INSTRUCTION by PPR ’ S JEFF RAUSCH
Serve Up a Win ! You have one chance to make a first impression — make it a good one ! Many improving players often discount the importance of the serve . The serve is the only shot where the player is 100 percent in control of all the technical and tactical aspects : stance , swing , contact point , etc . All the parts of the serve should be simple and repeatable . Don ’ t forget the 10-second rule (“ Once the score has been called , the server is allowed 10 seconds to serve the ball .”). Use that time wisely and don ’ t rush your serve . For a beginner the serve is about starting the point , and for beginners and improvers the serve is not intended as an offensive weapon . As a player improves , the serve becomes much more important .
Stance and Positioning
It is important that whatever stance you choose , it needs to be comfortable , simple and repeatable . For the serve mechanics I think most often about games such as horseshoes , cornhole or underhand tossing of a softball , and what is the most comfortable and efficient stance . You may like more of an open stance with shoulders and feet squared in the direction the ball will be traveling , or you may prefer a semi-closed stance with your feet set on a diagonal to your target , allowing your serving arm to pendulum forward through contact with the ball and ending in the direction of your intended target .
Position yourself more toward the middle of the court , reducing angles and simplifying your target . You will have greater visibility of your opponents ’ baseline the closer you stand to the center of the court , making it easier to focus on depth . If you stand more toward the outside of the court you will be looking at more of a triangular shape instead of a box , making depth more complicated and possibly creating offensive angles for your opponent .
Type of Serve — Volley or Drop
The volley serve has a number of rules and many moving parts : should I step or not , do I take a long or short pendulum swing , should I toss or just drop the ball on the paddle … and all these are personal choices . My intent is not to belabor the rules ; however , if you are contacting the ball closer to the side of your body rather than farther in front , more than likely the highest point of the paddle head will be above where the wrist joint bends at contact — making an illegal serve . The simplest solution is to be certain your paddle tip is below your wrist and you are moving your arm in an upward arc at time of ball contact .
If you are having an issue with depth and / or consistency , you may want to incorporate a step . The step encourages a greater follow-through , thus elongating the body , and easily incorporates weight transfer into the shot as well .
For the drop serve , it is important to have a balance of height and distance from the body when dropping the ball . With arm extended in front of the body , there should be a slight elbow bend , and it should be at about shoulder height when releasing the ball from one hand .
Swing and Contact Point
After the ball drop or placement , the swing follows . The swing should be smooth and fluid and will vary based on the type of serve . With the drop serve you have no rules regarding upward motion of the paddle , paddle angle and contact , so you have many options from a swing perspective . Optimal contact point should be in front of the body for agility in terms of power , accuracy and control . The key on all serves is to ensure that whatever motion you have is simple , smooth , consistent and duplicatable .
Different Types of Serves
There are a number of different types of serves and the drive and lob serve are the most common , with the goal in both being to hit with the intent to keep your opponent back . Once you become more comfortable with your serve , you may want to add some additional serve types to your arsenal such as short and / or angle serves as well as spin .
The key to all serves is to keep the initial swing and contact point the same if possible ; however , change the acceleration speed and paddle angle as appropriate for each type of serve .
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