Serve

Introduction:
from very begining, very basic, how to use your leg mulscle, rotation of ur hips, your shoulders, the snap of the wrist, put them together to gain ultimate server.
to gain the power of the serve, to gain the spin of the kick serve, to gain the accuracy on ur slice serve. to make the serve a weapon.

PROPER SERVE GRIP:
the first thing we work on is the grip, like the other stroke, the grip is so important. on the serve, it is continental grip. too often i see the people who wonder why he can't get the power serve. he is big guy. and he hit the ball hard. the reason is he use semi-wester or easter grip. this grip put the forearm, put the hand in the proper position. so we can snap the ball all the way through. so move to continental grip, then we can move on and do the rest of serve . u r gonna get the power and spin u r looking for.

Serve preparation stages:
come up to the line and get our feet set in the proper position. the left foot should be forward, pointing at the right net pole or 90 degree to the service line. i personally like it. what it does is it already turn the hip slightly. so we r ready to get into the loading position.
preparation stage 1: relax, go through the exact same routine, step by step. everytime we get to the court.
my weight is mainly on my front foot. it is nice and relax and i am well balanced. once i get my feet in the proper positon, i already get my hip rotated. i bounce the ball a couple of time. again, find ur routine, do the routine everytime. whether it is the first poinnt of ur match or the last point of match. then get urself set, get the ball and the raquet in the fron. once u r in this position, we can move on what we called loading position.
at this stage, we start with rotating our shoulder, dropping the weight to the back foot. down together and up together.
one of the hardest thing in the serve is the toss. if u can get the toss to the same place each time, u r gonna be so far ahead of ur component. too often i saw the people holding the ball one palm of the hand. they toss the ball with the bend ball, so sometimes here, sometime overthere. if we toss the ball with the finger tips, with the arm extended, that is the distance in the court we want the ball to be. it is 2,3 feet in side the court where we can hit the ball really hard.
so: preparation position-->down-->rotate shoulder and hip--> rotate the weight back-->down together and up together-->toss the ball into air. that the power position , like the tennis trophy. if we can make the motion together, we can make the serve so much easier.
for the back foot, either step back position or step up position. either higher vertical power or highter horizontal power, depending what we do. the power of the serve come from the biggest musual in our body, the leg mulsal. if u see the great server, they really bend their knee down, drive the leg up to the ball. that is the part most of server do not utilize. that is why u can see 90 pounds boy hit incredible serve. they learned how to drive up the leg, how to relax to snap through that ball.

preparation -->loading-->exploding, just as throwing motion. simpualize it and relax. don't think about it too much because u won't be relax.
toss the ball: extending the arm. this distance did not change too much all over the whole life.
exploding: reach and snap and follow through. same as throwing motion.

preparation stage:
-1,front foot point to right net pole. -2, move the ball to front foot. -3, hold the ball with finger tips -4, bounce the ball a couple of time. >> find your routine and do it every time

load stage:
-1, down together -2, rotate the shoulder, hip and the weight back -3, bend the knee -4, up together -5, extend the arm and toss the ball to 2,3 feet inside the court where we can hit the ball really hard.

exploding stage:
-1, drive the body up with leg mulsules and reach the ball
-2, reach the ball and snap the wrist and follow through cross the body.
-3, move yourself into the court.

from CCTV 5:
1, 前脚脚尖抬起，重心从后向前压。 (PETE SAMPRAS)
2， 扭肩，几乎向后。
3， 直臂抛球， 一点方向
4， 跳起向抢篮板， 下巴始终向上。
5， 后腿打平保持平衡。
6， 二发拍头加速。

Complete NTRP Scale
1.0
This player is just starting to play tennis

1.5
This player has limited experience and is still working primarily on getting the ball into play

2.0
FOREHAND: Incomplete swing; lacks directional intent
BACKHAND: Avoids backhands; erratic contact; grip problems; incomplete swing
SERVE/RETURN OF SERVE: Incomplete service motion; double faults common; toss is inconsistent; return of serve erratic
VOLLEY: Reluctant to play net; avoids BH; lacks footwork
PLAYING STYLE: Familiar with basic positions for singles and doubles play; frequently out of position

2.5
FOREHAND: Form developing; prepared for moderately paced shots
BACKHAND: Grip and preparation problems; often chooses to hit FH instead of BH
SERVE/RETURN OF SERVE: Attempting a full swing; can get the ball in play at slow pace; inconsistent toss; can return slow paced serve
VOLLEY: Uncomfortable at net especially on the BH side; frequently uses FH racket face on BH volleys
SPECIAL SHOTS: Can lob intentionally but with little control; can make contact on overheads
PLAYING STYLE: Can sustain a short rally of slow pace; weak court coverage; usually remains in the initial doubles position

3.0
FOREHAND: Fairly consistent with some directional intent; lacks depth control
BACKHAND: Frequently prepared; starting to hit with fair consistency on moderate shots
SERVE/RETURN OF SERVE: Developing rhythm; little consistency when trying for power; second serve is often considerably slower than first serve; can return serve with fair consistency
VOLLEY: Consistent FH volley; inconsistent BH volley, has trouble with low and wide shots
SPECIAL SHOTS: Can lob consistently on moderate shots
PLAYING STYLE: Consistent on medium-paced shots; most common doubles formation is still one-up, one-back; approaches net when play dictates but weak in execution

3.5
FOREHAND: Good consistency and variety on moderate shots; good directional control; developing spin
BACKHAND: Hitting with directional control on moderate shots; has difficulty on high or hard shots; returns difficult shot defensively
SERVE/RETURN OF SERVE: Starting to serve with control and some power; developing spin; can return serve consistently with directional control on moderate shots
VOLLEY: More aggressive net play; some ability to cover side shots; uses proper footwork; can direct FH volleys; controls BH volley but with little offense; difficulty in putting volleys away
SPECIAL SHOTS: Consistent overhead on shots within reach; developing approach shots, drop shots; and half volleys; can place the return of most second serves
PLAYING STYLE: Consistency on moderate shots with directional control; improved court coverage; starting to look for the opportunity to come to the net; developing teamwork in doubles

4.0
FOREHAND: Dependable; hits with depth and control on moderate shots; may try to hit too good a placement on a difficult shot
BACKHAND: Player can direct the ball with consistency and depth on moderate shots; developing spin
SERVE/RETURN OF SERVE: Places both first and second serves; frequent power on first serve; uses spin; dependable return of serve; can return with depth in singles and mix returns in doubles
VOLLEY: Depth and control on FH volley; can direct BH volleys but usually lacks depth; developing wide and low volleys on both sides of the body
SPECIAL SHOTS: Can put away easy overheads; can poach in doubles; follows aggressive shots to the net; beginning to finish point off; can hit to opponent's weaknesses; able to lob defensively on setups; dependable return of serve
PLAYING STYLE: Dependable ground strokes with directional control and depth demonstrated on moderate shots; not yet playing good percentage tennis; teamwork in doubles is evident; rallies may still be lost due to impatience

4.5
FOREHAND: Very dependable; uses speed and spin effectively; controls depth well; tends to overhit on difficult shots; offensive on moderate shots
BACKHAND: Can control direction and depth but may break down under pressure; can hit power on moderate shots
SERVE/RETURN OF SERVE: Aggressive serving with limited double faults; uses power and spin; developing offense; on second serve frequently hits with good depth and placement; frequently hits aggressive service returns; can take pace off with moderate success in doubles
VOLLEY: Can handle a mixed sequence of volleys; good footwork; has depth and directional control on BH; developing touch; most common error is still overhitting
SPECIAL SHOTS: Approach shots hit with good depth and control; can consistently hit volleys and overheads to end the point; frequently hits aggressive service returns
PLAYING STYLE: More intentional variety in game; is hitting with more pace; covers up weaknesses well; beginning to vary game plan according to opponent; aggressive net play is common in doubles; good anticipation; beginning to handle pace

5.0
FOREHAND: Strong shot with control, depth, and spin; uses FH to set up offensive situations; has developed good touch; consistent on passing shots
BACKHAND: Can use BH as an aggressive shot with good consistency; has good direction and depth on most shots; varies spin
SERVE/RETURN OF SERVE: Serve is placed effectively with the intent of hitting to a weakness or developing an offensive situation; has a variety of serves to rely on; good depth, spin, and placement on most second serves to force weak return or set up next shot; can mix aggressive and off-paced service returns with control, depth, and spin
VOLLEY: Can hit most volleys with depth, pace, and direction; plays difficult volleys with depth; given opportunity, volley is often hit for a winner
SPECIAL SHOTS: Approach shots and passing shots are hit with pace and a high degree of effectiveness; can lob offensively; overhead can be hit from any position; hits mid-court volley with consistency; can mix aggressive and off-paced service returns
PLAYING STYLE: Frequently has an outstanding shot or attribute around which his game is built; can vary game plan according to opponent; this player is 'match wise,' plays percentage tennis, and 'beats himself' less than the 4.5 player; solid teamwork in doubles is evident; game breaks down mentally and physically more often than the 5.5 player

5.5
This player can hit dependable shots in stress situations; has developed good anticipation; can pick up cues from such things as opponent's toss, body position, backswing, preparation; first and second serves can be depended on in stress situations and can be hit offensively at any time; can analyze and exploit opponent's weaknesses; has developed power and /or consistency as a major weapon; can vary strategies and style of play in a competitive situation.

6.0 to 7.0
These players will generally not need NTRP ratings. Rankings or past rankings will speak for themselves. The 6.0 player typically has had intensive training for national tournament competition at the junior level and collegiate levels and has obtained a sectional and/or national ranking. The 6.5 player has a reasonable chance of succeeding at the 7.0 level and has extensive satellite tournament experience. The 7.0 is a world class player who is committed to tournament competition on the international level and whose major source of income is tournament prize winnings.

Grip:

First thing first, i wanna spend a couple of minutes on the grip. the grip is the foundation for the every shot we hit in tennis. forehand, backhand, our volley, serve, lobs.. we don't have a proper grip, there is no way we are gonna have the consistency, the power and the control that we want to have. so it is very important you understand the grip.

There are 4 basic grips, i wanna talk about it right now. there are 8 sides of every grip, a octagon. we number those this way, number 1,2,3,4 and 5 on the bottom. it helps us understand where we are trying to get to in order to get the proper grip. the first grip we call the continental grip. this is on number one, v of the hand on platform number one. this grip is used in the serve, the volley, the lobs and the slice. we can learn this grip, this help us tremendously.years ago, this used to be grip to hit all ball with. now we changed. mainly the continental go with your serve, ur volley. everything around the net. the net game goes to the continental grip. your slice also.

Then we mover over to easter grip which is the v of the hand on the platform number 2.this is also called the handshake grip. so you put the raquet out and you shake the hand. that is the proper grip. Sampres uses this grip on his strokes. i teach the semi-western which is the v of the hand on the platform number 3. this actually is the one peaple started very young. because the requet is on the ground. the people go down, pick it up. that is in semi-western grip. Agassi is using semi-western forehand grip. this is the grip i particularly teach because you can hit the spin, you can hit the power. and yet you have that control just by generating more spin.

Going over further is called wester forehand grip which is v of the hand on platform number 4. u notices this grip actually hit the ball with this side of raquet. this grip put too much spin on it. mainly clay player used this grip to play. i don't particulary like it because i found when you r trying to hit the passing shot, you dont have the control to keep the ball low. the ball is too loopy. it is not a very diverse grip. you better move to semi-wester which is much more diverse that way.

For the left-hander, every thing is identical. it is just opposite when we talk about grip. it is very important that you understand it, u learn it, u get the raquet in the proper position. once you do, the consistency u hit will increase, the power will increase. and you will find u r way ahead of your competitors, just by learning the proper grip.


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