Miguel must be using a very heavy racket. He doesn't even look like he's hitting with any racket head speed or getting a big drop but delivers a hard serve. He's also a great coach. He explains things very well. Love his logic. Great video.
Thank you, very kind! I actually play with a full strung 360gr Ezone 98 with 25gr in the hoop, 5gr on 3and9 at the frame +grip+dampener. Testing also a head Speed mp with similar or heavier swing weight with absolute weight of 345gr, different balance.
I don't think any power comes directly from the legs. If it did, then a baseball player wanting to throw the ball with more velocity would jump up as he was throwing the ball. A moment's reflection tells you that this won't produce a faster ball; it will actually be slower. The power in the serve comes from the action of the arms, shoulder and torso rotation and pronation of the racket arm. What the legs provide is allowing this arm-shoulder-torso rotation to be freer. And, actually, the server does not jump with a leg push. The action of the serve's forward motion is so strong it pulls the feet right off the ground just like you see Federer or Nadal leaving the ground on a powerful forehand stroke. They are not jumping up at all; it only appears so.
I look at the ‘jump’ more like a natural consequence directly related to the amount of force you’re trying to hit with rather than an on purpose jump….meaning like if I hit a slow serve, I won’t get off the ground as much…with the power source or main power source it’s an interesting debate, on one hand I agree that the throwing action is the main producer but then if you try serving or even throwing a ball without moving your legs at all, there’s no where near as much force produced compared to putting your legs into it…imagine a baseball pitcher not using his lower body at all, they’re not jumping for power but pushing against the ground generating rotational and lateral force.
Try concentrating on your left arm being straight aligned with your body when you toss the ball, this will allow you to lean your hips into the court prior to driving up, you’ll notice a big difference.
Great video with clear explanations and concepts. I understand that you appreciate ideas from the comment section. I am a coach and would suggest your right foot comes too far over when you get into your pinpoint position. It overlaps your left foot, which limits your rotational power and reduces your coil. It’s a similar concept to those right handers who have their right foot in front of the left foot during the forehand preparation. I hope you find this useful!
I was inclined to agree with you but I did some searches and actually some top pros with excellent serves have this same foot position in the pinpoint stance. See Rafter (ruclips.net/video/78ISC4jVsGs/видео.html) and Ivanisevic (ruclips.net/video/CTUeUGVRDU4/видео.html). I do agree with the principle though that opening up this early may inhibit the coiling.
@@sombrerojacob, thanks for the reply and taking the time to link examples. It is clear some top pros do in fact have their second foot further round. It is not the norm however and other pros can compensate easier with more coil in the back, which is something most recreational players are not flexible enough to achieve. As with many things in tennis and serving, there is no 100% correct way to do something. But my suggestion is certainly worth practising with!
Dear Tennisnerd, Love your videos about improving tennis technique. Could you please do a video about generating your own pace on weak balls. I am having trouble playing against slicers and no pace hitters mainly due to my technique perhaps but also the fact that I am using a heavy frame Pro Staff V13 with 4 grams of lead added at 12, 6 and 9. Thats 319g already. Our whole tennis community watches you here and I appreaciate your devotion towards this wonderful sport. Keep it up! 🎾
Also for the rotation part, not everybody is as mobile as let's say McEnroe to get out of a turn that big, that's why it's kind of extreme. Going in the middle of that is the best
I admit, I forgot to mention it at least, and all the possible grips. Personally I use a more classic continental grip but I also use often the backhand eastern, like many pro's and Clubplayers nothing special. For some players even the forehand eastern can work to improve the spin. I hope it's helpful 🙂
Good content yet again. You guys didn't talk about the left hand at the end of the service motion (straight behind you, to force the rotation of the upper body and keep you balanced) a la Murray. Cheers
I think the serve is one of the hardest strokes to change, once it gets momorized a certain way. Simply because it is such a fast and complex motion. You can see it 24:29 when Miguel reminds Jonas to get the left arm more up and straight, but when Jonas hits is hard to actually do it - the motion is similar to before, which is just normal! I try to improve my serve for over a year now, I know in theory how to get a deeper racket drop and faster swing, but I just can't put it into practice, especially in matches when it gets even more on autopilot. Any solution to this? Or a suggestion how to make it happen and actually change it - reprogram the new motion - in real practise?
It's always tricky to apply a new technique in your game but just take your time and i would recommend to record your own serve every once in a while and also your matches, the more u observe yourself the better you reprogram your wished new motion. Advice: Lights, camera, action =)📸🎥
@@miGueL4ng3L Thanks and yes, I actually do record myself very often with SwingVision... so I can see cleary, where I can improve on the serve, besides the intuitive feeling I have from just playing it. Still very tough to implement new ideas I get for the serve especially.
Serve is by far the most difficult shot for me. I can fire rockets on my FH and BH all day but never have a good and natural feel on my serve, my toss is all over the place and i'm also not investing much time practicing serves.... it's tedious and also not healthy serving for an hour ;)
Before 1961 it wasn't allowed to jump into the serve, because they had to keep at least one foot on the ground. After 1961 they changed that rule and If you take a close look to slow motion serves from Sampras, Federer, Isner, Dimitrov and the list never ends, they all jump. 🦘
And yet an nfl quarterback throwing a deep ball, which is the same upward trajectory and pronation as a flat tennis serve, never leaves the ground. Your arm moving upward would never carry enough weight or momentum to offset the weight of your lower body. It doesn’t make any sense biomechanically, kinetically, and certainly isn’t supported by physics. Just because some RUclips “coach” said it to get controversial likes doesn’t make it truth.
Not sure why he says to have most of your weight on the right side (back foot) in the trophy position, you can clearly see when he serves and all the pros as well have most weight on the front foot…I had a guy telling me his coach was trying to get him to load the back foot and we tried it and it’s useless, hence why no one actually serves like that, so it’s beyond me why any coach says it. You can watch all the great servers in slow motion and their weight is predominantly on the front foot
I m going to be straight. There is no way to perfectly learn serve. You learn the serve basis, then your muscle memory and your brain must find how to adjust how to find timing with the gesture, power and precision in function of : your height, your wingspan, the strength of your wrist, your flexibility with your legs, back and your hips, and your overall muscle power. That is the reason why no serve is the same. As Djokovic said in Wimbledon about that, those 198cm players are serving from the roof, it won't be the same effort between a short guy and a tall guy with a lot of wingspan. To compare with the forehand power delpotro and monfils got huge forehand but the forehand of Gonzales who was way shorter had a totally different way to produce power, while with Monfils and delpotro it was arm length that produced power, concerning Gonzales it was pure muscle explositivity high elbow and, highing up racket at maximum, and torsion of the whole body. So when a 6ft3 and above guy comes to me to give me advice on how to serve I don't even listen.
Never listen to tall coaches, they're all liars 😜 Specially small guys should jump higher to get the power plus the spin INTO the service court, otherwise it's just power without control 🎛️🛂
your other two videos (on the BH and FH) were much more helepful than this one. This was too many things (all of them more or less well known cliches) in one video without any depth.
Hey guys love the video - quick question. I am having issues getting up and through the ball (right leg seems to kick out laterally towards the side fence ). Its only now that i realize i am tossing the ball and then going into knee bend. As I have quite a short toss i think i am rushing to hit the ball - for people with a shorter toss is it beneficial to think about bending as you toss ( so many times when i practice my toss I am in a static position and its probably ingrained poor technique). Just thought this was interesting as maybe its not really a technical flaw but it is more a case of a concept flaw and understanding my own timing for my serve.
Amazing video - thank you for taking the time to record and post the video! Take care!
Thank you. This video distilled all the serve fundamentals.
Some excellent advice here that I never heard before Thanks!
Miguel must be using a very heavy racket. He doesn't even look like he's hitting with any racket head speed or getting a big drop but delivers a hard serve. He's also a great coach. He explains things very well. Love his logic. Great video.
Thank you, very kind! I actually play with a full strung 360gr Ezone 98 with 25gr in the hoop, 5gr on 3and9 at the frame +grip+dampener. Testing also a head Speed mp with similar or heavier swing weight with absolute weight of 345gr, different balance.
Appreciate these videos Jonas! Thank you.
very well, thank you
great serve lesson. Specially the surprise effect tip.
Another excellent video Sir.
I don't think any power comes directly from the legs. If it did, then a baseball player wanting to throw the ball with more velocity would jump up as he was throwing the ball. A moment's reflection tells you that this won't produce a faster ball; it will actually be slower. The power in the serve comes from the action of the arms, shoulder and torso rotation and pronation of the racket arm. What the legs provide is allowing this arm-shoulder-torso rotation to be freer. And, actually, the server does not jump with a leg push. The action of the serve's forward motion is so strong it pulls the feet right off the ground just like you see Federer or Nadal leaving the ground on a powerful forehand stroke. They are not jumping up at all; it only appears so.
I look at the ‘jump’ more like a natural consequence directly related to the amount of force you’re trying to hit with rather than an on purpose jump….meaning like if I hit a slow serve, I won’t get off the ground as much…with the power source or main power source it’s an interesting debate, on one hand I agree that the throwing action is the main producer but then if you try serving or even throwing a ball without moving your legs at all, there’s no where near as much force produced compared to putting your legs into it…imagine a baseball pitcher not using his lower body at all, they’re not jumping for power but pushing against the ground generating rotational and lateral force.
Thanks, that was helpful
Great video again, I like this coach. many thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks, appreciate it 🙏
Try concentrating on your left arm being straight aligned with your body when you toss the ball, this will allow you to lean your hips into the court prior to driving up, you’ll notice a big difference.
Great video with clear explanations and concepts. I understand that you appreciate ideas from the comment section. I am a coach and would suggest your right foot comes too far over when you get into your pinpoint position. It overlaps your left foot, which limits your rotational power and reduces your coil. It’s a similar concept to those right handers who have their right foot in front of the left foot during the forehand preparation. I hope you find this useful!
I was inclined to agree with you but I did some searches and actually some top pros with excellent serves have this same foot position in the pinpoint stance. See Rafter (ruclips.net/video/78ISC4jVsGs/видео.html) and Ivanisevic (ruclips.net/video/CTUeUGVRDU4/видео.html). I do agree with the principle though that opening up this early may inhibit the coiling.
@@sombrerojacob, thanks for the reply and taking the time to link examples. It is clear some top pros do in fact have their second foot further round. It is not the norm however and other pros can compensate easier with more coil in the back, which is something most recreational players are not flexible enough to achieve.
As with many things in tennis and serving, there is no 100% correct way to do something. But my suggestion is certainly worth practising with!
Great master class. Very interesting 👍
Many thanks
Thanks for this Jonas. What you do is miracle work. I would love to do what you do. I get to see you living out my dream!!
My pleasure!
Dear Tennisnerd,
Love your videos about improving tennis technique. Could you please do a video about generating your own pace on weak balls. I am having trouble playing against slicers and no pace hitters mainly due to my technique perhaps but also the fact that I am using a heavy frame Pro Staff V13 with 4 grams of lead added at 12, 6 and 9. Thats 319g already.
Our whole tennis community watches you here and I appreaciate your devotion towards this wonderful sport. Keep it up! 🎾
Good idea for a topic!
Also for the rotation part, not everybody is as mobile as let's say McEnroe to get out of a turn that big, that's why it's kind of extreme. Going in the middle of that is the best
Great tips!
However, I think you missed covering the grip on the serve, which is very important.
I admit, I forgot to mention it at least, and all the possible grips. Personally I use a more classic continental grip but I also use often the backhand eastern, like many pro's and Clubplayers nothing special. For some players even the forehand eastern can work to improve the spin. I hope it's helpful 🙂
Good content yet again. You guys didn't talk about the left hand at the end of the service motion (straight behind you, to force the rotation of the upper body and keep you balanced) a la Murray. Cheers
It's a good point, but not a necessity in every serve, if You do the principles right your none dominant hand will find its way automatically.
Go to Vic Braden he was the man shoulder problems with that serve palm down as Vic Ssys.
I think the serve is one of the hardest strokes to change, once it gets momorized a certain way. Simply because it is such a fast and complex motion.
You can see it 24:29 when Miguel reminds Jonas to get the left arm more up and straight, but when Jonas hits is hard to actually do it - the motion is similar to before, which is just normal!
I try to improve my serve for over a year now, I know in theory how to get a deeper racket drop and faster swing, but I just can't put it into practice, especially in matches when it gets even more on autopilot.
Any solution to this? Or a suggestion how to make it happen and actually change it - reprogram the new motion - in real practise?
It's always tricky to apply a new technique in your game but just take your time and i would recommend to record your own serve every once in a while and also your matches, the more u observe yourself the better you reprogram your wished new motion. Advice: Lights, camera, action =)📸🎥
@@miGueL4ng3L Thanks and yes, I actually do record myself very often with SwingVision... so I can see cleary, where I can improve on the serve, besides the intuitive feeling I have from just playing it. Still very tough to implement new ideas I get for the serve especially.
I think true and false. It is hard because it is a complex motion, but it is also the easiest to practice because you don't need a partner.
Serve is by far the most difficult shot for me. I can fire rockets on my FH and BH all day but never have a good and natural feel on my serve, my toss is all over the place and i'm also not investing much time practicing serves.... it's tedious and also not healthy serving for an hour ;)
Try to warm up properly and do less serves but with a high concentration rate. Less volume but more quality is my advise. Good luck 🤞😃
@@miGueL4ng3L Thanks, will keep that in mind! :)
Is that Har-Tru clay?:-)
you dont really jump on the serve. its the momentum that pulls you into the air, not an active jump. but i know what he means
Before 1961 it wasn't allowed to jump into the serve, because they had to keep at least one foot on the ground. After 1961 they changed that rule and If you take a close look to slow motion serves from Sampras, Federer, Isner, Dimitrov and the list never ends, they all jump. 🦘
And yet an nfl quarterback throwing a deep ball, which is the same upward trajectory and pronation as a flat tennis serve, never leaves the ground. Your arm moving upward would never carry enough weight or momentum to offset the weight of your lower body. It doesn’t make any sense biomechanically, kinetically, and certainly isn’t supported by physics. Just because some RUclips “coach” said it to get controversial likes doesn’t make it truth.
Oh wow. I thought green clay was Har-Tru a U.S. rock. Where in Europe does green clay come from?
Not sure why he says to have most of your weight on the right side (back foot) in the trophy position, you can clearly see when he serves and all the pros as well have most weight on the front foot…I had a guy telling me his coach was trying to get him to load the back foot and we tried it and it’s useless, hence why no one actually serves like that, so it’s beyond me why any coach says it. You can watch all the great servers in slow motion and their weight is predominantly on the front foot
the speed racket for a yonex sponsor:(
Guys dont wear black shirt on summer
Yonex Sponsor 😎😅
Legs bring only 15% of the power on serve, 50% from shoulder turn and arm acceleration, this is bio- meca.
I m going to be straight. There is no way to perfectly learn serve. You learn the serve basis, then your muscle memory and your brain must find how to adjust how to find timing with the gesture, power and precision in function of : your height, your wingspan, the strength of your wrist, your flexibility with your legs, back and your hips, and your overall muscle power. That is the reason why no serve is the same. As Djokovic said in Wimbledon about that, those 198cm players are serving from the roof, it won't be the same effort between a short guy and a tall guy with a lot of wingspan. To compare with the forehand power delpotro and monfils got huge forehand but the forehand of Gonzales who was way shorter had a totally different way to produce power, while with Monfils and delpotro it was arm length that produced power, concerning Gonzales it was pure muscle explositivity high elbow and, highing up racket at maximum, and torsion of the whole body. So when a 6ft3 and above guy comes to me to give me advice on how to serve I don't even listen.
Never listen to tall coaches, they're all liars 😜 Specially small guys should jump higher to get the power plus the spin INTO the service court, otherwise it's just power without control 🎛️🛂
your other two videos (on the BH and FH) were much more helepful than this one. This was too many things (all of them more or less well known cliches) in one video without any depth.
Hey guys love the video - quick question. I am having issues getting up and through the ball (right leg seems to kick out laterally towards the side fence ). Its only now that i realize i am tossing the ball and then going into knee bend. As I have quite a short toss i think i am rushing to hit the ball - for people with a shorter toss is it beneficial to think about bending as you toss ( so many times when i practice my toss I am in a static position and its probably ingrained poor technique). Just thought this was interesting as maybe its not really a technical flaw but it is more a case of a concept flaw and understanding my own timing for my serve.