After watching one of your videos I started serving like a baseball pitcher. I took a step forward and served without a jump. It was so effortless and with so much power. I can't go back to jumping now. Only problem is how big of a step to take to avoid foot faults😊
Brilliant. I was really hitting "at" the ball rather than through it. The shoulder rotation (throwing) motion just let's me swing and the ball is in the path of my racquet. So simple. Thanks, Tom!
Took tennis back up after 40 years, after a partial knee replacement. I'm having to change everything or my muscle memory screws things up. I changed to a Roddick style serve to simply the serve. Thanks
Good video. Getting the hand outside the ball and not trying to extend the arm straight up also help prevent shoulder impingement injuries as well as improve performance. There is advantage to jumping but you want to master the motion with the pivot and step techniques first.
Serving upper torso mechanics is similar to throwing a ball upward , not throwing it forward. The shoulders/chest also doesn't open up towards the net as early and as completely as the forward throwing motion. The forearm motion is also substantially different. When throwing, once forward rotation begins, your palm faces the same way as your chest, as opposed to facing your head. It keeps this orientation until after the release and the forearm pronates to follow through. When serving, the palm faces your head during the upward swing, so you are swinging the racket on edge, before internal shoulder rotation and pronation square the racket face at contact.
I’m a coach, not a “say what you see” professional. I help people develop fundamentally sound serves by understanding the mechanics of a throw. It works.
Hi Tom! Agree with each point of your video. Nice stuff to watch. Simple language about difficult things. Say something about elbow.. it's another important checkpoint
Hi Tom, I want your serve, by far the most beautiful serve on the internet, maybe bar Sampras, and looks like it is possible and it is 'coming. Yet i cannot for the life of me keep my left heel on the ground!!!! I throw the ball lower, to the left. I concentrate on my foot being on the ground, it feels like my heel stays on the ground, yet when i play back the video, it is always off the ground. I'm thinking ski boot. Do you have any suggestions? 🙏
Great reminder . and boy do i need reminding ! Don't f**king jump!!! Throw the racket. I've done it, its by far the most satisfying serve, yet i forget and end up serving crap again 😂
things to try: 1. toss the ball a few inches back in the opposite direction of your target more than usual. 2. try a straight spine posture through contact. 3. try a less exaggerated stretch of the body post contact. just bring the racquet around. 4. bonus tip. try all 3 at the same time. let us know how it goes.
You will never fully understand the concept of shoulder rotation in a tennis serve until you learn some simple physics: in this case, angular momentum and more specifically the connection between moment of inertia and rotational acceleration. Then you will know how to maximize the turn of the hitting shoulder into the court.
Has anybody ever been contrarian enough to try to reverse the kinetic chain? That's what I see today when I watch these grounded serves. The arm throws the elbow with shoulders chiming in and pulling the hips around to pull the knees and heels into position for parallel thrust. To keep the inversion.perversion subversion contrarianism going, thrust the feet toward the earth's core while simultaneously employing triceptic extension toward the sky. If you explode from the stomach you can simultaneously activate both thrusts.
But when you watch the serves of the pros in Slo Mo, you see their feet going up into the air. Not for the sake of jumping, but as a result of coming explosively from their bent legs into full stretch.
@@TomAllsopp For me, the question here is: when your feet are in the air, how can your lower body brake shoulder rotation, so that the energy will be transduced to the arm and the wrist? Is this the moment, where the non dominant arm comes into play, braking shoulder rotation by the so called "self hugging"? And what do you think of that approach of "self hugging" concerning the serve?
Using legs is a great power source. My best serves are those where I reach up. I respectfully disagree with your analysis for the average club player trying to better their serve.
I disagree. You're striking the ball at too low of a point and too far in front. The ball needs to be struck at the highest possible point. Yes, shoulder rotation is important, but I find the wrist and pronation on the serve really provide the snap and speed or spin.
@TomAllsopp I disagree. First off, a flat serve is a cartwheel motion with the shoulders. Shoulder over shoulder with contact at the highest point. It appears you are demonstrating a slice serve using shoulder rotation. Although you fail to mention what type of serve you are demonstrating
After watching one of your videos I started serving like a baseball pitcher. I took a step forward and served without a jump. It was so effortless and with so much power. I can't go back to jumping now. Only problem is how big of a step to take to avoid foot faults😊
Stand further back. You’re welcome!
Brilliant. I was really hitting "at" the ball rather than through it. The shoulder rotation (throwing) motion just let's me swing and the ball is in the path of my racquet. So simple. Thanks, Tom!
Took tennis back up after 40 years, after a partial knee replacement. I'm having to change everything or my muscle memory screws things up. I changed to a Roddick style serve to simply the serve. Thanks
Good lesson. It strikes me the similar concepts on most shots...shoulder rotation, stopping rotation, kinetic chain...good stuff!
Great insights, thanks Tom and Slavi
👌
Good video. Getting the hand outside the ball and not trying to extend the arm straight up also help prevent shoulder impingement injuries as well as improve performance. There is advantage to jumping but you want to master the motion with the pivot and step techniques first.
OMG THIS IS LIKE THE EXACT VIDEO I NEEDED THANKKK YOUUUU
Serving upper torso mechanics is similar to throwing a ball upward , not throwing it forward. The shoulders/chest also doesn't open up towards the net as early and as completely as the forward throwing motion.
The forearm motion is also substantially different. When throwing, once forward rotation begins, your palm faces the same way as your chest, as opposed to facing your head. It keeps this orientation until after the release and the forearm pronates to follow through. When serving, the palm faces your head during the upward swing, so you are swinging the racket on edge, before internal shoulder rotation and pronation square the racket face at contact.
I’m a coach, not a “say what you see” professional. I help people develop fundamentally sound serves by understanding the mechanics of a throw. It works.
thank you so much for this!!! I am over extending and it hurts my wrist sometimes. I will practice more shoulder rotation too.
great lesson on perfeting serve!
Eye opening observation. Excellent video. Thank you so much.
Thanks!
Super helpful, Tom!
Thanks! Great insight!
Hi Tom! Agree with each point of your video. Nice stuff to watch. Simple language about difficult things. Say something about elbow.. it's another important checkpoint
Hi Tom, I want your serve, by far the most beautiful serve on the internet, maybe bar Sampras, and looks like it is possible and it is 'coming. Yet i cannot for the life of me keep my left heel on the ground!!!! I throw the ball lower, to the left. I concentrate on my foot being on the ground, it feels like my heel stays on the ground, yet when i play back the video, it is always off the ground. I'm thinking ski boot. Do you have any suggestions? 🙏
Hitting any shot fully extended robs you of power and the ability to hit through the ball.
I gotta have a golf analogy!
Not this time?!😂
Sorry mate. Feel like I’ve let you down.
Hey Tom, I really only hit clean shots when having a beer(s) while playing tennis. So should I drink more beer and maybe turn pro?
Definitely keep drinking the beers and take turning pro one step at a time.
What would you say about rotating, but around more tilted axis, where shoulder goes more over to achieve that opening, not just around?
Of course. But Tom already said this quite a few times.
Great reminder . and boy do i need reminding ! Don't f**king jump!!! Throw the racket. I've done it, its by far the most satisfying serve, yet i forget and end up serving crap again 😂
Every top pro serve throws the racket , different styles but all 100% throwing
Learn the difference between shoulder rotation and trunk rotation.
Please teach us
I was a baseball pitcher. The coordination is good but I serve it into the net when using this technique. What am I doing wrong?
things to try:
1. toss the ball a few inches back in the opposite direction of your target more than usual.
2. try a straight spine posture through contact.
3. try a less exaggerated stretch of the body post contact. just bring the racquet around.
4. bonus tip. try all 3 at the same time. let us know how it goes.
You will never fully understand the concept of shoulder rotation in a tennis serve until you learn some simple physics: in this case, angular momentum and more specifically the connection between moment of inertia and rotational acceleration. Then you will know how to maximize the turn of the hitting shoulder into the court.
Stick to physics. I’ll do the tennis. Or maybe try implementing your knowledge to your own serve!?
@@TomAllsopp Ignorance is both bliss and contagious, but I have yet to be afflicted.
Has anybody ever been contrarian enough to try to reverse the kinetic chain? That's what I see today when I watch these grounded serves. The arm throws the elbow with shoulders chiming in and pulling the hips around to pull the knees and heels into position for parallel thrust.
To keep the inversion.perversion subversion contrarianism going, thrust the feet toward the earth's core while simultaneously employing triceptic extension toward the sky. If you explode from the stomach you can simultaneously activate both thrusts.
The kinetic chain does work backwards
Thanks, Tom. I never heard that before and wish I had.
@Bottle331 want my next video to be on the subject?
@@TomAllsopp Absolutely. Would be fascinated.
@@Bottle331 Huh, I'm not understanding this yet. Sounds super interesting. I look forward to the next video.
But when you watch the serves of the pros in Slo Mo, you see their feet going up into the air. Not for the sake of jumping, but as a result of coming explosively from their bent legs into full stretch.
Exactly
@@TomAllsopp For me, the question here is: when your feet are in the air, how can your lower body brake shoulder rotation, so that the energy will be transduced to the arm and the wrist? Is this the moment, where the non dominant arm comes into play, braking shoulder rotation by the so called "self hugging"? And what do you think of that approach of "self hugging" concerning the serve?
like
Problem is, a lot of people rotate too early.
I rarely see this as an issue. If it happens it’s usually because the lower half also rotates. The problem isn’t shoulder rotation
Yep. I think if you place an object in front of the back foot it can train the lower body to slow down. @@TomAllsopp
Using legs is a great power source. My best serves are those where I reach up. I respectfully disagree with your analysis for the average club player trying to better their serve.
I disagree. You're striking the ball at too low of a point and too far in front. The ball needs to be struck at the highest possible point. Yes, shoulder rotation is important, but I find the wrist and pronation on the serve really provide the snap and speed or spin.
Contact at the highest possible point is just wrong and bad advice
@TomAllsopp I disagree. First off, a flat serve is a cartwheel motion with the shoulders. Shoulder over shoulder with contact at the highest point. It appears you are demonstrating a slice serve using shoulder rotation. Although you fail to mention what type of serve you are demonstrating
big time Roddick foot fault !!! ya i know just practice but still