Tennis Forum banner

Any tips for my PATHETIC second serve?

1K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  Vincent 
#1 ·
Second serve is one of the important part of today's game, well, mine is just pathetic(i have tried slice, still doesn't work), slow and i have no confident to hit it, no to mention adding any power to it, can anyone give me some tips? :wavey:
 
#2 ·
Perhaps just got for your first serve as a second serve. Obviously if you dont have a good first serve either that plan would not be advised.
 
#6 ·
really concentrate on technique and it will just flow as will the power. don't lollipop it into play (i know plenty of people who do this with there 2nd serve and imo it is just stupid - not saying you do it but if you do it's a bad idea).

make sure you keep your arm up after the toss sometimes i bring it down to early and when you do that then you bring the ball into the net. if you are hitting it long then throw your toss further forward. personally i tend to slice my second serve. not only is it easier to get it in but it adds to the serve in that the receiver will have another thing to take into consideration.

for me concentration is a big problem on my second serve, i have a pretty fast 2nd serve but if i want good placement i have to really concentrate (when i do i get aces off it sometimes so it pays off to concentrate.

a lot of people on the second serve (receiver) tend to stand just inside the doubles alley (like on a first serve but a couple of steps further in) so i tend to place it down the t (or close to it) and slice it away from them and they have a lot of trouble getting to it. but if they arfe doing that then keep serving in that place because you can get a rhythm on it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vincent
#7 ·
I agree with a topspin 2nd. It will pull down into the court, you can manage some very good pace on it, it's kick up will gove your opponents some difficulty, and by altering where the racquet hits the ball, you will gain 2 serves out of it: The topspin and the kick serve.

..Joe
 
#9 ·
A couple of suggestions (not in any particular order):

1. Get a partner of equal or slightly better level of play. Go out on the court where you both feel comfortable, and play nothing but points for a couple of hours instead of a match. It doesn't matter who starts, because you don't keep score. Whoever wins the point keeps serving, and when the server loses the point, your partner switches to the next box and begins serving. This takes almost all the pressure off the server, and allows you to really look inside WHAT YOU ARE DOING WHEN YOU SERVE, instead of making the point or game or set count, etc. It's a great way to accelerate better serving technique.

2. Take lessons. This sounds simple enough, and I know not everyone can afford to, but it's amazing how a pro looking at what you're doing both wrong and right can provide that breakthrough you're looking for on the serve.

3. To get the feel of the kick or slice second (or surprise first) serve, stand outside the fence of a tennis court, preferable 3-4 feet away from the fence, and make sure the fence is at least 10-12 feet high. Try to serve the ball over the fence at this close range. You'll miss terribly to start out with, but eventually, you'll see where your point of contact needs to be in order to slice or topspin the ball out and over the fence. Most people don't realize that these serves aren't hit at full extension (look at Edberg or Rafter tapes for some extreme examples), and are much easier to hit if you make slight changes to your grip.

4. NEVER STOP LEARNING!!!

Hope this helps.

Oh, and P.S.- "Hit with your racquet, not your arm"- Lew Hoad
 
#10 ·
The next time you play a match, play only with second serves, i.e. use a second serve as your first serve and then have another second serve if you miss. Since you're not alternating between hitting hard serves and second serves, you can concentrate fully on mastering the second, and you'll improve much faster. You may lose the match but at the end of the day your second serve will be that much more reliable. Which is more valuable?
 
#12 ·
ferrero said:
Second serve is one of the important part of today's game, well, mine is just pathetic(i have tried slice, still doesn't work), slow and i have no confident to hit it, no to mention adding any power to it, can anyone give me some tips? :wavey:
Ask Vakulenko. Her second serve is as good as her first. It's incredible.

She hits her second serve the same way as she hits her first. I didn't believe my eyes when I saw it.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top