Serve and Return
The serve and the return are arguably the most important strokes in tennis but many times the least practiced. Every single point starts with a serve and a return and in many occasions the point will also end with one of these two shots. The better your serve and return, the better your chances of winning the point.
In this section you will find everything you need to understand, practice and improve these two shots, including technical and tactical advice, drills, methodology and plenty of examples from the pro tour to allow you to form a very clear picture of the ideal way to execute these key elements of the game.
Body-Return Down the Line with Volleys and Groundstrokes
Drills, Live Ball Drill, ReturnThe coach serves into a player's body, who returns down the line at another player standing at the net. The point is played out.This post is only available to members.
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Stopping the Return
Drills, ReturnThe job of the player is to try to allign the strings to the incoming ball placing the racquet head on the path of the ball. This post is only available to members.
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Calibrating the Serve – Length
Drills, ServeIn this exercise the player will serve from different distances to the net trying to hit the serve into the service box every time.This post is only available to members.
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Improving Footwork on the Return – The Platform
Drills, ReturnIn this exercise the emphasis is on the split step. The player starts on a platform and jumps down to return.This post is only available to members.
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Improving Focus on the Return
Drills, ReturnWatching the ball to contact is essential when returning serve and the most critical period is from the bounce to contact.This post is only available to members.
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Using Ball Throws to Improve the Serve
Complex Training, Drills, ServeThe player will alternate throwing a tennis ball as far as possible, with fast explosive serves. The idea is to work on accelerating the arm and then transferring this motion to the serve.This post is only available to members.
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Attacking the Return
Drills, Live Ball Drill, ReturnServe to the backhand on the deuce court. The returner approaches the net down the line.The point is played out.This post is only available to members.
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Serving in Balance
Drills, ServeBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo This is a useful exercise to test the balance and finishing position on the serve. The player is asked to hold the finish. The player sh...
Improving your Serve through the Right Focus
Instruction, ServeBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo Everyone understands the importance of watching the ball in tennis but many people wrongly believe that this does not apply to the serve...
Return Collection – In the Air
Drills, ReturnAlthough it is widely accepted that the return of serve is one of the most important shots in the game, practicing it enough is difficult since it requires someone to serve a high volume of balls. Here is an alternative, that although no...
Bounce Feeds Return
Drills, ReturnBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo A return is nothing more than a groundstroke with a short backswing. In order to force the player to shorten the backswing it is importa...
In the Air Returns Collection
Drills, ReturnBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo Exercise 1 Against the Fence A good way to teach players to use short swings and meet the ball in front of the body is by having them st...
Disguising the Serve
Drills, ServeBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo Ideally the player should learn to hit the serve in any direction off the same toss. The best way to practice this is for the coach to s...
Minimum Movement Return
Drills, ReturnBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo A common problem on the return is moving too much and therefore loosing precision. In this drill the player works on staying totally sti...
Getting Behind the Ball and Tracking the Return
Drills, ReturnBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo Two common mistakes when returning are: not tracking the ball to contact and reaching for the ball. This drill attacks both problems by ...
Off the Bounce Returns
Drills, ReturnBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo A good way to practice the shorter backswing on the return is by having the player stand very close to the service line and return from ...
Understanding Spin on the Serve
Instruction, ServeBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo In this video you will understand how to hit the three different types of serve: flat, slice and kick. The video will use the analogy of...
Grip Returns – Improving your Tracking Ability
Drills, ReturnBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo In order to hit a solid return it is very important to learn to track the ball into the contact point. In this drill, the player tries t...
The Backswing on the Serve
Instruction, ServeBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo The video describes in detail the best way to take your racquet back to serve and emphasizes the importance of getting to a clean “pow...
Serve plus 1 Collection
Drills, ServeBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo Exercise 1 Self Feed Here is a good way to practice the serve plus the next shot without a partner or in a large group setting where eve...
The Correct Footwork on the Serve
Instruction, ServeBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo The video will describe the two acceptable stances to serve: The platform stance and the pin point stance.This post is only available to...
Searching for Balance – Ball Between Feet
Drills, ServeBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo This is a great drill to work on improving toss accuracy and balance. The player stands at the baseline and tries to serve without movin...
The Toss
Instruction, ServeBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo A consistent toss is one of the most important aspects of the serve. Here you will find several ideas to help you improve your toss.This...
Improving your Tracking Ability on the Return
Instruction, ReturnBy loading the video, you agree to Vimeo’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock Vimeo One of the most common mistakes when returning is failing to track the ball into the racquet after the bounce. Here is a drill to help y...
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