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5 Tips to Perfect Your Tennis Serve

Tennis is one of the most popular sports in America, with more than 21 million playing in 2020.

And numbers are on the rise. More people are trying tennis since it’s a naturally socially distanced activity.

Whether you’re a new player or have been playing for years, you’ll want to have the best serve to beat your opponent.

Luckily for you, we compiled five serving tips to help you get the perfect serve. Read on!

Table of Contents

1. Choose a Stance

There are two primary stances in tennis: the platform stance and the pinpoint stance. While the platform stance is easier to learn, the pinpoint stance is more powerful and offers a greater pace on the serve.

Practicing both stances is recommended for any player learning how to serve (novice or veteran). As your skills improve, you can choose which stance you prefer or switch between them.

2. Perfect Your Grip

Your stance will only get you so far. Tennis experts say you must have a proper grip on your racket to succeed. There are several viable grips, but everyone should know the continental grip.

Hold the racket like a hammer. You need to put your left index finger in the space between your right thumb and right index finger and point it to the top left edge of the racket handle.

This grip helps perfect your serving technique but is also helpful for volleying.

Your serve will render you useless if you cannot hold your own during volleying. Follow this singles strategy for tennis players for more tips on conquering your challenger during a sports match.

3. Practice the Toss

Coaches often make players do drills just for the toss repeatedly when they first begin playing tennis. After all, a good toss is essential to a good serve.

When you toss the ball up, it should land right in front of your feet (if it were to hit the ground). Practice tossing the ball up and letting it fall without hitting it to see where it lands.

This basic skill could improve your serve with minimal effort. With the right toss, you can have the best contact point.

4. Master the Contact Point

The way you strike the ball is crucial to your serve. You want your body’s momentum to send energy through the racket to the ball.

The contact point should be in front of your lead foot, in line with the front of your shoulder.

For a right-handed player, your lead foot is your left foot, and the racket should be in line with your right shoulder—Vice versa for a left-handed player.

Snapping your wrist upon contact will send the ball up and out.