I actually think these videos are the best out there. Just in terms of visually seeing someone go through the process of learning the right mechanics is ten times better than hearing someone just explaining it, and then doing it themselves.
I agree. So beneficial to see the learning process. Being shown once is far from optimal or logical. This shows just a small part of the long hours that go into mastering a new concept. Really well done.
Without a doubt thats the most valuable lesson regarding flat serve on internet. Shamir and Nick have absolutely no obligation to share this with us , but they are doing anyway. I can't thank them enough for that.
i m trying to learn proper tennis mechanics. Mr. , this right here IS hands down the best teaching style video i found on TH-cam. Critiquing every aspect of the movement in each step and phase. I really appreciate that you don t hide, or try to shorthand the advices , giving them off camera or something like that. I would seriously donate as well for these videos. Greetings from Romania.
Nikola, NO ONE in online tennis coaching community revealed this aspect - pointing with chest upwards to the ball(reverese C-shape). This was a game changer to my serve. With 192cm of height i wondered why i cannot serve faster. This "chest upwards" hint unlocked new source of free easy power. Even more - now flat serves with toss to ~12 o'clock are more consistent and even can reach 45-50% percentage in good days. The proof that it works - i was able two hit 2 aces to ex candidate of master of sports(~Divison 2 analogy). Thank you so much for this tip(with Safin you also mentioned this aspect) i'm happy like a child :D
My favorite part of this video is how Nick kept Shamir on track when he doubted he could do it, and when he tried to focus on too many things at once. Easy to forget that improvement is sequential sometimes.
These lessons are so great. No bullshit, exact, clear and precise yet empathetic advice from the best TH-cam Tennis Teacher out there. I learn just from watching and doing nothing. Shamir is also great. So amazing to watch. Thank you
Can we see Shamir playing a match or a set against smb with a similar level? Would be interesting to see how he transforms everything he learns from you into a match and with what effect. Also, is he the best student a coach can have?;)) he agrees with your every word, so fun to watch
You’ve produced a lot of great videos on the serve, but this is the best ever. It pulls together in one video many of the key elements you’ve stressed in so many others. Well done ! 👍👍👍
totally agree with nick when I started practicing flat serve, my first serve totally became a mess but after practicing flat serve for a few weeks that's truly a monstrous weapon I've ever had It's all about muscle memory!!!!!
Shamir makes a good point regarding which eye is dominant. Not necessarily to change the toss location or better track the ball, but to give you better court vision (for aiming purposes). Patrick Mouratoglou has a brilliant video on this
The Power Loading section is the best. You revealed the exact fundamentals! I was confused with the knee and hip movement, but now it's 100% clear! Thank you so much!
It goes to show how hard it is to UNDO fundamentals training. I was always taught to throw into the court at 1 o'clock and make a bow with my body. I tried to drill my fundamentals into my daughter's serve and relented allowing her to serve her serve which was 12 o'clock and flat. She looked uncomfortable always bending backwards, but she has the fastest serve on her team. Now I know why...This opened my eyes. Another great 👍 video 👍 👌!
Ich wünschte, ich könnte mit Schamir tauschen und eine Stunde Aufschlag mit Dir trainieren. 😢 Ich würde auch nicht so viele Fragen stellen 😂 Ich bin jetzt 57 und brauche unbedingt mehr freie Punkte, aber ich habe im Grunde nur einen zweiten Aufschlag (d.h. fast nur Slice oder Kick). Daher kommt das Vieeo für mich genau richtig 🙏 Werde Deine Ratschläge beherzigen und hoffentlich mehr flat serves haben. Danke und schöne Grüße aus München!
Great video. These lessons with Shamir are very instructive and present real-world problems I can identify with. This one here is particularly helpful for me.
Great point with the 12 pm toss. I remember a friend last year suggesting to me to toss more vertically and less at 1 pm, and it was an instant improvement. Even now, the closer I really am at 12 pm, the more effortless the serves feel.
Shamir reminds me of myself, we both ask at least 100 ? in a lesson! 😂 Seriously, Shamir already has a very solid serve, but Nik is trying to ad these elements to his serve to make it even better. 👏 This was an extremely comprehensive lesson on things most teaching pros will not even talk about, either because they don't know, or because they are advanced techniques. I learned a lot on this video! 🎾🎾👍👍
I am doing exactly like Shamir. I am just practicing 2nd serve for now. Of course I would like to practice both , but unfortunately I do not have much time available, so I decided to focus first on a reliable serve that can keep me in the game. That's the 2nd serve. Once I feel my second serve is reliable enough , I will start to practice the 1st right away. Thanks for sharing the video , Nick , and Shamir
Great lesson my friend, I noticed that the fella in the video grip seemed to be the problem at first, and we you grabbed his arm and hit with him his over head was much better. Do you think throwing the ball with his left hand could help him control his toss? I tried that because my left shoulder was replaced and practicing throwing with my left hand, and that got me to be able to throw at 12:00, I was throwing it at like 11:45, and I was hitting kick serves and then when I got to 12:00 I was able to hit flat every single time. I learned a lot from this video. I love how you instantly corrected him on being negative about his game. You are a great teacher and I appreciate your hard work on your videos and teaching. Thank you
After a 20+ year layoff, I'm getting back into the game. I can't seem to hit a serve without slicing the ball. On the rare occasion I hit a flat serve the ball travels straight when serving in the deuce court. Frustrating is putting it mildly. This is a great video and this lesson with Shamir hopefully will fix my issue. I'm glad I found this site.
Shamir, my man good to see you back bro , hope your foot improves and we can see more training videos as your game is very similar to my own. Enjoyed the longer video as well 👍
First of all congratulations on your videos, they are great for every player, from beginner to advanced level! Just something, I would like to comment is that on this video on 33:35, when you talk about net clearance, you know it is not that simple, and you cannot say that it is the same clearance close to the net and at the baseline when serving, because the margin to hit the serve box becomes much lower, specially if the person serving is not tall, there is a lot more geometry and physics in it!
Of course he can say whatever he wants to say, this is his channel besides his proven professionalism in tennis. If you disagree it's very fine but I don't agree on your statement "you cannot say that...." you can watch another channel.
Thank you, great video. This is exactly what I am practicing as well, deuce side flat down the T, but I always have that slicy hit as well. Now I have somethings to keep in mind/look for.
Great video. Great coaching. I am not terribly flexible as well, but I try to solve the "leaning back loading" problem by visualizing "rolling my shoulders" in a cartwheel (using a pin-point stance) But to cartwheel my shoulders, I have to intuitively lean back at the start of that rolling action. That rolling also allows my racquet path to go more directly overhead at 12 noon and forward to avoid being "slicey" during the pronation. And the rolling action tends to keep my balance better, IMO.
Agreed. Especially on the topic of serve where it is a lot harder to improve than FH or BH. I appreciate seeing the missteps and the failed executions because I would have gone through 20 or 30 bad ones like that.
It was a good training, thank you coach, I learned a lot from you, and I apply them first to myself and then to my students on the tennis court, I'm glad you exist, I love you.
Thanks for all the content, Nick. It is truly a blessing to be able to access all of this information. There is a big improvement in my serve from watching your videos.
Best video ever, Nik!!!! Love the instructions and Samir enthusiasm. Makes me want to go to a court a hits some servers right away! By the way, I can’t way for the drone footage!
Great lesson, Nick. Love the format. I can relate very well in this format. I also agree serves are much easier if you've done some overheads prior. I discovered that by accident this week. Thanks for the video!
Really great video. Superb info re ball toss position and explanation as to why there is more power from 12 o'clock. The other information is very useful too. As Shamir says "It's all connected"!!!! 🤣🤣 Instructional Gold!! Thanks again Nik.
Really great video, definitely got some useful tips. On the server's height, I'm sure it helps psychologically to think your height doesn't matter when serving ad wide, but being shorter does reduce your margin for error for the same reason an overhead close to the net is easier for a shorter person to execute than a serve from the baseline. It's all about the hypotenuse, which will have lower clearance as you distance yourself from the net.
from my experience 12:30 is the best for flat serve.. cos your arm is attached to your body from the right (as a righty) and it's easer to your arm move at that path and flat the ball. same when you throw a golf ball.
Patrick talks about eye dominance in his videos. It’s an interesting point and I’m sure sometimes that makes a difference. Jus one more of million soft tiny details that make tennis so challenging and so fascinating and unique of each individual person
Ive never had coaching but ive somehow got a 120mph bomb serve and i love just grabbing a basket of balls and just smashing them down the T all day. This lesson would be a dream for me haha.
Hi Nick - great video that got me thinking. I'm a 5.0 NTRP that tries to put at least a little slice on all my first serves. My thinking is that since I'm 5 foot 10, it will give me more margin. Thoughts?
in regard to the difference in serving from the deuce side being a mental block... I think the net actually crossing you at a different angle plays a factor.
Great lesson Nikola ! I had the same problem hitting with to much slice . I’m training my boy at the moment scouring the internet for information, Luckily he has a flat 1st serve anyway Keep up the work
I need to start working on my flexibility to get the chest to the ball 😅 this video solved a big problem of mine, I was doing the hip lean towards the court instead of the C shape
Nice.. I actually wasnt quite sure if it was correct to bend like that but good I do it the right way.. Have to work out back and abdomen for bettrr result idd
Nick, will you do a video on how much net clearance you really need for the flat serve, down the tee vs diagonally? Could you speak about some truths about net clearance on the serve that remain more or less the same regardless of the server's height? Thanks!
Flat, Slice & Kick Lesson with Shamir 👉🏻 th-cam.com/video/RReBwUHe1ug/w-d-xo.html
I actually think these videos are the best out there. Just in terms of visually seeing someone go through the process of learning the right mechanics is ten times better than hearing someone just explaining it, and then doing it themselves.
Totally agree.
I agree. So beneficial to see the learning process. Being shown once is far from optimal or logical. This shows just a small part of the long hours that go into mastering a new concept. Really well done.
Nikola’s critique is relentless and playful. Great Teacher.
The Shamir lessons are GOLD!! He seems like a solid dude…very likable and relatable. Thank you for sharing. Best of luck to you, both.
Without a doubt thats the most valuable lesson regarding flat serve on internet. Shamir and Nick have absolutely no obligation to share this with us , but they are doing anyway. I can't thank them enough for that.
i m trying to learn proper tennis mechanics. Mr. , this right here IS hands down the best teaching style video i found on TH-cam. Critiquing every aspect of the movement in each step and phase. I really appreciate that you don t hide, or try to shorthand the advices , giving them off camera or something like that. I would seriously donate as well for these videos. Greetings from Romania.
Nikola, NO ONE in online tennis coaching community revealed this aspect - pointing with chest upwards to the ball(reverese C-shape). This was a game changer to my serve. With 192cm of height i wondered why i cannot serve faster. This "chest upwards" hint unlocked new source of free easy power. Even more - now flat serves with toss to ~12 o'clock are more consistent and even can reach 45-50% percentage in good days. The proof that it works - i was able two hit 2 aces to ex candidate of master of sports(~Divison 2 analogy). Thank you so much for this tip(with Safin you also mentioned this aspect) i'm happy like a child :D
Love that you're using students in your videos. We can relate to that. And it makes it much more fun to watch.
My favorite part of this video is how Nick kept Shamir on track when he doubted he could do it, and when he tried to focus on too many things at once. Easy to forget that improvement is sequential sometimes.
These lessons are so great. No bullshit, exact, clear and precise yet empathetic advice from the best TH-cam Tennis Teacher out there. I learn just from watching and doing nothing. Shamir is also great. So amazing to watch. Thank you
🙏🙏
Best flat serve lesson on entire internet. Thank you Nik
Can we see Shamir playing a match or a set against smb with a similar level? Would be interesting to see how he transforms everything he learns from you into a match and with what effect. Also, is he the best student a coach can have?;)) he agrees with your every word, so fun to watch
yes hopefull Shamir recovered from his foot injury so we can see his match
Yeah guys I would love to make that content but it depends on his foot. Hopefully it will heal 🙏
Shamir vs MEP (if u know u know)
I feel like Shamir deserves his own TH-cam channel. Tennis practice with Coach Nick, from Shamir's point of view. I would subscribe.
I love all of these lessons with Shamir. You are both fantastic.
I love the dialogue and the journey you are taking us and the student. Clever tutorial!! Thanks Nick
We all love shamir cuz we are shamir. Great coaching too
You’ve produced a lot of great videos on the serve, but this is the best ever. It pulls together in one video many of the key elements you’ve stressed in so many others. Well done ! 👍👍👍
totally agree with nick
when I started practicing flat serve, my first serve totally became a mess
but after practicing flat serve for a few weeks
that's truly a monstrous weapon I've ever had
It's all about muscle memory!!!!!
The Shamir lessons are always terrific. So much good instruction in this one. And pretty fun, too.
hands down one of the best coaches for tennis !!!!!!!!!
Shamir makes a good point regarding which eye is dominant. Not necessarily to change the toss location or better track the ball, but to give you better court vision (for aiming purposes). Patrick Mouratoglou has a brilliant video on this
Loved the "hold on, where are you going?" at 16:45 😄
Wow, there is a lot of great gems in this serve lesson! Nik, this is probably the best serve video you've done! I envy your students!
This duo is so adorable to watch. 😊
🙏
14:06
- "Well what do you think is happening?"
- "I dont know"
....I feel you Shamir...i feel you my friend.
Awesome video! watched till the end :)
Have to agree with others that this is the best flat serve instructional video I have ever seen.
The Power Loading section is the best. You revealed the exact fundamentals! I was confused with the knee and hip movement, but now it's 100% clear! Thank you so much!
Exactly 💯
More of this type of content please!!!
It goes to show how hard it is to UNDO fundamentals training. I was always taught to throw into the court at 1 o'clock and make a bow with my body. I tried to drill my fundamentals into my daughter's serve and relented allowing her to serve her serve which was 12 o'clock and flat. She looked uncomfortable always bending backwards, but she has the fastest serve on her team. Now I know why...This opened my eyes. Another great 👍 video 👍 👌!
🙏🙏🙌🙌
Ich wünschte, ich könnte mit Schamir tauschen und eine Stunde Aufschlag mit Dir trainieren. 😢 Ich würde auch nicht so viele Fragen stellen 😂 Ich bin jetzt 57 und brauche unbedingt mehr freie Punkte, aber ich habe im Grunde nur einen zweiten Aufschlag (d.h. fast nur Slice oder Kick). Daher kommt das Vieeo für mich genau richtig 🙏 Werde Deine Ratschläge beherzigen und hoffentlich mehr flat serves haben. Danke und schöne Grüße aus München!
LG
Great video. These lessons with Shamir are very instructive and present real-world problems I can identify with. This one here is particularly helpful for me.
"you wanna be the guy who only has a second serve?" 🤣🤣 Brilliant!
Great point with the 12 pm toss. I remember a friend last year suggesting to me to toss more vertically and less at 1 pm, and it was an instant improvement. Even now, the closer I really am at 12 pm, the more effortless the serves feel.
Shamir reminds me of myself, we both ask at least 100 ? in a lesson! 😂 Seriously, Shamir already has a very solid serve, but Nik is trying to ad these elements to his serve to make it even better. 👏 This was an extremely comprehensive lesson on things most teaching pros will not even talk about, either because they don't know, or because they are advanced techniques. I learned a lot on this video! 🎾🎾👍👍
7:00 down and forward for flat
chest up towards the sky/ball
bend like a ruler 23:00
get on toes and bend knees.
"This is hard Nick" 😂😂😂 Yes Shamir ,we know is hard 😂😂😂
This is great advice For a flat serve I had the same problem and sorted it out with something similar to this 👍
I feel nick is literally teaching me in real life, very constructive and patient teaching keep it up!
💯
I am doing exactly like Shamir. I am just practicing 2nd serve for now. Of course I would like to practice both , but unfortunately I do not have much time available, so I decided to focus first on a reliable serve that can keep me in the game. That's the 2nd serve. Once I feel my second serve is reliable enough , I will start to practice the 1st right away. Thanks for sharing the video , Nick , and Shamir
I think you are great...I watch your videos time and over...| they are really helpful no nonsense and to the point...
🙌🙏
Great serve lesson! I learned a lot of new things.
The net height v our height part rlly helped me the mos
Damn, Shamir is unbelievably lovable
As a coach, it must be so rewarding to see the fruition of your tuition. The difference in Shamir's serve at the end!!!
Great stuff as always.
Shamir is a great guy and tennis player. Very Good lesson.
Great lesson my friend, I noticed that the fella in the video grip seemed to be the problem at first, and we you grabbed his arm and hit with him his over head was much better. Do you think throwing the ball with his left hand could help him control his toss? I tried that because my left shoulder was replaced and practicing throwing with my left hand, and that got me to be able to throw at 12:00, I was throwing it at like 11:45, and I was hitting kick serves and then when I got to 12:00 I was able to hit flat every single time. I learned a lot from this video. I love how you instantly corrected him on being negative about his game. You are a great teacher and I appreciate your hard work on your videos and teaching. Thank you
Surprise, Surprise! King Shamir is back! Great to see him again. 🤴
After a 20+ year layoff, I'm getting back into the game. I can't seem to hit a serve without slicing the ball. On the rare occasion I hit a flat serve the ball travels straight when serving in the deuce court. Frustrating is putting it mildly. This is a great video and this lesson with Shamir hopefully will fix my issue. I'm glad I found this site.
Shamir, my man good to see you back bro , hope your foot improves and we can see more training videos as your game is very similar to my own. Enjoyed the longer video as well 👍
Nick, jako dobar video 👏🏻👏🏻
First of all congratulations on your videos, they are great for every player, from beginner to advanced level! Just something, I would like to comment is that on this video on 33:35, when you talk about net clearance, you know it is not that simple, and you cannot say that it is the same clearance close to the net and at the baseline when serving, because the margin to hit the serve box becomes much lower, specially if the person serving is not tall, there is a lot more geometry and physics in it!
Of course he can say whatever he wants to say, this is his channel besides his proven professionalism in tennis. If you disagree it's very fine but I don't agree on your statement "you cannot say that...." you can watch another channel.
Very, very interesting, thank you Nick and Shamir for the great lesson.
Best instructional video you have made.
Thank you, great video. This is exactly what I am practicing as well, deuce side flat down the T, but I always have that slicy hit as well. Now I have somethings to keep in mind/look for.
Wow that was a super session. C- inside-12 worked for Shamir. Good work Nick.
Good instructions, i have seen power improvement as soon as i have used the "reversed C" technic :) perfect, thanks
Great video. Great coaching. I am not terribly flexible as well, but I try to solve the "leaning back loading" problem by visualizing "rolling my shoulders" in a cartwheel (using a pin-point stance) But to cartwheel my shoulders, I have to intuitively lean back at the start of that rolling action. That rolling also allows my racquet path to go more directly overhead at 12 noon and forward to avoid being "slicey" during the pronation. And the rolling action tends to keep my balance better, IMO.
Excellent video. Bend the knees to bend the back is a cool tip. Shamir’s questions helped me understand this better. Off to practice ..Thank you
You mentioned in your email about it seeming too long for a TH-cam video, but I definitely enjoy these epic 30+ minute breakdowns.
Agreed. Especially on the topic of serve where it is a lot harder to improve than FH or BH. I appreciate seeing the missteps and the failed executions because I would have gone through 20 or 30 bad ones like that.
Excellent lesson.🎉Tennis is so mutch fun this way.🤗🤩
Best video lesson on serve I've ever seen.
It was a good training, thank you coach, I learned a lot from you, and I apply them first to myself and then to my students on the tennis court, I'm glad you exist, I love you.
Very good tips, Definitely Gonna try them
Thanks for all the content, Nick. It is truly a blessing to be able to access all of this information. There is a big improvement in my serve from watching your videos.
Best video ever, Nik!!!! Love the instructions and Samir enthusiasm. Makes me want to go to a court a hits some servers right away! By the way, I can’t way for the drone footage!
🙌🙌 🛫
Nick, I admire your patience in explaining again and again! "Up at 12"...YEAH!
Great lesson, Nick. Love the format. I can relate very well in this format. I also agree serves are much easier if you've done some overheads prior. I discovered that by accident this week. Thanks for the video!
Really great video.
Superb info re ball toss position and explanation as to why there is more power from 12 o'clock. The other information is very useful too. As Shamir says "It's all connected"!!!!
🤣🤣 Instructional Gold!!
Thanks again Nik.
I'm pretty happy with my serve at my age of 61, but I will try a more 12 o'clock toss to see what happens. Never too late to improve. Thanks, Nik.
Might hit 2nd serves at 11:30 to get more sidespin.
Really great video, definitely got some useful tips. On the server's height, I'm sure it helps psychologically to think your height doesn't matter when serving ad wide, but being shorter does reduce your margin for error for the same reason an overhead close to the net is easier for a shorter person to execute than a serve from the baseline. It's all about the hypotenuse, which will have lower clearance as you distance yourself from the net.
Thank you, coach. Excellent work.
from my experience 12:30 is the best for flat serve.. cos your arm is attached to your body from the right (as a righty) and it's easer to your arm move at that path and flat the ball. same when you throw a golf ball.
Patrick talks about eye dominance in his videos. It’s an interesting point and I’m sure sometimes that makes a difference. Jus one more of million soft tiny details that make tennis so challenging and so fascinating and unique of each individual person
Everytime he says “slicy “ I thought was to me 😂 🥹
Ive never had coaching but ive somehow got a 120mph bomb serve and i love just grabbing a basket of balls and just smashing them down the T all day. This lesson would be a dream for me haha.
the knolage and understanging LEVEL MEEEEEEN insane great videos THE GOAT :D
Been working on this stuff and hit a fair few aces compared to normal in a set.
This guy's tennis acumen and the the nuances he stresses are amazing
Awesome video thanks for posting!
The best.. thanks for your valuable tennis lessons
🙏
Wish I had these type of trainers here at my country.
Hi Nick - great video that got me thinking. I'm a 5.0 NTRP that tries to put at least a little slice on all my first serves. My thinking is that since I'm 5 foot 10, it will give me more margin. Thoughts?
This is great! Lol Shamir is such a good sport
in regard to the difference in serving from the deuce side being a mental block... I think the net actually crossing you at a different angle plays a factor.
great instruction
Great Channel Shamir! Do more videos with this trainer 😁
16:45 those two characters compliment each other so well - too funny
Shamir loves the racket tap 😆
12 o'clock toss, bend knees, chest to sky, hit flat, drive body forward at contact
❤❤❤❤❤
💯
This was unexpectedly helpul, Thank you!
Lovely to know Shamir again! Hope he will recover well from the injury.
“That is by accident, you know when it’s by accident”… ahahah so true lol
Good video to show instructor and student....good to see pts, errors, technique, etc.
Thank you 🙏
Great lesson Nikola !
I had the same problem hitting with to much slice .
I’m training my boy at the moment scouring the internet for information,
Luckily he has a flat 1st serve anyway
Keep up the work
I need to start working on my flexibility to get the chest to the ball 😅 this video solved a big problem of mine, I was doing the hip lean towards the court instead of the C shape
Uhh basically shots fired at Patrick Mouratoglou with the dominant eye part. ^^
Great video, it's an instant like when bringing on Shamir anyway.
Nice.. I actually wasnt quite sure if it was correct to bend like that but good I do it the right way.. Have to work out back and abdomen for bettrr result idd
Nick, will you do a video on how much net clearance you really need for the flat serve, down the tee vs diagonally? Could you speak about some truths about net clearance on the serve that remain more or less the same regardless of the server's height? Thanks!
Well I believe in changing the grip a tiny bit between slice and flat (more hammer). It gets the job done for me