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  1. #1
    goodynotion Guest

    Plz Help Me With My Second Serve!!!

    My topspin serve is terrible. Yes, I toss the ball slightly behind me and more toward me than my first serve, but the ball just goes up, and goes down. SO SLOW!!!! I try to hit it harder but there is no change in terms of speed.

    Plz, help me, dear tennis experts...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    19
    Quote Originally Posted by goodynotion
    My topspin serve is terrible. Yes, I toss the ball slightly behind me and more toward me than my first serve, but the ball just goes up, and goes down. SO SLOW!!!! I try to hit it harder but there is no change in terms of speed.

    Plz, help me, dear tennis experts...
    In your 2nd. serve it's very important to swing hard in order to impart lots of spin. Even harder than your 1st. serve. In my second serve I use more my torso and shoulders in order to compensate the less horizontal speed produced by the topspin racquet path. The result is that my 2nd. serve has lots of spin an a decent speed.
    By the way, I'm not an expert.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    17
    my 2nd serve is really bad, so's my 1st

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    France
    Posts
    46

    energy

    Hi !

    Since we toss the ball for ourselves, I always found the serve the easiest shot to perform, cause it only depends on us, no opponent involved.
    From my engineering studies I remember an electronic card is never better than its worst component. So I've always considered improving egally my first and secund serve.
    Main idea : to hit the ball with the same energy.
    Secund idea : to make a real difference of speed in the move just before hitting the ball (to boost the last part of the move).
    Third idea : to use spin to keep control on the ball and disturb your opponent with the bounce (more efficient than pure straight line speed).
    I found difficult to give speed and spin to the ball if hitting the ball too low and when I was young I remember training my serve with keeping the elbow high immediatly (stabilizing it...it helped me to hit higher and find the ball better).
    I don't any longer, although using it again when I loose my timing or under pressure for my scd serve.

    To train the topspin serve (I use it for secund serve and sometimes to get more time to stick to the net inspired by Edberg and Rafter ;-P ), I used to keep my elbow high, toss the ball so I'll hit it in front of my face slightly forward, and brush the ball up in almost slow motion to send it over the fence from and to the closest corridors of the 2 fields.
    Then, going back on one field, we fixed a rubber band at twice the net height and had to serve over it. The bounce is kept very high this way.
    It's really about wiping the ball like when waving to someone with your hand from your left to the right (I'm right handed !) and always up.
    Most of those who couldn't topspin with speed amongst the players I know, got the trick when they understood you keep the ball in your target with the spin but you've got to hit with energy, no fear to hit wide (it will if you're not fully physically engaged), with a beginning path of the ball up.

    As for a forehand topspin, the wrist rotation remains the main provider of spin...And the speed of the ball comes from the transfert of your speed difference between when your prepare and when you give all to hit.

    Then practice and more practice ;oP

  5. #5
    For a good topspin serve, you need to have a good back to generate enough topspin. Besides throwing the ball at the right location, you need to contact the ball at the right position. The following link shows you the details on how to hit a good topspin serve:

    http://www.zaptips.com/Sports/Tennis...0/Default.aspx

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Utah
    Posts
    26
    Quote Originally Posted by goodynotion View Post
    My topspin serve is terrible. Yes, I toss the ball slightly behind me and more toward me than my first serve, but the ball just goes up, and goes down. SO SLOW!!!! I try to hit it harder but there is no change in terms of speed.

    Plz, help me, dear tennis experts...
    As the saying goes, you are only as good as your second serve. If you have the right kind of spin and plenty of it, and you are not getting the pace to go with it, the solution is very simple. Toss the ball more towards the net and remain sideways as you lean in to hit it. This forward movement creates both a swing path that is more 'AT' the ball, as well as provides more inertia from your body weight being moved into the serve. You must maintain an upward swing path and NOT open up as you lean forward. The number one problem when players toss more forward is they open up too early and, as a result, can only hit a slice or flat serve.

  7. #7
    If you are looking to improve miles per hour, you can try flattening out the serve a little bit and try jumping as you make contact. Besides those two tips the best way to improve it is to practice, practice, and pratice some more.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    15
    The aim in a topspin serve is to make sure the point of contact with the ball is the highest you can get. To do this, try bringing your right foot forward and lift yourself up to hit the ball. To increase the speed, make sure you have the right grip and keep your wrist loose. When I say loosen the wrist I do not mean loosen your grip as well. Many players when told to loosen their wrist also loosen their grip. So keep your grip firm but fling your wrist at the ball. A serve is much like throwing a ball, and you never keep your wrist firm when throwing a ball.

    Try it and tell me how you go.
    __________________





    The two rivals

  9. #9
    I agree with sliced, keep your wrist loose! This will help with pace and spin by generating more racket head speed.
    www.tennisguru.com
    Get Re-Strung!

  10. #10
    The answer is simple. Keep your wrist loose and then tense it up when you make contact with the ball and you must increase racquet head speed slightly. (this will help your timing) timing is key.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    20
    do not focus on acing on 2nd serve. make sure you get it in and the point is played out.

  12. #12
    There is only one way to get a great second serve. Hit up at the ball (the racket must rise through the ball) as well as hitting through the back, left to right(righthander). A continental or backhand grip is best, bend your knees and back and use your whole body and go for it, as you must lose all fear, concentrate on the ball and forget about the result. Pick a place (in your mind) about 3 feet above the net and instead of slowing the racket down to get the ball in, go for it more and hit it harder. Especially when its tight. You need to do this about 1000 times. Do not take the line, just get it in or serving the first serve hard and the second, just get it in, it will inhibit you the whole of your tennis life. You must think long term, as initiallly you will spend time hitting doubles, that does not matter, because with practice you will develop a great 2nd serve and it will work even when the going gets tough and the more you practice the better it will get and in the end you may find that hitting a serve with severe topspin and pace that is kicking into someone's backhand can help break up your opponents rhythm completely .
    When playing doubles and you come across a leftie with a big forehand and not much of a backhand, who continually runs round and thumps your topspin with their left handed topsin forehands, making life difficult, get your partner to stay on the lhs and positiion yourself close to the centre line and serve topspins down the middle. Served properly, it is impossible to run around, so your opponent ends up hitting mostly weaker backhands. It's a match winning strategy.
    Last edited by servemybest; 07-01-2007 at 12:36 PM.

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