How to Improve Your Serve Consistency and Accuracy

[@santiagodelosangeles3504]

I usually just hit them with the old ace-double fault combo so this is right up my alley. Thanks!

[@transklutz]

Nah, just ace him with your second serve, they won't expect it, and you just had a warm up with your first serve.

[@santiagodelosangeles3504]

@@transklutz I've actually tried this several times, doesn't work too often but when it does I feel like Kyrgios

[@willkittwk]

@@transklutz I mentioned that the next stage of tennis development was more of a first serve on second. I think some tennis coach was reading cause a lot of the new players like Kyrigos, Alcaraz, Sinner, Tsispas. Etc go for a huge second serve especially when they're sailing. I was ragging Andy Murray for a powder puff 75mph kick serve lol. I think a great pro coach saw it and was WTF why you doing that. Well he was a great defensive player so he could get away. People think these guys got it all figured but tennis is always evolving. Next you'll see a more difficult sidewinder underhand serve practiced by pros to get returners who set up in the second row like Rafa to have to run in and deal with a crazy spin just over the net.

[@paulczerner3286]

@@willkittwk sidewinder underhand ... haha, that's what I do too. I'm trying to get it to be almost like a low drop shot, kicking back and sideways.

[@willkittwk]

@@paulczerner3286 IKR. They do those crazy serves in ping pong so why not perfect them in tennis. I used to play ping pong at work and this big red headed kid always wanted to challenge me. I let him get to about 18 or 19 points and then beat him like 21-19 21-18 almost every time just to tease him 😂. He had quick hands for his size about 5ft 11" and 290 lbs. But I'd do a slice drop shot and he'd come crashing into the table which made me snicker at him and got him more mad. It was hilarious.

[@evanoscargilbert2592]

6:30 Starts getting to the point.

[@rw7668]

I love your upbeat attitude as exemplified by your smile and giggle (chuckle?). And yes, Tomas is awesome!

[@edemkolly2279]

So good video... Like every Time ! Thanks for the tips

[@gustavoluisrodela]

I find when playing lower level players, using a fast flat serve usually does the trick most of the time, no matter the placement. The problem is finding the right state of mind to loosen up and consistently hit the box, considering my height. Higher level players are a different story, but serving very fast helps as well.

[@miapapa1955]

Great video, I will be watching this video over and over.

[@FL-xc1wk]

Another great video

[@TennisBallZ123]

Loved the video, thanks Racquetflex! I would love to see more match play videos from you guys! That 15 second clip of you guys battling it out was intense

[@srdjantomasevic9067]

I really love the work you you do guys...Great explanations with science behind but still funny to watch...I learned a lot from you...Keep on 👊🇷🇸💪

[@einarjuel]

Well researched, great execution Well done!

[@JamesDavisakaRemguy]

So cool that you know Tomaz at Feel Tennis. It’s like all the forces of good naturally coming together to team up like Marvel comics superheroes. All you need now is a name. No, all you need now is someone to come up with a name. I am not that person.

[@Mattslilchannel]

This was a great video

[@PeterFreemantennis]

Nice video and great shirt!

[@anusarin]

Love your videos!

[@stevebeck3141]

You guys have to put out more videos! You do such a great job and have command of the comedic elements as well. Love your stuff guys!

[@JamesDavisakaRemguy]

I’m not an expert at KZbin payment structure, among many other things, but it sure seems like it’s somehow beneficial to you for us to leave comments so here goes: as usual, I loved this video. I like the funny-but-intensional “bloopers” and the hip-pity-hop musical accoutrements that you young people do so well. But mostly I like the scientific breakdowns that you guys do. So keep up the good work and maybe do something on choking, something I totally AM an expert on! Thank you, thank you very much. JD, Canada 🇨🇦 (eh?) 😝

[@progressivedemagogue8480]

Hip-pity-hop Canadian for sure

[@OfficerDonut0]

Lol Canadians are great and you have no say in it.

[@milanvoncina7812]

excellent!

[@halfbreedcomedy]

That Uniqlo Shirt is sick!!

[@jdtcharactergirl]

Love the triangle!

[@HoustonRacewayKid]

You got an OS racquet?

[@exceri0n]

Where do you get Uniqlo tennis apparel?

[@NamesAreRandom]

You mention several fundimentals for good serving, I would suggest at least at my level (4.5ish) there is another - variety. The more you can mix up your serves (spin, direction, etc) the less power and accuracy you require for the same number of winners, as your opponent will stuggle to hit the right return for the type of serve you just threw at them. Decent variety can make it much easier to be consistent and still win the points.

[@TheMg49]

Great presentation. Very organized and you make it easy to understand. Very helpful video. I learned from this. Thanks. Thumbs up and subscribed. (Edit: Accuracy is more important than speed, given a certain minimum speed level -- unless you're a John Isner or Ivo Karlovic, then you just need to get the ball anywhere in the service box, or maybe that's wrong. I don't really know. Just took a shot at it. Anyway, at my very low level recreational tennis, my 95 to 105 mph serves are unusually fast and produce lots of weak returns. But it's focusing on placement that gets me the best results and a higher percentage of serves in. I always hit two first serves, which surprises some of my opponents. I'm 74 and play with lots of pain and extremely limited mobility. This is why, even with a pretty good serve and good stroking technique, my results aren't very good. So I stay at a low NTRP rating of between 3.0 and 3.5, though in the mid 1970s I was a pretty decent serve and volley recreational player -- at least a full rating point better than I am now. Ok, I suppose most of that was somewhat off topic, but my ego, whatever that is, liked it, I think.)

[@neverdown222]

When you got the top button of your polo engaged, triple OG status!

[@-Munditimum-]

Always diggin' the supreme positive vibes and superb breakdown of your points being made. You boyz are headed to the top. Cheers, MM

[@RacquetFlex]

Much appeciated, MM! We've got so much more awesome content to share.

[@-Munditimum-]

@@RacquetFlex Lookin forward to it!! 👍

[@OneChallengeRemaining]

Technifibre- man after my own heart. I got the TF40 305.

[@janvanzetten651]

If you seek consistency, you must master precision. If you aim for precision, you need control. And if you desire control, you must embrace consistency. And to become consistent, you must first strive to be precise. Quite the challenge to bring this under control. :)

[@transklutz]

Notice how Roger doesn't "scratch his back", but has a late racquet drop as he initiates his swing with his legs and moves his upper arm forward and up while doing his "abbreviated" drop. Could have something to do with his accuracy?

[@hibub2594]

When can we see a kick serve video

[@congsan3528]

You should make a video how to prevent tennis elbow an treament.

[@pl5778]

YES! been waiting for an update from you guys. Awesome stuff again when you can break it down into science and micro actionable adjustments. One idea for video that I would love to see is why I rally well but can't seem to perform the same during a match.

[@RacquetFlex]

Hey Perry! Thanks for the kind words. Transferring skills from shadow swings >> fed ball >> live ball is a recurring theme I am seeing in a lot of my students. We'll definitely make a video that can help with that.

[@boyzemail4769]

@@RacquetFlex thank you guys for the detailed and interesting video! You guys are great! Where do you get those Uniqlo Shirts? I’ve always wanted one for myself? Thank you for the awesome videos!

[@brookwiersreading5783]

I found a practice game from an article called "8 Tennis Strategies" that helped me. Rally as a game, with the following rules: the opponent gets a point if the ball enters the service area, or is a winner (unreachable), or two points if you hit it into the net. Makes for a fun way to learn to hit long consistently.

[@willkittwk]

Great breakdown. One thing I notice is when I jump into my serve it makes me get the ball into the court and I can tell my velocity is up 5-10 MPH. In flat t serve and of course I can make sharper angles out wide on deuce side. But sometimes my body fights me and gets me to toss closer to baseline and hit serves too far back when tired. But great breakdown and lastly I notice some of the younger players go for a bigger second serve similar to first more often. I've written comments why not? I gave the baseball analogy that you don't see MLB pitchers lobbing in pitches when they're behind in the count so why should pro tennis or even advanced players take 30-40 MPH off second serve. Makes no sense. I noticed Sinner and Alcaraz going 115. -125 on second. And of course Pete was famous for big second serve. Truthfully I think a pro tennis coach saw my post and said that makes sense let's try it. Lol

[@Better_Call_Raul]

Why only out wide on Deuce? How about out wide on the Ad? I hit a lot of wide serve Aces on the Ad. More than the Deuce. I'm a righty.

[@willkittwk]

@@Better_Call_Raul yeah that's true wide out to ad. That was one of my favorite serves and I have to practice placement shorter in box for sharp angle. If you get it deep in ad corner you can get lot of service winners or mishits but not that many clean aces cause you hit close to receiver. But if you place the ball close to the sideline about say 70% up the ad service box and hit hard serve then you can get aces. May I suggest a serve hybrid between slice and topspin in that spot cause 1 it travels faster than a kick 2 the little slice or more of a cut gives you net clearance at that high net point 3 it doesn't bring serve back to the receiver so it stays out wide and is easier to get acute angle than a flat out wide on ad court. Try a basket of these serves and let me know.

[@Better_Call_Raul]

@@willkittwk I am just trying to generally get it in the box towards the opponents backhand and I randomly end up with 2-4 aces a set with that extremely wide Ad serve. It is very flat as I have not learned the kick yet. Sometimes landing short on the sideline. Sometimes corner sideline. If I TRY to hit it wide, it almost never happens. 😆. But I notice most other players at my level (3.5/4.0) NEVER hit this wide serve, so I suspect that I must have some potential to be able to develop this and do it with intent... The one general swing thought that helps me target the opponent's backhand side on the Ad is, "Hit the left side of the ball". And that swing thought reliably gets it to the opponents backhand side, along with the random wide aces.

[@willkittwk]

@@Better_Call_Raul I'm gonna practice my serve out wide to the ad today. It's good to put those little cones down and find your adjustment to target while keeping or increase speed. But lately I feel in love with T serve on both sides and use out wide for more of a change. Personally I find it easier to hit a harder more accurate second if I go close to T on second with a little slice more of what is a power slice. There's pro and con with serve example if you don't get a decent angle on slice to deuce the opponent gets a good look both down the line and cross court Etc Etc. I'll tell you a serve that crosses returner up and not even many pros use. It's a hard flat serve to the FH on deuce court. Reason they are always looking for a slice of some kind to the FH even in the Wimbledon final don't think they did it. The flat will go 10-20 MPH faster no matter your MPH so it surprises the returner if you get it away from him prob an ace if in his strike zone good chance he'll hit a flub shot or hit long of a mistime. Minor prob is the net is higher and you're hitting flat with less net clearance. But try that when your timing is great that day. It has an element of surprise. And gives opponent something else to think about when things get tight.

[@PaulWolfe1]

My 1st and 2nd serves are the same. I double fault too much, but I also hit a good number of aces on 2nd serves. And there are days where I might not have a double an entire set. Also, when I used to have a 2nd serve, I was still double faulting a lot like a lot of rec-level players. Doing that also increases the odds of the returner winning the point even if you get it in. Then you also have to factor in the limited time we rec players have to devote to each aspect of the game. It takes time to develop a second serve that is different from the first serve, rather than just developing good muscle memory on a first serve to get at least half of them in. If you can get 2/3rds in you will get one of 2 in 90% of the time.

[@boyochen7246]

The statement "no correlation between serve speed and return speed" to the plot shows at 9:30 could be questionable. Faster serves will result in a higher chance of aces. In such a condition, apparently, no return speed will be calculated.

[@brookwiersreading5783]

I loved seeing the graphs. Given the low slope/correlation/flat line for return speed vs. serve speed compared to the decently steep/ good correlation between lower return speed and higher accuracy, I'd conclude that Roger Federer was a genius (like in most things tennis) for prioritizing accuracy. It gives me hope to have a fearsome serve even without the most power in the world, and solves for me the question of platform (more control) vs. pin (more power) stance. The former, duh!

[@starlimestone8915]

Bro you know mark sansait? It would be a great video if you two had a match.

[@RacquetFlex]

We played a pickleball match in Palm Springs back in March! We'd love to rematch him on the court, haha.

[@Better_Call_Raul]

If I serve at 25% speed my accuracy is 8/10. If I serve at 33% speed my accuracy is 7/10. If I serve at 50% speed my accuracy is 5/10. If I serve at 90% speed my accuracy is 2/10. What is the best approach? Go real slow and work up the speed as accuracy improves? Or start fast, like 75%, and keep practicing until accuracy improves?

[@TJ_104]

I am training my serve conciously for 4 years now and just reached the point where i can hit consistent with spin and ok speed (5'9 and ~3.5 level). But if i want to be accurate my speed drops like 30-40%. I first learned flat serve 3 years and tried to perfect the technique but its still far from perfect. But the flat serve was inconsistent especially on the 2nd serve, so i learned slice/top spin. I have a platform stance and am still struggling with slice a bit. Top spin works ok, but its often not that fast. What i mean to say is that learning all three serve types from scratch with speed and consistency is a long journey and i still have problems balancing speed vs consistency vs accuracy. My current goal: In training i focus bit more on technique and speed until its consistent enough to go aim for more accuracy. In matches i focus more on consistency and try to get some either fast or accurate first serves in to mix it up. Fast + accurate at a time is my next goal for matchplay :)

[@Better_Call_Raul]

@@TJ_104 Using the terminology in the video. "Consistency" = getting it in the box, according to video. My practice first serves are at basically full speed (let's say 90% speed) and I get 60% in the box. 60% Consistency. **BUT** , even though the serve is "Consistent", I have no idea where the serve is going. Consistent but no "Accuracy". And now comes the most interesting point. I notice that even though I don't know where these serves are going, nearly all these fast practice first serves that land in the box are **clustered around the same area**, regardless of whether I'm aiming wide or T. So I have good "Consistency". My "Accuracy" sucks. But my "Precision" is excellent. 😆😆 Hence, it is possible that I may NOT need to slow down my fast practice serves too much to improve my poor Accuracy, because I already have good Precision. Just need to change where I am aiming. So if I am aiming wide and it is going middle of box , aim outside the alley. Change the aim but still practice with relatively fast serves!! Also, it is much more fun to practice with relatively fast serves than serving at 30% speed. That is boring as hell. Also note that even at the 4.0 rec level, slow serves will often get punished. There is little benefit of slowing down serves to gain Accuracy. And as shown in the Roddick/Rafa clip, even Roddick sacrifices some Accuracy in order to simply overpower returners.

[@TJ_104]

@@Better_Call_Raul yeah, i would say in Training my priorities are 1. Technique 2. Consistency 3. Speed 4. Accuracy In matches however it all depends on the kind of serve and difference of 1st/2nd serve. I think 1st serve one should aim for Accuracy (and/or speed depending on skill level). 2nd serve is more about Consistency and a Solid serve thats not too easy to return. But in Training speed is very important and fun for me aswell because thats obviously what one be aiming for to have an advanced serve. A good Technique is mandatory for that though or your Consistency will suffer.

[@lourenserasmus5033]

I'd have to go with accuracy, speed is great but like you said if you serve in a strike zone the ball is simply coming back faster. I'd say if you can serve about 185km or lets say 115mph and you can serve within a foot of the T and and the same out wide at 70% of serves made, you should have a very good chance of winning your matches. The biggest factors in serving are first serve % and accuracy. That's why a guy like John Inser wins so many matches in tie breaks. Despite not being a great returner if he serves at 65-70% of first serves he has proven to be capable of beating some of the top players in the world. He is even more dangerous in doubles as he has shown on tour this year.

[@giannicapra4280]

Well, federer is not exactly known for being cold blooded when under stress. Anyway great lesson, as usual

[@marktace1]

And where are the drills?

[@killak3219]

Accuracy

[@Mr.Puppet_23]

how about giving us drills so we can actually improve our serves? This video is too theoretical

[@rrcabrera90]

LBC!

[@SylvanTuck]

Accuracy would come first. Power would slowly be added.after a good percent of accuracy is achieved. Adding additional power at that point is very important.

[@svarodzic]

Accuracy implies control, and power without control is essentially useless.

[@katzpheno1978]

Accuracy is like having multiple tools in your tennis bag! Power is impressive but what happens when your opponent adjusts to your shot as you become fatigued and your power starts to fade?

[@PaulWolfe1]

Step 1: toss the ball accurately. Oh well, I guess I'm out.

[@FairwayJack]

like

[@AtroXAir]

Sorry, you take too long to get to the point. Thanks for the efforts, but I watched 5 min without any specific advice to improve my serve.

[@tristendabreau6492]

Lol u suck the

[@tequilacoca5324]

As always, far too complicated and lacks to go straight to useable advice.