by Melvin Palmer

Created on: May 06, 2009   Last Updated: May 10, 2009

The serve is one of the most important strokes of tennis. Developing a good serve is easy. It takes two things to serve well, technique and practice. Your feet, racket motion, knees and toss are important components of a good serve.

One of the neglected parts of the serve for many casual players is feet position. As you prepare to serve, the toes of the leading foot are pointed somewhere between the net post and the back court line. As you hit the ball the back foot moves forward along with your body. Forward motion helps create speed in the ball and preparation for your next stroke. The server may not step over the base line until the ball is hit. If the server does it is called a 'foot fault' and the serve does not count as good.

An effective toss is one that is out in front and high enough for you to fully extend your arm. Holding your racket reach up as high as you can. This is the lowest you should toss the ball. Tossing the ball requires a straight arm motion. Hold the ball with two fingers and a thumb on top. The ball hand is lowered below you waist. As you toss the ball open up the fingers and have them point at the ball in the air. A good toss is about 14 inches out from the leading foot at one o'clock. The ball is struck at either the apex of the arch or as it descends. If the toss is not what you want, catching the ball does not count as a serve.

The motion of the tennis racket creates speed and spin. For the sake of this explanation spin will not be discussed. The racket is held in a manner as to scratch your back. Your elbow is pointed skyward. The ball is tossed and your eyes stay glued to the ball. Your racket is moving upward toward the ball. As soon as you hit the ball your shoulder drops lower than the other one. At the same time you give a snap to the wrist. All these motions are designed to create speed in the ball. Later on you may add a full racket motion.

The legs create power too. Your knees are bent as you toss the ball. The knees straighten as your racket reaches for your tossed ball. More advanced players jump as they strike the ball. These motions add force and angle to your serve.

The 'how to' in tennis would not be complete without a mention of practice. The toss, the swing, foot position and knee movement can be practiced separately. A player who puts all these parts together needs to start serving on a tennis court. Serving on a court helps you become aware of how close the ball is to the serving box. Another way to practice is with a partner. Have your tennis buddy stand on the receiving side of the court. You serve a few balls to your partner and then your partner serves to you

A good serve can put you in a position to win points in a tennis game. The knees, toss, feet position and racket movement all work together to create a winning serve.

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