Get a free membership inside Tennis Evolution that you can access online or inside our Tennis Evolution App with no credit card details required. All you have to do is click on this link to register for the free course. bit.ly/2ArrwCQ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Former Top 100 ATP Pro, Jeff Salzenstein, is exposing the 3 common myths that could be crippling your serve potential. Most players make at least 1 of these 3 mistakes... Do you? bit.ly/2Yubsbx
Jeff, this was a brilliant instructional video. I'm a 45 year old male tennis player (European equivalent of 5.0+ and I train with a semi pro once a week). Unfortunately I don't know how to jump as I was never taught this technique. Your tip at the end of the video however is spot on. My serve is consistent around 100-105 mph but I just want to see if I can add some weight and speed to my serve and your tips were really helpful. Focusing on making sure the upper body turns properly will make everything else fall in place (note: by the way I don't pronate either). I wish I had learnt pronation and jumping earlier on but as I'm 45 now I want to try and protect my body as much as possible.
Thanks Jeff. I agree that if your serve has rhythm, the proper rotation, toss your knee bend is a part thereof and you need not try to bend zee knees. The one tip that has helped me the most is the 4 inch solution. I can count the number of doubles faults I've made in the last 3 months on one hand. If the toss, the upper body rotation, the racquet drop are in sync I'm good.
I see what your saying about the knee bend. If a player has a real deep bend that would make it awkward to hit the serve from a leaning into it position especially on a flat or power slice. I've noticed that when I contact the ball leaning into the court I get more pop ( naturally) but equally as good the sharper angles which creates more aces and weaker returns. And yes I experiment w the BH grip on my slice as you suggested and it creates a natural sharp angle on the wide out serve on deuce side and a serve that runs away on the T serve on Ad side. You give many great tips but let's face it they won't consistently come through unless you get your butt our there and hit a few baskets to get the feel and timing and see what's going on.
Hi Jeff. One of the key things that I have found is to lower the right shoulder and not keep it parallel to the tossing arm. When you do this, it will automatically make your knees bend naturally. It also makes you reach up more to the ball and snap over at the end. This is key and helps eliminate the patty cake serve when the shoulders are parallel. Very important for younger players who are not tall and need to reach up towards the ball. I use a drill where I position of cone behind the right leg with a tennis ball on top of the cone and you have to reach down pick up the ball from on top of the cone and then throw it across the tennis court. The reaching down to pick up the ball off the top of the cone simulates the movement of bending your knees and then swinging up when you throw the ball. The problem I see when people are learning to bend the knees is that they are forcing it and it is not natural and part of the kinetic chain. It looks more like they're squatting or getting ready to crack a fart or something. I love your videos and have really learned a lot to help improve my serves. Just thought I'd pass along this little tidbit of information that really helped my serve a lot as well as my son's serve.
I have been doing this recently and it really helps. But I think there are a couple of more points to add. Your toss should be into the court and your lean should be into the court so you can come down on the ball with maximum force. Great job Jeff!
Thank you very much for all your tips they are great! Especially those on the serve. I have been making so many mistakes on my serve like doing the kneebend while throwing/placing the ball, and that made everything off. The answer on when to bend your knees is so good and helped me last week to get a much more consistent serve. Iam very happy I find this channel easily the best take and what stuff to think about to progress in tennis. Maybe you can eleborate on the video platform since I think the image quality is better here on TH-cam then in the app and its sometimes hard to get to landscape mode. I dont know maybe Patreon could be a good platform idk. Thank you for your awesome tips! It made me a much better tennisplayer!
I didn't have time to practice this before playing today so I had to to go live with this and the foot placement per the other video. I had really good success. Aced my last 2 serves. The little jump really helps to get on top of the ball. I also seemed to be tossing the ball better. (Toss tips could make a good video lesson) Additionally, I can tell my opponent's serve deficiencies. Thanks, again.
The great of all time once mentioned that serve is the hardest part in tennis, I also began saying that some over 10 years ago. The hardest part of serve is not using only your upper body however knowing how to transfer momentum from your bottom body to upper body is a better key. I can't serve 135mp if I only use my back or shoulder, I really have to store momentum with lower body including knees leads to explode upward onto the ball. Not using enough knees is detrimental to a high level serve. I like to bend low I do, because I am storing potential energy!
Hey, Jeff. I recently changed my back swing to an Abbreviated Serve motion (mostly duo to elbow pain, but I also found that it’s easier to pronate this way). I think it would be interesting to see a lesson comparing both swing paths and how to take full potential out of each one. I believe that Djokovic changed to an Abbreviated serve motion after his elbow problems in 2018.
Basically you have to do 3 things at the same time: release ball, bend knees, and bend elbow. There are so many things that you have to do together to properly serve, which makes it the hardest shot in tennis.
It's very important to bend your legs at the right time if not you'll lose a lot of power, especially when extending!! Great video ! We've just subscribed to you!!
Thanks Jeff for this amazing lesson. I know that I haven’t been bending my knees and wanted to incorporate in my serving motion. I will go and practice today as you mentioned in this video. Out of curiosity just wondering has bending the knees got something to do with the height of the player. I mean, will a taller player be bending their knees less than a shorter player. By shorter I mean 5 feet and 7 inches and around there and by taller I mean above 6 feet. Thanks in advance Jeff.
Is the knee bend different for the kick serve? I try to keep my thighs and back in a straight line for the kick so that by belly is facing up at a 45 degree angle.
Often, a player can't load one of their legs because of limitations in ankle mobility and hip stability. Improve stability and mobility lin the right places and practice single leg strength to improve this. You'll probably have to change your stance as well. If you'd like more info on a video analysis so that you can get a a clear plan and not be confused on what to do next, email me at support@tennievolution.com
I saw a serve practice video, on Instagram, I think, where they drew 4 circles on the ground. 2 for where your feet start and 2 for where your feet end. Then you go through the serve motion to groove your footwork.. Can't find it now. Do you teach something similar? Could be a lesson idea.
Hi- Jeff , if I don’t jump or really cannot handle the jump, do you mean we shall focus on the weight transfer such as from back foot to right foot and the upper body movements?
On a percentage basis, how much weight should be on both the front and rear foot when you bend your knees before you explode up? What % of weight is on each foot?
Thanks for the explanation!! Can you do a woman serve‘s motion?. The way Federer or in general male player serve, is difficult to replicate. When I serve I always bring my legs together when I bend Knies before jumping. Is this correct ?
Hi Maureen. Thanks for your comment. I'll need to watch a video of your serve motion to provide proper feedback. You can send one over at jeff@tennisevolution.com
I wouldn't focus on the leg drive first. I would get the upper body action working more efficiently first and the stance improved. If you'd like more info on a video analysis so that you can get a a clear plan and not be confused on what to do next, email me at support@tennievolution.com
Great video, it’s probably why my timing is off.. but promise you will practice not adding a “t” after fillet mignon and I’ll grab a basket and practice the knee bend properly :-)
At age 64, I don't think jumping is out of the question, but what does seem to be impossible for me is the big shoulder turn. I no longer have the range of motion in my neck as when I was young (for example, when backing up in a car I can no longer turn to look out my back window -- thank God for back-up cameras). In other words, if I made a larger shoulder turn I would no longer be able to keep my head still with my eyes pointed in a constant direction -- I would suffer loss of balance, inability to track the toss ball, etc. All the more so in that I must wear glasses for severe astigmatism and cannot see clearly unless my eyes are directed straight ahead. This limit on the shoulder turn also limits my ability to generate power and topspin on the ground strokes, especially on the backhand. So, I'm guessing that on the serve I need to do the best I can with knee-bend (with or without jumping), shoulder _tilt_, and timing.
Kyrgios has an interesting leg motion: he starts with his body low and right leg bent in the beginning, then while starting his toss, he moves forward to pin point stance and bends his left knee, without altering his body height. After the toss, because he is still low, he can easily jump up without have to lower his body. He uses his initial low stance and forward move to pin point, to push off up and forward into the court. It's a really smart fluid movement, and feels nice to use. th-cam.com/video/Z_LU2q1CROA/w-d-xo.html. What is your opinion Jeff?
Thanks Jeff, it's a great video! This is a perfect timing. I've recently taken a video of my serve and was surprised to see that I have an extreme bend in my knees, too! In fact, this is a frame from that video: imgur.com/Z1hpYzS It seems intuitive to me that this is not good. However, I don't quite know why. Could you expand on that point? Why is this kind of extreme knee bend bad? Is it because such a serve will suffer from the lack of consistency? Or what other issues are there with it? Love your videos, thank you in advance for your answer!
Great question...You are trying to get more power by using your legs more. Because your body and technique is not efficient yet, you're looking for power in different ways. The key is to change how your upper body works and correct your racquet work. Another key is to improve how you use your body as you serve. If you'd like more info on a video analysis so that you can get a a clear plan and not be confused on what to do next, email me at support@tennievolution.com
maciej53. thanks for the link to your serve stance. it clearly shows at least five aspects that are not always easy to verbally describe to my tennis students. with your permission, i will use it as a visual aid, to reinforce their awareness of those aspects.
@@kdavidm9715 Hello David, I'll gladly let you use the picture and, if you'd like me to, I could send you the whole video :) Also, I'd love to hear what those five aspects are, too. I'm always up for any feedback I can get!
@@mattcay thanks for the permission. for now the picture is sufficient. if & when we do need the whole video, i hope your offer still stands. in the spirit of tennis brotherhood, please read these observations with an open mind. (1) keeping the tennis arm straight helps the serving posture + helps to keep the ball in focus. (2) palm-up trophy pose usually results in a "pat-a-cake, waiter's tray" serve. (3) low elbow of the serving arm limits the circular motion. (4) squatting is the opposite of the ideal hip-forward posture. (5) positioning the back leg further back allows the shoulders to turn more than the hips, for a good coil. (6) maintain balance when shifting body weight. i hope these points make sense to you.
Great tutoring , but half of the airtime is wasted dissecting wrongdoings of different funky players. Man, just show the right way and be done with it, otherwise its hard to figure out what is is right and what is wrong. Amazing coaching otherwise, respect !
Get a free membership inside Tennis Evolution that you can access online or inside our Tennis Evolution App with no credit card details required. All you have to do is click on this link to register for the free course. bit.ly/2ArrwCQ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Former Top 100 ATP Pro, Jeff Salzenstein, is exposing the 3 common myths that could be crippling your serve potential. Most players make at least 1 of these 3 mistakes... Do you? bit.ly/2Yubsbx
I can finally serve from platform stance thanks to you, smallest things make huge difference!
Awesome Zoran!
You're a clear fountain of sage guidance Jeff, presented, as always with energy and enthusiasm. Thank you. Gordon.
Thank you! I appreciate your valuable feedback.
Thank you dear tennis surgeon! You are Awesome! God bless you for helping us humble recreation players! You are a Fantastic teacher!!!!!
You're welcome Monica!
Thank you for your kind words, I appreciate them.
This helped me serve amazingly well tonight, thank you!
That's awesome to know Mark!
You're welcome and thank you for watching.
Thanks for the tips. I have been struggling with incorporating my knees into my serve. And I love that seeing a fellow left-handed player!
This is great tips. Even it seems very small but make big differences. Thank you so much. You are the best
Jeff, this was a brilliant instructional video. I'm a 45 year old male tennis player (European equivalent of 5.0+ and I train with a semi pro once a week). Unfortunately I don't know how to jump as I was never taught this technique. Your tip at the end of the video however is spot on. My serve is consistent around 100-105 mph but I just want to see if I can add some weight and speed to my serve and your tips were really helpful. Focusing on making sure the upper body turns properly will make everything else fall in place (note: by the way I don't pronate either). I wish I had learnt pronation and jumping earlier on but as I'm 45 now I want to try and protect my body as much as possible.
Wonderful instruction. Knee bend timing is my problem, results in a hitch for me. I now clearly know what and how I need to practice. Thanks!
Thank you! 💯
This is one of the best videos to fine tune your serve. Bending made my serve more consistent and powerful.
You're welcome Jaskaran! Thank you for watching.
Excellent advice! I have a USTA match tomorrow and I’m going to incorporate this!!
Awesome Matt! Let me know how it goes ;)
Keep it rolling.
Jeff.
Thanks Jeff. I agree that if your serve has rhythm, the proper rotation, toss your knee bend is a part thereof and you need not try to bend zee knees. The one tip that has helped me the most is the 4 inch solution. I can count the number of doubles faults I've made in the last 3 months on one hand. If the toss, the upper body rotation, the racquet drop are in sync I'm good.
That's awesome to hear Joe! Thank you for sharing.
I see what your saying about the knee bend. If a player has a real deep bend that would make it awkward to hit the serve from a leaning into it position especially on a flat or power slice. I've noticed that when I contact the ball leaning into the court I get more pop ( naturally) but equally as good the sharper angles which creates more aces and weaker returns. And yes I experiment w the BH grip on my slice as you suggested and it creates a natural sharp angle on the wide out serve on deuce side and a serve that runs away on the T serve on Ad side. You give many great tips but let's face it they won't consistently come through unless you get your butt our there and hit a few baskets to get the feel and timing and see what's going on.
Serve is one of the most complex biomechanics in tennis. Thank you Coach Jeff for your great insights and analysis. 👍👍
I agree Mike! You're welcome, thank you for watching.
Hi Jeff. One of the key things that I have found is to lower the right shoulder and not keep it parallel to the tossing arm. When you do this, it will automatically make your knees bend naturally. It also makes you reach up more to the ball and snap over at the end. This is key and helps eliminate the patty cake serve when the shoulders are parallel. Very important for younger players who are not tall and need to reach up towards the ball.
I use a drill where I position of cone behind the right leg with a tennis ball on top of the cone and you have to reach down pick up the ball from on top of the cone and then throw it across the tennis court. The reaching down to pick up the ball off the top of the cone simulates the movement of bending your knees and then swinging up when you throw the ball. The problem I see when people are learning to bend the knees is that they are forcing it and it is not natural and part of the kinetic chain. It looks more like they're squatting or getting ready to crack a fart or something. I love your videos and have really learned a lot to help improve my serves. Just thought I'd pass along this little tidbit of information that really helped my serve a lot as well as my son's serve.
Thank you! This is awesome information, thank you for sharing it ;)
Fantastic !! It works and corrected my tempo
Amazing!
thanks for the tips,they are precious.......I changed my game thanks to them.......from São Paulo
I am a 13PLus UTR player and this ws extremely helpful, thank you!
Good stuff Jeff. Used to watch you at The Farm, I'm '97. -will
thanks Jeff
You're welcome Maths!
Great video on bending knees while on serve. I love the statement, it should happen automatically. Thank you.
You're welcome Ravendra! Thank you for watching.
Thank you for the tips....it's really help and inspiring me...🙇♂️
Happy to hear that!
Great video, Jeff.
I like your passion to let the amateurs like me be able to hit serves well. Thanks!
You're welcome! Thanks for your feedback ;)
I have been doing this recently and it really helps. But I think there are a couple of more points to add. Your toss should be into the court and your lean should be into the court so you can come down on the ball with maximum force. Great job Jeff!
Thank you Kevin! Glad to know it's helping you out.
I appreciate your contribution as well.
This is an excellent video. Thank you.
You're welcome! Thanks for the feedback.
Finallyyyyyyyyyyy a video online about the knees 😍
Awesome! Maybe I need to make more:)
Thank you very much for all your tips they are great! Especially those on the serve. I have been making so many mistakes on my serve like doing the kneebend while throwing/placing the ball, and that made everything off. The answer on when to bend your knees is so good and helped me last week to get a much more consistent serve.
Iam very happy I find this channel easily the best take and what stuff to think about to progress in tennis.
Maybe you can eleborate on the video platform since I think the image quality is better here on TH-cam then in the app and its sometimes hard to get to landscape mode. I dont know maybe Patreon could be a good platform idk.
Thank you for your awesome tips! It made me a much better tennisplayer!
Thank you for your valuable feedback! Glad you're taking your game to the next level ;)
Well said Jeff! Thank you.
You're welcome!
Excellent tip. Elbow trophy position and bending knees is one set .. not seperate motion. ... thanks. JEFF
You're welcome!
I didn't have time to practice this before playing today so I had to to go live with this and the foot placement per the other video. I had really good success. Aced my last 2 serves. The little jump really helps to get on top of the ball. I also seemed to be tossing the ball better. (Toss tips could make a good video lesson) Additionally, I can tell my opponent's serve deficiencies. Thanks, again.
You're welcome Jimmy. That's awesome!
Thanks Jeff, this really helps I have a really deep knee bend gonna work on making it more natural
Yes, see if you can serve big without much knee bend. Then add the knee bend later
very good tipp greetihs from holland
Thank you Alfons!
Can you make a video on which racquet to use by which individual....i have a chronic wrist problem, what racquet should i use
The great of all time once mentioned that serve is the hardest part in tennis, I also began saying that some over 10 years ago. The hardest part of serve is not using only your upper body however knowing how to transfer momentum from your bottom body to upper body is a better key. I can't serve 135mp if I only use my back or shoulder, I really have to store momentum with lower body including knees leads to explode upward onto the ball. Not using enough knees is detrimental to a high level serve. I like to bend low I do, because I am storing potential energy!
Ironically I was just wondering about this exact thing. Thank you.
You're welcome!
Hey, Jeff. I recently changed my back swing to an Abbreviated Serve motion (mostly duo to elbow pain, but I also found that it’s easier to pronate this way). I think it would be interesting to see a lesson comparing both swing paths and how to take full potential out of each one.
I believe that Djokovic changed to an Abbreviated serve motion after his elbow problems in 2018.
Basically you have to do 3 things at the same time: release ball, bend knees, and bend elbow. There are so many things that you have to do together to properly serve, which makes it the hardest shot in tennis.
Well said, but you can master it with proper and consistent practice!
@@TennisEvolution Working on it.
It's very important to bend your legs at the right time if not you'll lose a lot of power, especially when extending!! Great video ! We've just subscribed to you!!
Exactly right. Timing is everything .
Thanks Jeff for this amazing lesson. I know that I haven’t been bending my knees and wanted to incorporate in my serving motion. I will go and practice today as you mentioned in this video. Out of curiosity just wondering has bending the knees got something to do with the height of the player. I mean, will a taller player be bending their knees less than a shorter player. By shorter I mean 5 feet and 7 inches and around there and by taller I mean above 6 feet. Thanks in advance Jeff.
Is the knee bend different for the kick serve? I try to keep my thighs and back in a straight line for the kick so that by belly is facing up at a 45 degree angle.
Thank you!! Would you explain why a server bends only one knee and how to correct that?
Often, a player can't load one of their legs because of limitations in ankle mobility and hip stability. Improve stability and mobility lin the right places and practice single leg strength to improve this. You'll probably have to change your stance as well. If you'd like more info on a video analysis so that you can get a a clear plan and not be confused on what to do next, email me at support@tennievolution.com
Very important 👍👍
Indeed VL Ruata!
Does the "when" work for pinpoint, too.
thank you for very valuable advice^o^
we most Japanese couldn't get this valuable advice in japan!
so thank you ✋
You're welcome! Love to help ;)
Dear Jeff, concerning bending the knees, one question: while I bend my knees should I make pressure with feet on the ground?
I wanna JUST thank you
You're welcome Nicolas!
I saw a serve practice video, on Instagram, I think, where they drew 4 circles on the ground. 2 for where your feet start and 2 for where your feet end. Then you go through the serve motion to groove your footwork.. Can't find it now. Do you teach something similar? Could be a lesson idea.
Jimmy Image can you find it
I'll post it if I find it.
@@jimmy_image If you find it, please email it to us at support@tennisevolution.com. We'll appreciate it.
@@TennisEvolution Found it, sent it.
instagram.com/p/CEY8r73Af7S/?igshid=1nrj44ytrnqwx
@@jimmy_image Thank you!
Hi- Jeff , if I don’t jump or really cannot handle the jump, do you mean we shall focus on the weight transfer such as from back foot to right foot and the upper body movements?
Hi Yuk. Thank you for watching, yes that is correct.
The question I have is where is our weight on the toss? I tried this and felt more weight on the back leg. Thanks Jeff!
Great video as usual! More examples with pinpoint stance next time :-)
Sounds good!
On a percentage basis, how much weight should be on both the front and rear foot when you bend your knees before you explode up? What % of weight is on each foot?
Thanks for the explanation!! Can you do a woman serve‘s motion?. The way Federer or in general male player serve, is difficult to replicate. When I serve I always bring my legs together when I bend Knies before jumping. Is this correct ?
Hi Maureen. Thanks for your comment.
I'll need to watch a video of your serve motion to provide proper feedback.
You can send one over at jeff@tennisevolution.com
I am working on my daughter's leg driving. With ball, she can only leave the ground 1 or 2 inches. How to solve?
I wouldn't focus on the leg drive first. I would get the upper body action working more efficiently first and the stance improved. If you'd like more info on a video analysis so that you can get a a clear plan and not be confused on what to do next, email me at support@tennievolution.com
@@TennisEvolution thank you. Sent you an email.
Great video, it’s probably why my timing is off.. but promise you will practice not adding a “t” after fillet mignon and I’ll grab a basket and practice the knee bend properly :-)
Awesome plan Ibrahim! Thank you for watching.
At age 64, I don't think jumping is out of the question, but what does seem to be impossible for me is the big shoulder turn. I no longer have the range of motion in my neck as when I was young (for example, when backing up in a car I can no longer turn to look out my back window -- thank God for back-up cameras).
In other words, if I made a larger shoulder turn I would no longer be able to keep my head still with my eyes pointed in a constant direction -- I would suffer loss of balance, inability to track the toss ball, etc. All the more so in that I must wear glasses for severe astigmatism and cannot see clearly unless my eyes are directed straight ahead.
This limit on the shoulder turn also limits my ability to generate power and topspin on the ground strokes, especially on the backhand.
So, I'm guessing that on the serve I need to do the best I can with knee-bend (with or without jumping), shoulder _tilt_, and timing.
fsilber you are on the right track. If you have physical limitations, the key is to work on those with the right corrective exercise program.
Kyrgios has an interesting leg motion: he starts with his body low and right leg bent in the beginning, then while starting his toss, he moves forward to pin point stance and bends his left knee, without altering his body height. After the toss, because he is still low, he can easily jump up without have to lower his body. He uses his initial low stance and forward move to pin point, to push off up and forward into the court. It's a really smart fluid movement, and feels nice to use. th-cam.com/video/Z_LU2q1CROA/w-d-xo.html. What is your opinion Jeff?
You kinda looked like Dennis Shapovalov when you tossed the ball and then bent your knees.
“The first thing I want to talk about is when to bend the knees”
- when Daenerys Targaryen says so.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks Jeff, it's a great video! This is a perfect timing. I've recently taken a video of my serve and was surprised to see that I have an extreme bend in my knees, too! In fact, this is a frame from that video:
imgur.com/Z1hpYzS
It seems intuitive to me that this is not good. However, I don't quite know why. Could you expand on that point? Why is this kind of extreme knee bend bad? Is it because such a serve will suffer from the lack of consistency? Or what other issues are there with it? Love your videos, thank you in advance for your answer!
Great question...You are trying to get more power by using your legs more. Because your body and technique is not efficient yet, you're looking for power in different ways. The key is to change how your upper body works and correct your racquet work. Another key is to improve how you use your body as you serve. If you'd like more info on a video analysis so that you can get a a clear plan and not be confused on what to do next, email me at support@tennievolution.com
maciej53. thanks for the link to your serve stance. it clearly shows at least five aspects that are not always easy to verbally describe to my tennis students. with your permission, i will use it as a visual aid, to reinforce their awareness of those aspects.
@@kdavidm9715 Hello David, I'll gladly let you use the picture and, if you'd like me to, I could send you the whole video :)
Also, I'd love to hear what those five aspects are, too. I'm always up for any feedback I can get!
@@mattcay thanks for the permission. for now the picture is sufficient. if & when we do need the whole video, i hope your offer still stands.
in the spirit of tennis brotherhood, please read these observations with an open mind. (1) keeping the tennis arm straight helps the serving posture + helps to keep the ball in focus. (2) palm-up trophy pose usually results in a "pat-a-cake, waiter's tray" serve. (3) low elbow of the serving arm limits the circular motion. (4) squatting is the opposite of the ideal hip-forward posture. (5) positioning the back leg further back allows the shoulders to turn more than the hips, for a good coil. (6) maintain balance when shifting body weight.
i hope these points make sense to you.
correction for #1: that's "tossing "arm.
Bend the knee John snow !
the fat is the best part! on a steak i mean...great video coach, as always
Thanks Dee!
Great tutoring , but half of the airtime is wasted dissecting wrongdoings of different funky players. Man, just show the right way and be done with it, otherwise its hard to figure out what is is right and what is wrong. Amazing coaching otherwise, respect !
So lengthy talk