The serve is the one shot that no player can do without
The serve is unique in that it's the only stroke guaranteed to be hit in every point. It's also different from other shots because when you're serving you're in complete control. The ball is in your hand and you have the opportunity to make the first impression on the point. You can either take charge with a well-struck and well-placed serve or put yourself on the defensive with a poorly hit delivery.
With that in mind, having the proper serving fundamentals and strategy is critical to raising your level of play, because as you get better, the serve becomes even more important. Here are some pointers to help you move from one stage to the next.
Beginner
Objective: Develop a smooth motion and consistent toss.
When first learning how to serve, you don't want to do anything dramatic. Start right near the centre hash mark, and without using much leg or upper-body movement, concentrate on making your toss consistent and service motion fluid. Don't be concerned with the precise direction of the serve. You can aim for the two corners of the box once you start to repeatedly get the ball in play.
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Throwing a football is helpful for developing the movement you need for a fluid service delivery.
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To develop that good serving motion I'm referring to, I am really big on throwing a football. (If a standard-size football is too big, there are various softer or mini varieties you can substitute.) People who have relaxed and proper mechanics when they throw a ball generally can develop a pretty good serve. Remember, when throwing the football, to step toward your target with your lead (or nondominant) foot, just as you would prepare for a serve. This teaches a player to get their legs involved. Also, throwing a ball encourages you to rotate your shoulders, another necessary element to a good service delivery.
The toss represents a different problem because you're using your nondominant arm. Early on, you want to work on placing the ball in the right spot. Keep the tossing arm straight and move it slowly. By itself, tossing the ball up is usually not a problem, but many beginning players struggle to coordinate both arms. The tossing arm needs to move much more slowly than the racquet arm because it has less distance to travel before impact. If the tossing arm moves too quickly, the toss will have to be extremely high to give the racquet enough time to reach the contact zone. If the tossing arm is too slow, or if the racquet arm moves too fast, the racquet will have to stop moving to allow the ball to reach the proper height at contact. Getting both arms to move in time is critical to developing a motion without any hitches.
Intermediate
Objective: Use the serve as a weapon by working on placement, and incorporate spin and power.
Where a beginner hits a serve just to start a point, at this level you're hoping to gain an advantage with it. The first step is directing the ball to a part of the service box that causes your opponent to hit a poor return. So it's a good time to learn to serve into your opponent's body as well as the corners of the service box. You should also alter your positioning along the baseline to create different angles to attack your opponent with.
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Brushing up the back of the ball will help put topspin on your serve, which is key for developing a reliable and effective second delivery.
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To get more speed on your serve, work on creating a smooth and relaxed motion that allows you to whip the racquet. Try this: Hold a ball in your tossing hand and shadow your serve without tossing or hitting the ball. On the completion of your follow-through, don't stop the racquet. Instead, do a loop to bring the racquet back to your starting point and shadow the serve again. After completing the second motion, bring the racquet back to your starting point, and this time toss the ball and hit it. This is helpful for getting your shoulders more involved and building up racquet-head speed.
Spin also becomes important at this stage because it adds an element of safety to your serve. It affords you the luxury of swinging out and still keeping the ball in the court. This is crucial in developing a reliable second serve that your opponent can't attack. To get topspin on the ball, you need to incorporate some knee bend and hit up on the ball. This means your toss needs to be right above you, rather than in front of you. This will help you get the feel of the brushing motion necessary for topspin.
Advanced
Objective: Utilize a significant shoulder turn and knee bend to make both first and second serves difficult for your opponent to return.
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Pete Sampras shows his back to his opponent with his big shoulder turn. He achieves this by turning his front foot nearly parallel to the baseline after his toss.
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By now you've gotten your shoulders involved in the serve, and at this level you should be able to show a sizeable portion of your back to your opponent during your delivery. Trying to serve like Pete Sampras, who turned so much that his back was almost parallel to the net, might be excessive, but a 30- to 40-degree turn is necessary to get good shoulder rotation into your serve.
You can achieve this by turning your front foot during your service motion so that it's parallel with the baseline. Ideally, you want your foot to start at a 45-degree angle to the baseline (as if it were pointing to the net post), and then as you begin to toss you thrust your front hip out, bend your knees, and turn your foot so it's parallel to the baseline. This will help get your body sideways so that when you move up and forward, you'll get more rotation with your upper body and your shoulders.
With regards to the knee bend, if you use your legs properly, you should be jumping off the ground as you make contact with the ball. It's not something you do intentionally; it happens because you're aggressively going up after the ball and your body naturally lifts off the ground and lands inside the court. If you find, after you've completed your serve, that you're not well inside the baseline (about a foot), then you need to use your legs more. By incorporating the shoulder turn and knee bend, you should be able to hit the fourth major serving target, which is halfway up the singles sideline between the net and service line. This is the sharp angle that will take your opponent wide off the court.
One problem that some advanced players face is trying to swing too hard; they get so tense that their arms tighten up. One way to alleviate this problem is to hold the racquet with only two fingers (thumb and index finger) when you serve. This prevents you from squeezing too tightly and will relax the swing and allow the racquet to accelerate.
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