
Fingers And The Grip

First things first – the continental grip. The basic eastern forehand aligns the
palm of the hand with the face of the racquet, so in a “shake hands’ position, the racquet
face appears vertical. Leaving your hand in this “shake hands position” and rotating the
handle one eighth turn clockwise, the racquet face will now be slightly open. This
continental grip can also be referenced by the “V” of thumb and forefinger across the top
of the handle. Use of this grip causes the outside edge of the racquet head to lead as the
racquet approaches the ball. You may, however, want to go past the continental to the
eastern backhand grip, and if so, read on.

Pancho Gonzalez, in Tennis Begins at Forty, “I recommend a backhand grip for

all serves especially slice serves. If you find the backhand grip awkward at first keep
trying until you have a grip with palm of the hand on top of the handle. The grip will
help you get the (wrist) snap essential for an effective serve. No matter how difficult this
will be to learn, once mastered you will serve with speed and disguise.”

Gripping fingers – children (and some adults) can perform pull-ups using the last three
fingers of each hand (middle finger, ring finger and pinkie) – and from an evolutionary
sense monkeys used these three gripping fingers to swing from the vines and used the
thumb and forefinger to eat their bananas. So when trying to get a good grip on the
racquet for jarring collisions, for example the forehand volley, the tension (and
placement) of these three finger tips is most important.

Just the opposite use of the fingers works on the serve. Pancho Gonzalez was
known to remove either his pinkie and sometimes pinkie and ring finger from the grip
when needing a “big serve.” I believe this adjustment weakened the grip and enabled
more of a loose whip. On this score Blackie Jones would demonstrate the two finger
service grip, just thumb and forefinger. This version made it impossible to get a good
hold on the racquet, and therefore only worked with a continuous swinging momentum.

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Note the photo of Pete Sampras, in the middle
of his service motion, toss in the air, left arm
well extended, both knees bent, about to uncoil
into the hit – but with his fingers actually
open and not tightly clenched on the handle.
Totally relaxed, absolutely no tension, all in the
service of his effortless whip-like hit.

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Notes On Injury – The Rotator Cuff

Tennis places great demands on the feet, legs, elbow and shoulder. But as
regards the serve, your greatest concern will be the rotator cuff. The four small muscles
that comprise the rotator cuff simply rotate the arm. Standing with your arms hanging
at your sides, palms facing the outside of your legs, allow your arms to hang but simply
rotate them inside and out. This same rotation can be done with your arms outstretched
from the shoulders, or with the arms straight up and close to your ears. Note, the
rotation feels easier and less encumbered when the arms hang or are outstretched, but
feels tighter when the arms are above and close to your ears (meaning we need to avoid
this position).

Snapping the racquet into the hit with a whip like service action occurs when the
arm (both forearm and upper arm) rolls or rotates quickly into the hit. Though the
muscles in the rotator cuff are small, the greatest contribution to the speed of the
racquet occurs from this rotation, but equally, the greatest strain to the rotator cuff
occurs when this motion is performed with the arms above the line of the shoulders.

With the arms outstretched from the shoulders, the rotator cuff moves freely,
when the arms are raised above the head the rotator cuff becomes slightly pinched
beneath the shoulder blade. When reaching up at full stretch for a flat serve, or worse,
when reaching up and to the left for a kick serve (both actions move the hitting arm very
close to the ear) the rotator cuff will be at risk. The same problem occurs with young
pitchers. Once injured, the rotator cuff may be slow to heal. Further, if the form and
style of the serve that contributed to this injury persists, the condition may become
chronic. The solution is not an orthopedic surgeon but rather learning the sidespin
serve.

Simply put, the upper arm should not be placed above the line of the shoulders.
Tilting the shoulders, by moving the right shoulder higher than the left shoulder, will
elevate the arm and racquet. But, reaching higher or to the left will move the upper arm
above the line of the shoulders and the rotator cuff muscles again become slightly
pinched under the shoulder blade. The sidespin serve, with a toss slightly low and out to
the right releases these muscles. The kick serve tends to aggravate these muscles. Vic
Braden has published many articles on the subject. Presently Dr. Marc Safran has
begun a research study at Stanford University into the relationship between shoulder
injury and the kick serve.

Basic stretching exercises loosen these muscles and increase the resulting range
of motion.

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You Are Only As Good As Your Second Serve

Rod Laver has been credited with this maxim, but probably the phrase and the
resulting tactics have been around as long as the game has been played. Many problems
accrue from a weak second serve; that include frequent or poorly timed double faults, a
predictability that allows the opponent to set up for and attack with their forehand, and
or the soft flat second serve that speaks of fear and emboldens the receiver. Certainly if
the opponent has no facility to attack your serve, then the above conditions may not ever
matter, but if and when you play someone who knows how to handle the second serve,
the match will be turned on its head.

The secret to a good second serve lies in making that delivery identical to the first
serve. Said another way, spin the first serve, and spin the second serve. Swing with the
same tempo and racquet speed on the first serve and on the second serve. Merely place
a little more spin on the second delivery, but again with the same type of motion and the
same tempo for both deliveries.

Certainly, this is more difficult than it sounds, for most players simply practice
flat first serves, with or no spin, and always at a bold tempo. But once the match starts
the rarely practiced second serve will be delivered with a slower swing, still flat, but now
struck with a hope and prayer rather than with confidence.

Spin, whether on the side or top, curves the ball down as it crosses the net. Some
suspect the spin will trick or fool the opponent, and though that might occur, more
importantly the spin makes the ball curve down. At a higher level of mastery the
sidespin in the deuce court can be used to move the receiver well into if not past the
alley, and in the ad court a topspin serve (careful on your shoulder on this one) can kick
the ball wide and into if not past that alley.

But, in the end, both deliveries must be more or less identical. Similar swing
tempo. Similar toss placement. Similar type of spin. Sampras credits seven Wimbledon
titles to his second serve, which was truly the best in the game during that era. Yet we
overlook the second serve when marveling at the speeds and placement of the big first
serve aces. However players fight this game in the trenches, and trench warfare always
concerns the ebb and flow of thrust and parry on the second serve. Match statistics
always bear this out. The player winning the most points when delivering their second
serve, invariably wins the match.

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The Sidespin Serve

Many similarities exist between the throwing (football or baseball) and service
motion. Joe Bramhall, The Mechanics of Pitching Checklist, recommends the arm at a
90 degree angle with the trunk at the point of release. This position aligns the arm with
the shoulders, such that a straight line can be drawn from the left shoulder to the right
hand, and this position improves leverage with the arm at right angles to the axis of
trunk rotation. The sidespin swing path places the arm in this preferred throwing
position; the topspin swing path does not (unless the trunk tilts way left so the line of
the shoulders becomes vertical rather than horizontal).

Longer levers (in golf, baseball, and tennis) have more potential power. If the
shoulders are tilted slightly from horizontal (with the right shoulder higher than the left
shoulder) and the server reaches up to serve topspin at the 12 o’clock position, the lever
measures from the right hand to the right shoulder (because the arm is now out of line
with the shoulders). And worse, the arm is not at right angles to the trunk. But, from
this same shoulder position, if the server reaches out for sidespin at 1 or 1:30, then the
lever measures from the right hand to the left shoulder. And now the arm is more
nearly at right angles to the trunk.

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 Recall (if possible) the
women’s final at the 2001
Australian Open. Hingis served
topspin at 12 o’clock (directly
overhead); Capriati served
sidespin at 1 o’clock, and with
much greater power (leverage).
For an added bonus, Capriati
opened the court with sidespin
to the deuce court; Hingis
appeared only to get the serve in
play with no offensive intent.
On serve, one attacked, the other
parried, and the result spoke for
itself.

Vic Braden believes we

place our athletes at risk when
teaching the topspin serve. The
topspin hitting position occurs
directly above the head,
positioning the arm close to the
ear, and pinching the muscles of
the rotator cuff beneath the
shoulder girdle. To paraphrase,
and I can see Vic smiling broadly
as he said, “So just toss this baby a little more to the right and spin it just a little more”

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Cart Wheeling

Cart wheeling describes the motion of the shoulders as they move up and into the
hit. And just as a cart wheel turns up into a rolling forward (vertical) motion, the
shoulders can move in similar fashion. But before a description, two stories.

Revisit the 1984 Masters tournament in Stockholm, John McEnroe vs. Anders
Jarryd. Jarryd holds serve, on the changeover McEnroe repeatedly bashes his racquet
on the court surface then walks to his chair for the changeover. Unaware he had broken
the racquet in the throat area, he walked to the service line for his first serve, swung
quickly and the racquet head flew off from the racquet, this is true. How far and in
which direction? The racquet head flew some 30 feet into the air, and landed directly on
Mac’s baseline – he was swinging up – the dislodged racquet head told the story. Cart
wheeling up and into the hit.

The cover of Tennis magazine, February 2001, captured Pete Sampras an instant
after service contact, in his signature hand up forearm turned in, racquet pointing down
position, and upon closer examination one would note a few beads of sweat flying UP
and off his shirt in the area of his right shoulder, indicating how fast he cart wheeled his
shoulders up and into the hit.

So the delivery begins with a careful toss, during which the player remains
centered and balanced. Then a significant “sink” occurs as the knees bend. Note the
tossing arm remains up during the sink, and remains up as the knees begin to extend up
and into the hit. As to the cartwheel, the extended tossing arm lowers the hitting
shoulder, and the low hitting shoulder in sync with flexed knee’s, initiates the upward
cart wheeling action. If the sink is not low enough, or the when server is not centered
during the sink, there will be less force generated by the legs against the ground. If the
tossing arm is not well up, or the hitting side not well down, then there will be less
distance for this hitting shoulder to build momentum as it cart wheels up and into the
hit.

Power comes from the ground up so it all begins with the legs, the sink after the
toss, and how balanced you are as you explode up and into the swing. Then it is about
the shoulders, and how they turn up and into the hit. And finally it is about the arm and
forearm, and how the elbow extension up (throwing a dart in the ceiling) followed by
inward rotation (unscrewing the light bulb) delivers the racquet head into the ball.
Interestingly, this action is nearly identical to the biomechanical representations of the
badminton clear – an overhead smash designed to drive the opponent as far back as
possible – and performed only when the racquet has swung up and into the shuttlecock
with no – repeat no – down action.

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Learning In Reverse – To Feel The Service Action

With so many distinct and sequenced movements in the serve, isolation and
practice of those actions in reverse order, will enhance your feel and awareness. John
White, Batting Basics, used this approach, and it provided my son and me many a
pleasurable hour in the back yard practicing a whipping batting stroke in reverse order.

One proviso, there will be no mention of a wrist snap in the material that follows.
Years ago I found an article by Vic Braden and Gideon Ariel stating that one could serve
at full power if the wrist were in a cast and therefore immobile. I read and reread that
article and never got the concept until Don Kerr introduced me to the following drills.

Unscrew the Light Bulb.

Starting with the arm up, and
thumb pointing out to the right, reach
up for that “light bulb in the ceiling” and
feel how you would turn your hand and
forearm to unscrew the light bulb
(turning the arm and racquet into the
hit). Be careful not to pull the light bulb
from the ceiling, or break it off at its
base (though we are only pretending
here). Now with a racquet positioned
roughly in line with the outward
pointing thumb, introduce a ball into
this turning motion and see if you can
propel the ball forward. The last and
most forceful element in the service
action, as the racquet strikes the ball, is
produced by this “endorotation.”
Pancho Gonzalez, Pete Sampras, Roger
Federer, Jon Wong – at the top of the
swing they all turn the forearm quickly
into the hit.

(See Key Sequential Elements – Lead With The Racquet On Edge)

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 Throw a Dart in the Ceiling.
As you pull the racquet up toward the top of the swing, lead with the butt cap and
delay the racquet head as long as possible. Imagine throwing a dart not into a wall but
rather up and into the ceiling. The elbow moves up and into a flexed position, with the
thumb pointing down. With the butt cap facing the sky, and the racquet head dangling
low (dangle to imply something loose), feel an upward pulling motion as though the
racquet were a dart.

(See Key Sequential Elements – Pull The Racquet Up And Into The Hit)
(See Articles – Cart Wheeling)

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Quantum Golf/Tennis

Many interesting parallels have been drawn between the tennis serve and the golf
swing. Once the tennis player (or golfer) gets the feel for the mechanical elements of the
serve (or golf swing) then rhythm becomes the overriding issue. Does the swing build
smoothly and gracefully? Is there economy of effort? Can the server (golfer) swing
easily yet hit hard? Are the body parts coordinated so that the force from the legs moves
to the hips, and then to the torso, and then to the shoulder, then the arm, then the
forearm, then the hand, and finally the fingers?

Quantum Golf, by Kjell Enhager, explores the feel of the golf swing, one’s own
perception of effort, and the task of letting the club flow. The book concerns the
adventures of a student and teacher, as they learn about golf, one another, and life. And
each chapter concludes with golf tips that can be readily translated to tennis and/or to
life. This excellent book can be just the thing to change your perspective and unlock the
“secrets” of the serve.

Enhager distinguishes between a classic swing and what he calls a "Quantum

Swing." The classic swing has all the correct biomechanical components, but is
performed mechanically, and without rhythm. The quantum swing on the other hand, is
produced without effort, and this "super fluid motion" results from the classic swing
performed at the correct tempo and with minimum muscular tension. The following
excerpts of Enhager’s golf tips have been rewritten for tennis. Changes in wording from
golf to tennis have been italicized.

“Watch people serve and recognize the difference between classical and quantum.
See if the serve is effortless or strained. See if there is a smooth rhythm to their swing.
Notice if your own serve is classical or quantum. Is the swing totally effortless? “

“The quantum practice grip is light and effortless. Lightly hold the racquet
between your fingers. Let it swing like a pendulum. Notice how effortlessly and fast the
pendulum swings. The principle is to do less and accomplish more.”

“Practice serving with your feet together, if you lose balance, you have swung too
hard. Swing more lightly until it becomes easy to keep your balance. Improved balance
will take you toward the effortless swing.”

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 ”The quantum practice grip is light, and effortless, feel light in the windup, and
let this feeling carry over to the hit.”

“Practice serving without the ball and feel yourself getting to your “Q” or
quantum contact point. Notice your arms, forearm, and balance. Are you breathing
easily? Before each serve take a practice swing holding your quantum contact position
for a few moments and remember the feeling of it. Once the image is clear, let go of it
completely. Then go with the super-fluid motion.”

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Swing At The Toss Or Toss At The Swing?

Many years ago (45 to be exact) I sat in the shade and watched Blackie Jones give
lessons at Acalanes High School. The lessons were punctuated with difficult questions.
At times, when the student was stumped, he tossed the question to me (as I stole his
lessons from off court) and as I progressed to understand more of his questions and
more of his system, I became first a player and then a teacher.

So to paraphrase, Blackie would ask, “There are two parts to the tennis serve,
they are the toss and the swing. And if that is so, do you recommend swinging at the
toss or tossing at the swing?” Actually a good question, and though perhaps either
answer might suffice, Blackie followed with a compelling demonstration.

The general answer was, “Swing at the toss.” At which point, Blackie would serve with
his eyes closed. And then explain, “If you know the contact location, and the rhythm
without a toss, then go and duplicate that swing with a toss, but without looking.” If you
toss the ball into the swing, this actually works. If on the other hand your toss is way
above the contact zone, it becomes impossible to serve without looking, and in that
instance one certainly swings at the toss. When tossing into the swing, the motion and
rhythm feel similar. When swinging at the toss the two versions feel like night and day.
Blackie was the greatest.

(See On Court Exercises – Locate The Swish Point; Toss Into The Swing)

Blackie Jones – Acalanes High School 1966

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Badminton - The Cross Training Alternative

Transfer of learning describes the phenomenon where skills from one activity
actually improve (or change) the skill set of another similar activity. Interestingly, many
parallels exist between the badminton overhead clear and the up and out snap on the
serve. And I have found that experienced badminton players ALWAYS serve extremely
well.

Players strike the defensive overhead clear with an “up and out” action, in order
to move the opponent back as far as possible from the net, any downward snap will not
drive the shuttlecock as high or as far. Many rallies include a succession of overhead
clears until one or the other can finish with a drop shot. With practice, this overhead
clear motion transfers directly to the feel of the serve, and in particular imprints the feel
for the forearm roll rather than the wrist snap. The pictures of the badminton overhead
appear identical with the sharp “inverted V” moments after contact on the tennis serve.

Qualitative Analysis of the Badminton Forehand Smash: Gowitzke, Barbara and Waddell, David in
Racquet and Sports Symposium; 1979

A note on pronation. Tennis teachers disagree on pronation, whether it is a

forearm roll or wrist snap, and whether it occurs at impact or on the follow through.
Further, any snap that does occur at the top of the swing can be done by turning the
forearm, flexing (snapping) the wrist, or a combination of the two. Gowitzke and
Waddell stated that, “All elite (badminton) players hit the overhead smash with power
by invoking marked medial rotation of the upper arm at the shoulder joint and
pronation of the forearm at the radio-ulnar joints just prior to contact with the
shuttlecock … no classical wrist was employed.” Translated, this means that power
comes from a turning in of the upper and lower arm prior to impact, wrist flexion or
wrist snap does not occur.

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The Serving Window

Imagine a wall at the net, with a window, such that all serves that passed through
the window would land in the service box. For a fast serve from a tall hit (95mph, 100
inches) the window measures about 18 inches high and 90 inches wide. Take a moment
here; this is a tricky but valuable concept. Considering the size and shape of this serving
window, the Pancho Gonzalez serve (renown for both power and consistency) appeared
to have a horizontal hitting action. Gonzalez did not move the racquet up and over the
ball, but rather up and then across the ball, more or less on a sideways direction from
the inside the ball.

Given the size and shape of the serving window, John White (See Resources,
Batting Basics) calculates the optimal angle of the racquet handle at impact should not
be vertical but rather at a 45 degree angle from the vertical plane. With the racquet
positioned vertically at contact, the racquet face moves through a plane that produces
maximum rate of vertical racquet face change. Howard Brody (See Resources, Tennis
Science for Tennis Players) calculates 2 degrees of vertical angular acceptance for the
racquet face at contact, and 10 degrees of horizontal acceptance of the racquet face at
contact. So serving tall and snapping up and over the ball moves the racquet face within
a 2 degree “chance” at impact, swinging up and across the ball moves the racquet face
within a 10 degree “chance” at impact.

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 With the racquet (handle or throat) positioned horizontal at impact, the motion
of the strings produce no vertical rate of change, but with reduced height of contact. The
compromise between the horizontal and vertical, with the handle and racquet axis
positioned at 45 degrees reduces vertical rate of racquet face change while maximizing
height of contact.

Teaching tips include positioning the serving hand slightly right of the ball (as
opposed to beneath it), or to form an arch with the arm and racquet. Certainly one must
extend the legs, body, and arm, but in this case not necessarily the racquet to its
maximum height.

(See On Court Exercises – Snap Against The Fence)

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Resources and References

Bramhall, Joe, The Mechanics of Pitching Checklist

Bramhall digitally compares 40 professional baseball pitchers to create a simple
template with excellent applications for the serve and forehand.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?
res=9E0CE7DE1338F93BA25750C0A964958260

Brody, Howard, Tennis Science for Tennis Players, 1987

Howard is a tireless student of the game, and this material well worth your study.
He presents compelling “physical” reasons that underlie tennis tactics, sources of error,
and why certain techniques work better than others.

Cochran, Alastair, In Search of the Perfect Swing, 1986

English physicists analyze how the golf club meets the ball. The elements of
“perfect” in certain swings have been discovered many times by our best practitioners.

Enhager, Kjell, Quantum Golf, 1991

Enhager explores rhythm, effortlessness, the super fluid swing, with an oblique
reference to transcendental meditation.

Elliott, Bruce, Reid, Machar, Crespo, Miguel, Biomechanics of Advanced

Tennis, 2003
The modern tennis resource (includes a reference to the “gravity turn”).

Plagenhoef, Stanley, Fundamental of Tennis, 1970

The classic tennis resource with excellent drawings, and simple explanations of
grips, stance and swings.

White, John, Batting Basics, 1986

White applies principles of gyroscopic stability to the baseball batting swing, and
this analysis creates an unusual insight into tennis mechanics.

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