Need tennis lessons? Get $35 off with a top-rated coach at your local court: bit.ly/3UHL4r0 Want to meet new players & play more tennis? Try PlayYourCourt for free here: bit.ly/2HjZ0Gj Sick of losing to pushers and junk ballers? Grab our Singles Strategy & Tactics Course for free here: bit.ly/2HeJ20v Want to work with Scott & Nate? Check out upcoming live events and workshops here: bit.ly/36UGkXV How 3 FINGERS Can Add 15+ MPH To Your Serve ruclips.net/video/MzzISuI98Vc/видео.html
I saw Martina Hingis at Indian Wells hitting serves clocked at 110 mph on the monitor. She was 35 at time. Looked tiny at maybe 5'6" and 125 lbs. Couldn't believe it. So it's not size or height for sure.
I don't know if i will ever get a answer, but! Here you say i should use my back foot to drive me foward, while i always heard that when in troph position i should put my weight in my front leg and jump. Am i wrong? Usually when i do the last, my weight is all on my front foot, so i can't really drive me foward with the other one. What am i missing here? I hope i explained well enough what i meant. Those practical things are hard to describe
Hi Thiago, although your weight will shift forward as you reach the power position, you want to really focus on driving through the ground with your back foot. Too often we lean in with our weight forward but we dont get enough upward momentum due to a lack of thrust from the back foot. The back foot drives the hip and the rest of the kinetic chain. This issue is especially true with a pinpoint stance whereas in a platfrom stance it's easy to use both legs equally. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the tip, will train it tomorrow! Good racquet drop is the main thing missing from my first serve right now. In tennis, I like the approach of considering the elements of the movements as "things that must happen", then sub-dividing these as "things that we must try to do" and "things that will happen as a consequence". In this case, moving the elbow high is what we must try to do, and (more) racquet drop will happen as a consequence. When I started, I thought I had to actively try to do everything (every element of the movements), but there are things that we can't do very well on purpose - they end up happening properly because of other things that we do.
@@GershonBenYitzhak true. I'm 100% recreational player and when m'y toss is perfectly set ( deep in the court , right high ) and when i lean foward, i hit bomb serves. And i'm 169 cm .
I don’t understand the arm motion up to contact Nate. When you’re demonstrating it appears you are reaching up at a 45 degree angle to the ball. But in your actual serve motion it appears you are turning more forward towards the ball directly. This is confusing for me. If you can explain it would be appreciated
I'm going to try starting in the racquet back, elbow up position and see what happens. In theory, just arming it from there could be a decent 3.5-4.0 serve? Major memory-ingrained hitch causes all sorts of issues.
Just remember to load energy correctly from the ground up and use the core and it could be much better than even a 3.5-4.0 serve. Try not to "arm it" if you can. Starting in the power position is a great idea though!
@Playyourcourt It worked pretty well for the first time trying starting in the drop position. The ball, although slower mostly, had better spin-kicking out a little instead of going up and out. The biggest issue with my serve absolutely no lag causing a grip switch, hinges, etc. I had the pinky off. The #1 singles for Marquette U served with the pinky off-he tried to fix my serve. No pro has been able to in 25 years. Never learned to throw a football until recently and someone said good throw, it's exactly how you serve. It's one of my videos you should be able to see.
best thing I could tell someone to get more power on their serve is to imagine their body as a whip. and in order to properly let your body do it's work is to be as relaxed as possible while still maintaining a consistent form.. if you truly have a fluid motion it'll almost feel like the body just naturally takes over.. When I was playing competitive I was consistently bombing 120+ 1st serves and on my most consistent days it felt like there was no effort outside of the setup.. I mean you coil your hips.. take back your racket... load your legs like a spring and then everything else should just feel like 1 completely natural motion where you just let kinetics take over.. 1 thing that is EXTREMELY important is having a consistent toss though.... The less adjusting you have to do during the stroke the more you let the natural pronation do their job and come through the ball cleanly.. and the less you wear out your shoulder.. a Big Serve is meaningless if you are having to muscle it and by the end of the 1st set you are losing feeling... If you want to see what I mean watch Pete Sampras' serve.. it was so automatic that he's been off the tour for 15+ years now and he can still ace anyone in an exhibition match
Yeah I read pros outside the top 10 hit about 55% of their 1st serves. The top 10 MAYBE get up to 65% of their first serves in. After 20 years (age 5 to 25) of insanely intense practice. They can keep it.
This seems like similar to all other videos on tennis serve. What was new or the special sauce i need to focus on in this one for a better racquet drop?
Good video. You’ll know when you start getting the hang of the racquet drop because that clock swing you spoke of will cause general soreness in the forearm, the first time you do a session of hitting serves correctly. But eventually your body adapts.
hi coach, does the elbow and chest up prior to contact help us guide racket head speed on course. I feel that my racket head is swinging off course to the right (right handed) losing speed.over rotation from tight grip possible? thanks
Great question, YES, the chest (pectoral) and elbow fire up to the ball prior to contact. It's ok if your contact is slightly to the right just as long as your not over-rotating. Focus on firing striaght up from the ground up and the arm will follow the body accordingly. Hope this helps!
Hello, late to the party but going to give this a try indoors with just shadow swings then on court. I will post a video next week on the progress. This is exactly what I needed as I struggle with everything you mentioned.
By the name of the video, it is exactkt for me! As I've hit 100mph (160kmh) just once... and never been able replicate and hit over it (my max is about 98mph). Not that I've actually tried recently, been more focused on 1st serve% and placement, spin and an aggressive 2nd serve. But should get my 1st serve rated again, been like 2-3 years since I check the speed.
leading with the elbow is not easy, last time I tried it,my swing slowed down when my elbow was up, when at that point of the serve I need to be doing the whip to the ball. I learned how to lead with the elbow on forehand to make it a continuous motion, just not the serve yet.
Not easy but in time you'll get it! Perhaps try filming yourself. A ton of learning can be accomplished when reviewing footage. Run the elbow the ball drill several times and then hit serves while focusing on staying really loose and driving the legs to connect the upper and lower body. Hope this helps!
I'm fascinated by your claim that the serve is more complicated than the baseball throw. I wasn't a pitcher but was a pretty good shortstop and third baseman. But my serve is mediocre. Eight moving parts, not merely six. Because of the racket head movement there is an extra node to the movement?
Hi David, thanks for reaching out. Below is a link with a great explanation of the 8 stage model of the serve by Dr. Kovacs. Hope it helps! pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23016050/
❤ this serve lesson! When we are at the "power position" as shown at 01:25 and ready to drive up with the legs, should the wrist be in a more radially deviated position (towards the thumb) or in a more ulnar deviated position (towards the pinky)? Which wrist position is ideal at the point the leg drive initiates the racquet drop? 🤔
Thanks Raul, while in the power position the palm should be down with the thumb being closest to the head. As for the deviation of the wrist we want the wrist neutral and relaxed. Hope this helps!
At the ripe age of 45 with a hip issue I hit consistently between 110-115mph on a flat serve. In collegiatte play my serve was my biggest weapon and I was hitting 120+ fairly effortlessly. To be honest I dont rely on a flat serve in competitive play. I use it to change things up but prefer variety using the kick and slice to keep the returner off-balance. This is something I advise players and students to incorporate as well. Unless a high level junior or young adult...then fire away 💥 😉
Great question. Felix has a great motion as well as Berreettini & Shapovalov. Novaks fluidity has imporved a ton as well. Two of the most fluid of al time have to be Sampras and Feliciano Lopez. Thanks for watching and the question!
13 year olds can hit 100mph, with the new racket, technology and string technology allow anybody practically to do it. Tennis is going in the opposite direction. It’s the new racquetball. pure tennis the actual sport itself and pure talent existed in the late 70s 80s and 90s. now it’s a robotic game, standing on the baseline or behind the baseline. It’s become very boring and just like racquetball.
Great !!!! This exactly what i need i am at 90 mph right now i think this could be the special sauce i need. Love your serve Nate - i would say your serve probably around 110 ?
At the ripe age of 45 with a hip issue I hit consistently between 110-115mph on a flat serve. In collegiatte play my serve was my biggest weapon and I was hitting 120+ fairly effortlessly. To be honest I dont rely on a flat serve in competitive play. I use it to change things up but prefer variety using the kick and slice to keep the returner off-balance. This is something I advise players and students to incorporate as well. Unless a high level junior or young adult...then fire away 💥 😉
That can be a indicator but remember it's location of the serve as well. Serve down the T will always be higher due to the shorter distance whereas a serve out wide and middle will bounce significantly lower. Height of the serve will play a correlation as well
Need tennis lessons? Get $35 off with a top-rated coach at your local court: bit.ly/3UHL4r0
Want to meet new players & play more tennis? Try PlayYourCourt for free here: bit.ly/2HjZ0Gj
Sick of losing to pushers and junk ballers? Grab our Singles Strategy & Tactics Course for free here: bit.ly/2HeJ20v
Want to work with Scott & Nate? Check out upcoming live events and workshops here: bit.ly/36UGkXV
How 3 FINGERS Can Add 15+ MPH To Your Serve
ruclips.net/video/MzzISuI98Vc/видео.html
I saw Martina Hingis at Indian Wells hitting serves clocked at 110 mph on the monitor. She was 35 at time. Looked tiny at maybe 5'6" and 125 lbs. Couldn't believe it. So it's not size or height for sure.
💯
I don't know if i will ever get a answer, but! Here you say i should use my back foot to drive me foward, while i always heard that when in troph position i should put my weight in my front leg and jump. Am i wrong? Usually when i do the last, my weight is all on my front foot, so i can't really drive me foward with the other one. What am i missing here? I hope i explained well enough what i meant. Those practical things are hard to describe
Hi Thiago, although your weight will shift forward as you reach the power position, you want to really focus on driving through the ground with your back foot. Too often we lean in with our weight forward but we dont get enough upward momentum due to a lack of thrust from the back foot. The back foot drives the hip and the rest of the kinetic chain. This issue is especially true with a pinpoint stance whereas in a platfrom stance it's easy to use both legs equally. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the tip, will train it tomorrow! Good racquet drop is the main thing missing from my first serve right now.
In tennis, I like the approach of considering the elements of the movements as "things that must happen", then sub-dividing these as "things that we must try to do" and "things that will happen as a consequence". In this case, moving the elbow high is what we must try to do, and (more) racquet drop will happen as a consequence.
When I started, I thought I had to actively try to do everything (every element of the movements), but there are things that we can't do very well on purpose - they end up happening properly because of other things that we do.
Love this feedback. 🙌
no 1 barrier to hitting 100mph is my 167cm height
Please. I'm 172cm and I have hit the ball over 120 and can hit 100mph consistently. The only thing holding you back is your technique.
@@GershonBenYitzhak true. I'm 100% recreational player and when m'y toss is perfectly set ( deep in the court , right high ) and when i lean foward, i hit bomb serves. And i'm 169 cm .
Just have the mother of all kick/slice serves
@@scissorsharp9032 dont understand
@@johnwoodstock1893 he probably means that the speed is not the only thing in the serve. :) a decent slice or kick serves also kicks a$$e$ ;-)
pushing from the back foot, fire the hip, then get the elbow up.
Tks vm
Always fire the hip and work that three finger technique.
Best serve lesson video in history of tennis, period
That's very kind of you. Much apprecitted! 🙏
I don’t understand the arm motion up to contact Nate. When you’re demonstrating it appears you are reaching up at a 45 degree angle to the ball. But in your actual serve motion it appears you are turning more forward towards the ball directly. This is confusing for me. If you can explain it would be appreciated
I am also 167 and I can serve 110-120 so height is not the problem
I'm going to try starting in the racquet back, elbow up position and see what happens. In theory, just arming it from there could be a decent 3.5-4.0 serve? Major memory-ingrained hitch causes all sorts of issues.
Just remember to load energy correctly from the ground up and use the core and it could be much better than even a 3.5-4.0 serve. Try not to "arm it" if you can. Starting in the power position is a great idea though!
@Playyourcourt It worked pretty well for the first time trying starting in the drop position. The ball, although slower mostly, had better spin-kicking out a little instead of going up and out. The biggest issue with my serve absolutely no lag causing a grip switch, hinges, etc. I had the pinky off. The #1 singles for Marquette U served with the pinky off-he tried to fix my serve. No pro has been able to in 25 years. Never learned to throw a football until recently and someone said good throw, it's exactly how you serve.
It's one of my videos you should be able to see.
Holy crap your take back looks like Roddick’s.
Nicest thing anyone has ever said about my game! 🤣 🙌
There’s that “waggle” again😂! Thx!
😂 😂
I am doubtful if the arm should be completely straight at contact?
There hitting arm has a very slight bend but should be predominantly striaght
best thing I could tell someone to get more power on their serve is to imagine their body as a whip. and in order to properly let your body do it's work is to be as relaxed as possible while still maintaining a consistent form.. if you truly have a fluid motion it'll almost feel like the body just naturally takes over.. When I was playing competitive I was consistently bombing 120+ 1st serves and on my most consistent days it felt like there was no effort outside of the setup.. I mean you coil your hips.. take back your racket... load your legs like a spring and then everything else should just feel like 1 completely natural motion where you just let kinetics take over.. 1 thing that is EXTREMELY important is having a consistent toss though.... The less adjusting you have to do during the stroke the more you let the natural pronation do their job and come through the ball cleanly.. and the less you wear out your shoulder.. a Big Serve is meaningless if you are having to muscle it and by the end of the 1st set you are losing feeling... If you want to see what I mean watch Pete Sampras' serve.. it was so automatic that he's been off the tour for 15+ years now and he can still ace anyone in an exhibition match
Well said sir!
Ditto!
Great video and great comment.
And Sampras also famously hit great serves after throwing up during a match (drank too much Coke!).
@@architennis that was an amazing match to experience.
3min and 23, 24’, racquet should never be straight (perpendicular) at the contact with the ball.
Thanks for the shoutout to P90x! It reminds me I need to start another round of that. I'll pay attention to the throw the bomb this time.
I immediately heard Tony in my head: “I hate it…but I love it”
Yeah I read pros outside the top 10 hit about 55% of their 1st serves. The top 10 MAYBE get up to 65% of their first serves in. After 20 years (age 5 to 25) of insanely intense practice. They can keep it.
lol...definitely not for the faint of heart!
Your serve motion is almost identical to Djokovics
4.0s in Florida serve 100mph 2nd serves.
🤔
This seems like similar to all other videos on tennis serve. What was new or the special sauce i need to focus on in this one for a better racquet drop?
What is the role of tucking on the tossing arm after it has tossed the ball?
#1 barrier: You did not play a sport with throwing growing up
Nice video
Thanks!
Good video. You’ll know when you start getting the hang of the racquet drop because that clock swing you spoke of will cause general soreness in the forearm, the first time you do a session of hitting serves correctly. But eventually your body adapts.
Thanks Don, thanks for watching!
Warm the forearm correctly maybe the solution
Wow! On court now, really works. That's what they mean by throwing your racket at the ball! Thanks PYC!
Happy to help Cameron! Thanks for the feedback 👊
hi coach, does the elbow and chest up prior to contact help us guide racket head speed on course. I feel that my racket head is swinging off course to the right (right handed) losing speed.over rotation from tight grip possible? thanks
Great question, YES, the chest (pectoral) and elbow fire up to the ball prior to contact. It's ok if your contact is slightly to the right just as long as your not over-rotating. Focus on firing striaght up from the ground up and the arm will follow the body accordingly. Hope this helps!
Thank you Nate!
My pleasure, happy to help!
Hello, late to the party but going to give this a try indoors with just shadow swings then on court. I will post a video next week on the progress. This is exactly what I needed as I struggle with everything you mentioned.
Go get em! let us know how it goes 💪
By the name of the video, it is exactkt for me! As I've hit 100mph (160kmh) just once... and never been able replicate and hit over it (my max is about 98mph). Not that I've actually tried recently, been more focused on 1st serve% and placement, spin and an aggressive 2nd serve. But should get my 1st serve rated again, been like 2-3 years since I check the speed.
Glad it was helpful. Keep us posted on the results after some practice!
leading with the elbow is not easy, last time I tried it,my swing slowed down when my elbow was up, when at that point of the serve I need to be doing the whip to the ball. I learned how to lead with the elbow on forehand to make it a continuous motion, just not the serve yet.
Not easy but in time you'll get it! Perhaps try filming yourself. A ton of learning can be accomplished when reviewing footage. Run the elbow the ball drill several times and then hit serves while focusing on staying really loose and driving the legs to connect the upper and lower body. Hope this helps!
I'm fascinated by your claim that the serve is more complicated than the baseball throw. I wasn't a pitcher but was a pretty good shortstop and third baseman. But my serve is mediocre. Eight moving parts, not merely six. Because of the racket head movement there is an extra node to the movement?
Hi David, thanks for reaching out. Below is a link with a great explanation of the 8 stage model of the serve by Dr. Kovacs. Hope it helps! pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23016050/
Very good, this is what pro serves look like when I video them and watch in slow-mo, high elbow vital.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!
❤ this serve lesson!
When we are at the "power position" as shown at 01:25 and ready to drive up with the legs,
should the wrist be in a more radially deviated position (towards the thumb) or in a more ulnar deviated position (towards the pinky)? Which wrist position is ideal at the point the leg drive initiates the racquet drop? 🤔
Thanks Raul, while in the power position the palm should be down with the thumb being closest to the head. As for the deviation of the wrist we want the wrist neutral and relaxed. Hope this helps!
This guy has a 90mph serve? That ball is barely hitting the back wall
Good talk Daniel
Amazing
Great tip
👍🎾👌
Enjoyed the presentation, great job!
Thanks, much appreciated!
Excellent lesson! Thanks
My pleasure!
yeah, got it .. this is so far the best tip !! thanks ❤
Thanks, glad it helped!
Perhaps you can explain why Sara Errani can't go big on serve?
Great tips thanks 🙏🏼
Glad it was helpful!
PUD to break the sound barrier thanks coach
How fast are your serves?
At the ripe age of 45 with a hip issue I hit consistently between 110-115mph on a flat serve. In collegiatte play my serve was my biggest weapon and I was hitting 120+ fairly effortlessly. To be honest I dont rely on a flat serve in competitive play. I use it to change things up but prefer variety using the kick and slice to keep the returner off-balance. This is something I advise players and students to incorporate as well. Unless a high level junior or young adult...then fire away 💥 😉
Good tips nate! I need to break into the 100 mph club. Do you have any tips on how to make it stop raining in Seattle? : )
🤣🤣
Your work is ingenious!!!
It's quality work! But there are too many notes.
Just cut a few, and it will be perfect!!!!
Thanks for the kind words and the feedback!
Whose serve motion is most fluid on ATP tour. Felix Auger-Aliassime has got to be way up there.
Great question. Felix has a great motion as well as Berreettini & Shapovalov. Novaks fluidity has imporved a ton as well. Two of the most fluid of al time have to be Sampras and Feliciano Lopez. Thanks for watching and the question!
13 year olds can hit 100mph, with the new racket, technology and string technology allow anybody practically to do it. Tennis is going in the opposite direction. It’s the new racquetball. pure tennis the actual sport itself and pure talent existed in the late 70s 80s and 90s. now it’s a robotic game, standing on the baseline or behind the baseline. It’s become very boring and just like racquetball.
Great !!!! This exactly what i need i am at 90 mph right now i think this could be the special sauce i need. Love your serve Nate - i would say your serve probably around 110 ?
The ones in the video are in the 103 to 105 range. You can tell by how high the ball hits the back screen on a flat serve.
So I’m in my late 60s and can’t get a decent racquet drop due to limited external rotation. I can still break 100 mph.
@@marktace1 Impressive
At the ripe age of 45 with a hip issue I hit consistently between 110-115mph on a flat serve. In collegiatte play my serve was my biggest weapon and I was hitting 120+ fairly effortlessly. To be honest I dont rely on a flat serve in competitive play. I use it to change things up but prefer variety using the kick and slice to keep the returner off-balance. This is something I advise players and students to incorporate as well. Unless a high level junior or young adult...then fire away 💥 😉
That can be a indicator but remember it's location of the serve as well. Serve down the T will always be higher due to the shorter distance whereas a serve out wide and middle will bounce significantly lower. Height of the serve will play a correlation as well