For me, tennis started out as an excuse. Coming out of middle school, the last thing I
wanted to go through for two more years was P.E. To get out of this, I began tennis lessons
during the summer and made the team immediately. Since then, it’s become my main form of
exercise and a part of my high school experience. Using what I’ve learned since freshman year,
hopefully these steps will be able to teach you how to serve if you ever try tennis for yourself.
1. First, grip the ball with two or three fingers in your non-dominant hand. In the
other hand, grip the tennis racquet, with your index finger separated from the
other three fingers for support.
2. Rock your weight slightly backwards as you begin to throw the ball slightly in front
of you and just above the height of your arm holding the racquet straight up. At
the same time, begin to bring the racquet up behind your head (the ball toss
should be mainly with just the shoulder, not with the wrist or elbow).
3. As the ball is about to reach its apex, start to bend your knees and bring your
weight forward.
4. Once the ball comes down from its apex, jump slightly and swing the racquet up
over the shoulder to strike the ball, all while rotating your hips and shoulders and
keeping your eye on the ball.
5. Follow through with the racquet (it should end up close to your opposite-side hip),
and lead with your toes as you land to cushion the impact of hitting the ground.
Hopefully, from following these tips, you should be able to get the ball in the box on the
other side of the net with some speed and consistency. Thank you for reading my post, and
check out Anthony Mamaril’s steps on how to hit other shots in tennis!
Well no wonder i did terribly in tennis for P.E. i liked that your explanation was in depth, it made it a lot easier for me to visualize it. -Rachel Smith
ReplyDeleteDude, I feel like I could be a tennis master right now with these "How To" posts on tennis. I kinda wish I read something like this when I first started playing tennis. I really like this because it shows that tennis is both more complex and simpler than it seems. Theres a lot of things to worry about, but it becomes easier with practice...I remember serving for the first time and hurting my arm.
ReplyDeleteComing from someone who has maybe played tennis once, this is really helpful! I also have horrible hand eye coordination so that does not help. I liked your steps because it made each process more clear.
ReplyDeleteWow wish someone would've been this detailed when I was learning how to serve! You used good descriptions and made it super easy to follow. Made me miss tennis a bit!:( -Vanessa Lai
ReplyDeleteThese instructions were very clear! I definitely chose this piece because I enjoy tennis, but can only play terribly. I appreciate your tennis expertise, although I still think it'd take weeks for me to practice enough to serve even half decently. Loved it!
ReplyDelete- Joey Barron
Tennis championships here I come!!! With this expert advice, nothing can stop me. I've played very little tenis so tips like these can go a very long way to getting better. Great Work!
ReplyDeleteWow! I had no idea how much went into playing tennis! This was so eye opening and interesting to read.
ReplyDelete- Andy Burgos
I love this piece because now I know your secrets to all your scary aces! After reading this I realized why my serves don't go in and I cant wait to fix it. Great job, Coach would be proud!
ReplyDeleteNever have I ever played Tennis before. After reading this, it actually made me want to consider trying it out. Also to take this how to info into consideration. Thanks for the step to step guide.
ReplyDeleteNow, if i'm ever in a situation where I have to serve a tennis ball or die I can confidently say I have about a 10% chance of survival. Thanks for the tips Nick, you never know when you'll be put into those life or death circumstances.
ReplyDeleteNick, you better watch out because I am now aware of your secrets! Good lucking trying to ace me the next time we play.
ReplyDeleteJust because you know my "secrets" doesn't mean you can beat my serve now! Thanks for commenting!
DeleteI saw lots of similarities between serving in tennis and serving in volleyball! This was very informative and I think my volleyball skills will help me if I ever serve in tennis!
ReplyDeleteI love how thorough it is, with the listing steps and details listened within the steps. I lowkey want to try even if I don't know how to play tennis LOL. Nicely done though.
ReplyDelete-Vivian Chiang
I remember in 4th grade I used to think I was a tennis prodigy because I can hold a racket and hit the ball to the other side of the net. I thought it was the easiest sport ever, with nothing to worry about. But boy, was I wrong. This would help so much to people who are beginners at tennis and want to improve their skills. Now I know how you are so good. Keep it up Nick! And great job! -Lisa Ryu
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job at explaining how to serve the ball. Just by reading this I feel like I can become a tennis master right now. Great job!
ReplyDeleteNo wonder my serves are so weak. I'm gonna start serving the way you serve. After reading this is want to pick up my tennis racquet, go outside and hit. Very thorough piece. Anybody can follow these instructions easily!
ReplyDeleteSo we've both joined tennis at around the same time and have experience in the craft. However, even though I've been playing tennis for four years, I'm still not confident in my serve as it is my weakest attribute. This "How To" is exceptionally helpful for me on the court. Thanks for the advice not only for those who play tennis, but for those who don't and want to understand the main way to start a point in a match. Great directions, you sound like a coach!
ReplyDeleteI've never really seen your serve as a weakness, as it is usually more consistent than mine! Hopefully we can both get better by paying attention to our movements and the steps we've learned!
DeleteWhen I was little, my parents exposed me to many sports so I could pick one I wanted to play. I tried tennis for a while in elementary school but was absolutely terrible at it! Thank you for these instructions. You made them very clear and hopefully I have time to grab the old racket again to give it another try. -Keala Naipo
ReplyDeleteThank you for this step-by-step instructions on how to serve a tennis ball. Next time i won't look like a fool the next time i decide to play tennis ball.
ReplyDeleteWell written how to, easy to follow and visualize. Football's over, so this might be of some use. Also, nice connection to each others posts.
ReplyDeleteI always played tennis when i was little with my grandpa, I was never good, but now i feel that with your help ill actually be able to beat him now. Watch out world because I know how to serve a tennis ball!
ReplyDeleteWow! I never really realized how much it took to play tennis. After reading this I want to go out and play tennis
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this I feel like I could go out and serve like its no problem even though I have never played. Good job this was very informative!
ReplyDeleteThis piece was very interesting to read since serving tennis balls has always been a fun trick to learn growing up. Great piece Anthony and I know this guide will help others shine out on the court!
ReplyDeleteI've tried to play tennis and serve the ball many times, but I always find it so difficult for me. Hopefully i'll be able to take some of these tips and apply them next time I get the chance!
ReplyDelete-Austin Gomez
When you meant how to serve a tennis ball, i thought it was in terms of foods.Well you had very descriptive language and large words, but now i can be the prince of tennis. Thank you for sharing some technique and who knows I might post how to dance later in the future. I enjoyed all the detail in this piece.
ReplyDeleteGreat description on how to serve a tennis ball if only I had seen this freshman year while I was int the tennis unit. Other than that great description on how a ball should be served in tennis and the perfect way that the description match the visualization that may come to a persons mind.
ReplyDelete-Austin Z Gifford
Like Anthony's post, this again really highlights how much technique goes into playing tennis. This How-To is really short and concise and is very easily understood, although following it would be very difficult as it usually takes much practice to get the technique down. Despite that however, this is a really good starting point for anyone interested in the sport, and gives some really good pointers! I also like that you talked about how you personally became involved with tennis. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete-Chris Kerwin
Thanks Chris! I hope you finally understand the difficulties of tennis after teasing us for the past 4 years! Come to the courts and we'll teach you to do something other than run back and forth! ;)
DeleteNick, you've always had the scariest tennis serve on the tennis team so it is really fitting that you wrote a blog on how to serve. However, this reminds me of that one moment freshman year when we were hitting at the park and Ramiz's dad came to pick Ramiz up and we told him that you had the best serve, but when he asked you to demonstrate, you "shanked" the ball (hit the ball on the racquet frame instead of the strings) and the ball flew out of the park! Haha, I'm going to miss the good times we had in high school.
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