When you are trying to hold serve, unless you are hitting the lines each time, the worst thing you can do is continue to serve the ball at the same speed with the same spin. Even if you are hitting the ball 115 mph, the more times your opponent sees the exact same thing, the more you become a ball machine for your opponent groove strokes from. Therefore, it becomes quite important to vary the spin, pace, and placement of your serve in order to keep your opponent off balance on your service games.
Take a baseball pitcher for example; generally, the ones winning the Cy Young award each year are not the ones who throw one pitch over and over again. The great pitchers use their good pitches to set up their great pitches; the high fastball that sets up the curveball. In tennis, this translates to using the serve that you are good at- say, a slice out wide, to set up the serve that you are great at- the flat serve up the T.
If you are able to continuously change the looks your opponent gets on your serve, you will have successfully given yourself a much better chance to hold serve each and every time you step to the line.
Please post your thoughts and see you for Wednesday's lesson!
Elliott Pettit
Elliott Pettit is iTUSA's Director of Tennis at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch. Please visit our website at http://www.itusatennis.com and email me at elliott@itusatennis.com.
For anyone interested improving your tennis game please be sure to visit http://www.tennisswinganalysis.com to view our Free Tennis Swing Video Analysis Program.
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