Tag Archives: Serve

How to Hit Your Serve Like Roddick

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The Roddick Serve

What makes Andy Roddick’s serve so great? Clearly the power and consistency. 150 mph on the first serve and 110 mph on the second serve with a huge kick. What was he doing different from everyone else? His shoulder turn was different. The standard technique is to pull the shoulder back as you toss the ball. Andy tossed the ball and then pulled the shoulder muscle back and forth in one motion. It is the same motion a baseball player

His knee bend was different. The standard is to bend the knees with the toss and then jump up and hit the ball. Andy jumped like a basketball player jumps for a rebound. After the toss,  bends his knees and jumps up in one motion. Add a live arm, a longer follow­through and a big body and you have a huge serve.

The Modern Serve 

Andy Roddick brought a couple of new sources of power to the serve. For one, his jump was different. He jumped like a rebounder in basketball. That is, he bent his knees down and up in one motion. Prior to this, servers bent down with the toss, paused,

For another, Roddick puled his arm back and forth in one motion. Prior to this, the server would turn his shoulders with the toss, pause, and then reach up and hit the ball.

To see a combination of the Sampras and Roddick innovations, check out Madison Keys and Camila Giorgi’s serves.

Singles Strategy

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Serve and Stay Back: Many players stay behind the baseline after they serve and depend upon their opponent’s errors to win points. Players with powerful groundstrokes will hit the ball deep and crosscourt until their superior strokes prevail. Players without powerful strokes but are very quick and agile often-just get everything back and rely on frustrating their opponents. Other players just rely on strategy (spin, change of pace, moon balls, unreturnable serves or luring their opponents into hitting their weakest shots).

A highly successful strategy is to wait for your opponent to hit a short or weak shot and

then attack. Here are three good ways to attack a short ball (one that lands near the service line).

The most popular is to hit it over the lowest part of the net(the center strap) with enoughTopspin to keep it in the court. It works best when you have an angle and you are standing still. Your goal is to hit a winner and end the point.If you have to hit the short ball on the run, it is safer to hit it flat, straight ahead, and deep.

Your goal is to follow it to the net and put away the volley. This shot is called an approach shot and is best taken on the rise. It has a short backswing and a short follow through. You should move in with the racquet back, holding your volley grip.

The third shot is the dropshot. It should be used sparingly, never on the big points, Itworks best as a surprise and when your opponent is far behind the baseline.

Double Faults

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Double Faults

If you make all of your first serves, you will never double fault. If you only have one serve and it goes in 80% of the time, you need not worry about those few double faults. Good servers like to hit flat first serves in the corners or right at the receiver and hit top­spin second serves to the receiver’s backhand. Double faults occur for various reasons. If your opponent is successfully attacking your second serve, you may be hitting it with less spin, making it faster but riskier. You may just be getting nervous. Tense muscles do not function the same as relaxed muscles, thereby sending the ball in unintended directions. A change in technique often places doubt in a server’s mind and may cause frustration and choking. The second serve should be practiced regularly so it goes in the court every time.