How to hit a spin serve in tennis?

Is my tennis serve up to par?

  • So I'm 14 years old and have been taking tennis lessons for about a month. I can serve both sides pretty evenly and my serves usually spin. I also have around a 65%-80% serving in percentage and can usually hit at around 70 MPH. Is my serving okay for right now? Could I make the team? I'm not sure because I've only been playing for a month. Also, my groundstrokes are good. Forehand needs some work but backhand is superfast (I'm right handed). Any suggestions for serving and groundstrokes with my specific height? (5' 3.5") Thanks so much!

  • Answer:

    hm.... sounds like you had a great coach if you are able to progress as much as you did. with out seeing you actually play it is hard to point out what you need to work on, but most beginner do face the following. stroke form: make sure face is flat during your forehand and have a nice follow through. you can find some instruction videos on Youtube and once you have the form down just practice front of a mirror and see if the swing is correct Timing: many beginner don't know where and when to hit the ball, the moment of contact should be at about 2 inches from your front foot and the swing should be from low to high. there is no short cut for this just have to practice over and over again. hitting with the wall is a good way to practice. foot work: make sure you have a good stance before on each swing, always stay behind the ball and get in to position so you will have a easier time hitting the ball. you have a good serve already for some one play for a month, just keep practice till you get the rhythm and add speed to your serve as the time goes one. don't push youself too hard, that is how you get injury. based on what you discribed your self you should have a shot at the team, during practice you will able to learn more and do some drill that helps you too. good luck :)

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Yes your serve is good. in fact its so good, i think you're lying. one month of tennis experience? and hitting 70's at 65-80%? complete bull. and with spin? the only people that i know personally that can do that have been playing for quite a bit, and most of them are super fit. Either you tell us what your serve really looks like, what the speedometer says about your "superfast" backhand, and then maybe we can help you.

Qingyi

You really shouldn't list your "bests" here, you should list your averages. Your bests don't represent your "potential", no athelete performs at their "best" everyday, by definition. What you need to work on is getting your averages acceptable for your age level, and then better than your age level, then you can go pro and show Venus who is boss.

Yeah trust me hitting 70 mph serves after 1 month is pretty good. im no expert but since your only 5ft 3 inches you really gotta learn how to jump on your serve,with a high ball toss,bend your knees,arch your back a bit,but not too much(like cilic) and spring up really fast(talk to your coach,if you don't have 1 get 1!),watch federer,he has an absolute perfect motion.Definitely try out for the team,if your hitting most of your groundstrokes in with depth,because consistency is the most important thing.So yeah,good luck! :)

I'm sorry to say but your tennis serve is not up to par, you probably have the serve of a 8 year old girl, but don't bother practicing because you probably won't get any better

Actually you could probably make the team it depends on how competitive your high school team is. Just reading your post though I wouldn't say you have a lot of potential just because you can hit hard doesn't make you special. I would recommend you take it easy on the power. First get your form right, get the technique right, the footwork right. Understand how to hit the different spins. I would assume that right now you're just hitting a slice serve which is pretty much natural for all beginners. Final recommendation: topspin. Topspin on groundstroke and serve. Get your coach to teach you the kick serve it will really help you since you are short.

Josiah

i think you're doing just fine. enjoy tennis. don't worry about making the team or not. worst case is their loss. looking at your stats, you should be happy and worry about nothing! for suggestions: - serve: consistent tossing is key. racquet head speed at forward swing until impact can be increased by snapping wrist, but be careful. overdoing it and you'll end up breaking wrist tissues. - groundstrokes: add this to your arsenal - taking the ball on the rise. control this stroke and it will jam your opponent by reducing her reaction time. hope this helps :)

si_gendut

You've been playing a month?! Holy cow! I've played a month and my percentage in is like 30%!

Reggie

"Also, my groundstrokes are good" The only problem with your question. I have no clue what this means. It's hard to say where how well off you are at this point in your career. Just keep working hard and you can get anywhere. If you really want to improve, read the book "Bounce" by Matthew Syed. It will teach you everything you will need to know about how to succeed. It's incredible. P.S- Don't listen to chris. He is clearly an idiot. EDIT: You probably are really bad. But you've only been playing for a month. If you're really good for playing only a month, or if you're really bad for playing only a month, that makes no difference in where you will end up. As long as you put in the hard work and the long hours of purposeful practice then you are GUARANTEED to succeed (which is incredible). Again, read the book and you will understand what I mean.

aaron c

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