Arguably the Greatest Athletic Move in Sports, the Serve

There is some obvious bias in this title, but consider these facts. After watching numerous playoff clashes in professional sports over the last six months, it became noticeable that the initial method of starting play in most sports did not have a significant impact on the outcome of the contest. It was also evident that in most sports, the action that would initiate a contest was mostly a neutral one, or at least one that was purposely created to avoid favoring either contestant.

The examples of this neutral start can be seen in basketball’s jump ball, football taking turns kicking off to begin play, hockey having a face-off, soccer having just one team put the ball in play, even the very similar sport of Pickleball, the initial hit is delivered by a somewhat passive underhanded serve. But tennis has just one person who will have the advantage of two chances every point to attack their opponent. In fact, the number of serves a player will execute in a three-set singles match can easily be over 100. So, compared to most other sports, starting a point in tennis is far more crucial and impactful. This is why holding or breaking serve is so vital.

But the purpose of this observation is not just to glorify the style and game structure of tennis, but rather to recognize that having such an impactful opening to the start of a point puts a tremendous demand on both the execution and the mental approach needed at that moment. That’s why coaches and their competitive students put hours of practice into this moment.

With such diversity among students, most coaches have adjusted their teaching approach for the service motion to a basic set of standard needs, followed by an individual approach that addresses the unique physical skills of each student. The hopeful result is that each player owns their serving mechanics.

So, then the next task is to combine that individual motion with the student's mental approach to executing that serve during competition. This is where the rubber hits the road, and unfortunately, the approach of first mastering the service motion and then developing great confidence may need one more added step to complete the process, especially when those students are experiencing this live-or-die moment. Here is an idea that may make that last added step more productive.

This extra step in the coaching process will be done by creating practice methods, or challenges, that come as close as possible to actual competitive play. Start this final step by recognizing the student's problem during match play, then find that game, or games, that will recreate as best as possible that stress level. Here are four good practice examples that may help in this approach with most students.

Problem 1: The player, knowing that they always have two serves, will often waste or overplay their first serve. Time to change the rules. Allow your student to only have 7 serves a game, no more. You can vary that number depending on the player, but it is important that they experience developing a more consistent first serve and avoid the constant pressure of only having a second serve. You can reverse that approach by rewarding the player for having a consistent first serve. Have a rule that if they put the first serve in play, they can’t lose the point; they just replay it.

Problem 2: They tend to push the serve to make sure they don’t fault. It is obvious that the pressure of the moment creates this safe form of play, so change the demand on the first serve. Have them practice serving with the focus of secondary targets, so it will no longer be where the serve lands, but where the ball hits after the bounce. Pick a target on the back fence or wall, or even use mobile targets for those who may not yet have enough power. You can also add targets that show their movement on their serve due to spin. In this case, there are two targets: first, where the ball will land in the service square, and second, where the ball ends up landing afterwards. This will help them recognize the various spins that can be produced on a serve.

Problem 3: When under pressure for the big points, they lack the confidence to hit their best serves. It’s always difficult to create the real tension of match play, but this drill comes close. First thing to understand is that rewarding behavior is far more impactful than punishing for failure. Since each student will have different values, try to discover a reward that an individual would love to earn. A coach will need to think this through to find that answer, but it’s there and doesn’t have to be financial. There are many ways to challenge a student… just find that bait that makes them feel the anxiety of succeeding.

Problem 4: Their serve breaks down when they get tired. This is much easier than the prior problem; you need to run them through some physical drills until they are exhausted, then ask them to hit X number of serves within a small period of time. You don’t want them to hurry, but you also don’t want them stalling to catch their breath. It helps to keep track so they can see their progress in this task, which will help build confidence.

These are just a few examples to get a coach thinking about a more productive approach to addressing the pressure of serving in competition. As stated, this is an amazing moment in sports, which brings with it a great physical and mental challenge. It may not be completely possible to recreate the stress a player experiences during match play, but this added type of coaching may be just what the doctor ordered.