Congratulations from an orthopedic surgeon, on your good understanding of upper extremity biomechanics. Your instructions should help avoid many injuries.
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficialI feel like you have everything covered on your channel, it really covers everything. Only thing I didn’t see was the topic of analytics, but I’m sure it’s somewhere in one of your singles strategy videos. Well done once again.
Hi! I am just starting to learn to serve with the continental grip and pronation. My teacher told me to do this wrist snap. I felt immediately how it hurt my wrist, it did not feel good and I have since then ignored his advice 😊 Thanks to your video I know now that my instinct was right. Thank you very much!!!!
Simon, I have looked at many videos across multiple Tennis Channels. I can say to everyone out there, this is definitely the best video explaining this concept. Thank you for all you do and the time you take to thoroughly explain things to everyone!
Awesome! You explained what I done wrong in my serve and now got more on pronation! You're right! I saw even many tennis coach in the tennis courts, they also won't explain any about pronation when teaching us the serve! Love your video so much. Thanks for your great teaching video, Simon!
Just wanted to add that you may want to emphasize that at maximum racquet drop, the racquet is way over to the right of the server (for those right handed). I see too many players trying to pronate out of a racquet drop close to the mid back “back scratching” position. It is easy to pronate if the racquet drop is way over to the right side. It is impossible to pronate out the “back scratching” position. Thanks for your great videos, Simon!
You can pronate out of a back scratcher position but you’ll lose a lot of momentum and the throwing mechanics are ruined in that position. The racket drop phase that you’re talking about typically happens very well in individuals who have a flexible shoulder joint and/or who are good at throwing balls. If there are issues with joint flexibility, the racket drop will suffer so it’s important to improve the range of motion in that region
Hi Simon. Snapping the wrist is a recipe for disaster!! I did it three years ago (after watching a TH-cam recommending this method). I had a cortisone shot in the wrist 3 years ago, which reduced the pain for some time. I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor tomorrow for another cortisone shot. Thank you.
That sound bad, I hope you heal up fully and master pronation 🙏 there are some real cowboys in this industry who are making a name for themselves without having a scooby doo about the fundamentals. All the best Simon
Outstanding instruction, as always! Wish I had known this many years ago. Only recently have I been pronating (as correctly as possible.) The wrist snap was all I had been taught; an MRI revealed a torn medial epicondyle. Fortunately, 5 weeks in a wrist splint and physical therapy healed it but it rears its head from time to time. From a tennis results perspective I'm getting the same amount of slice and kick and a much better flat serve through pronation. Your companion vid on the forehand is absolutely spot on as well! Thanks for more super content!
Just going thru this kind of wrist injury, because of this wrist snap. To make things worst, I do this also on forehand...thanks for clearly pointing it out.
Crystal clear demonstration. I've been unconsciously starting to snap my wrist, with some success...but it doesn't feel right. Thank you for this excellent video!
this is what i am looking for and thinking about during a few weeks that i tried to serve properly. finally i got the answer for that from your video. thank you so much.
Thank you so much Simon! I’m just off to practice my serve and hope to start implementing your serve pronation drills ! Love your detailed instruction!
Excellent explanation of the snap the wrist misconception on the serve. As a coach, I hate to admit it, but I’ve told my students to snap their wrists.
Fantastic lesson on using the forearm correctly! I think the point about starting in the supinated position is what I wasn't doing because I was starting in a neutral position and would then have to force the forearm into the pronated position. It seems to go much more naturally into pronation when I am going up to the ball by starting in the supinated position. Thank you!
Great video! I also injured my wrist (tear) and the reason was totally that snap move. After few months off the courts, removed that snap motion like you say.
What a great lesson, Simon! This is exactly what needed to be said about the serve. Indeed, so many wrong info about snapping the wrist, loose arm videos out there. I just think you needed to be more direct how important is that pronation comes all the way from the shoulder, and not just forearm. Injury also can happen if pronation comes mainly from forearm. Full pronation all the way from the shoulder where whole body supports that arm pronation is the key. Wonderful video!
In the early 2000s, there were many coaches going around and teaching the "Sampras serve". I joined a session once and he emphasized on how Sampras had a "snap" on his serve and this was where a lot of confusion was born in regards to wrist snap. Every kid on including me on that session couldn't get a ball over the net after an hour of practicing. My wrist was in so much pain and as a kid who used a lot of "wrist motion" due to just hitting puberty, it was kinda hellish for the next couple of months.
The Sampras snap was an elbow move, that’s why it’s so important for coaches to demonstrate and show exactly what they mean or they end up screwing up players with poor instructions
Thanks very thorough explanation like seeing how all the top severs do it I thought of knew they did but seeing so many top servers brings it home. Now I can through a ball a long way but I can’t serve anywhere near as well as I should with the way I can through a ball or a stone. I am rather unusual as I play all my shots left handed apart from my serve! I am mostly left handed except I through right handed. This means I don’t quite have the skill in my right arm as I do in my left arm but I have no throwing power in my left arm. So I will continue developing more feel in my right arm and I will do your drills and others to make myself pronate with the racquet as I do throwing a ball. Thanks for you expertise and quality instruction and video.
Thank you for this!! I am very new and not that good at all. I have been doing my serve all wrong, snapping my wrist and now I am in major pain. When I play now I have to do a bounce serve until my wrist gets better.
Oh man ! Simon. I cannot thank you enough for this specific video! This is one of the extremely rare times when I tried something out and it made an instant massive difference. I already had a good serve but I was not exactly sure if I did pronate or snap it on my flat serve. Making the exercices and then serving with pronation allowed me to gain in reliability and power (at least +20 / 30% more). Funny part is that i did pronate from time to time unvoluntarily. It usually resulted in a fault because it would go wide on the right (I'm a right hander). Now I can understand way better what I was doing. Mind blowing! I don't think I do pronate on my slice serve (with which I already have a lot of success with), is it a problem ? (Or does the pronation occur after you hit the ball?).
Great video as always! My problem is the back loop and a bent arm when I hit a ball (probably an issue with a ball toss). Hope you will cover these topics!
What I don’t understand is if I am serving from deuce side , how does ball go to opposite court service box when the wrist/racket face is ending up facing right side? where are you hitting the ball so it goes to left service court side ? is there a separate video showing this? I will certainly try these drills!!
The most crucial moment is neutral pronation,because full pronation is created by itself.but the contact point of the ball on the string it will be on neutral pronation and that is the real promatio on the contact with the ball which creates also and directions of the ball. Its important because beginners force full pronation cos they're thinking too much about full pronation.but we need to realise that its crucial moment is the moment of contact and before that
Teaching beginners pronation isn’t always the best methodology. Sometimes you need to let them tap the ball over and gain some confidence before you start with the advanced technique
Very good. The best way to explain sth. ist the myth-busting. Could you explain the swing path on the serve. Right to left instead od fort, back, fort.
Keep your racquet close to your body/leg as you first drop it. Then, as you bring it up in back of you, concentrate on dropping the racquet head well to your right side, as you will see in any video of a good server. (On the other hand, if you initially drop your racquet farther out from your body/leg, you will have a tendency to bring the racquet up into the trophy position using a circular motion that will put your racquet into the mid back “back scratching” position. You can’t swing up and pronate from the back scratching position. It’s easy to pronate if your maximum racquet drop is well to your right side. I hope this helps. Do you agree Simon?
Hi Simon! Great video, as always, outstanding lessons! You play with Babolat Pure Aero VS? Is your racquet of choise, your main racquet today? Which strings you use? What is your opinion about this racquet? Thank you!
I’ve found a strong continental grip and passing the racket over my head creates pronation without trying. I couldn’t do it when my grip was slightly eastern and the grip was too tight. No wrist snap is involved.
I never inferred that the "snap" people were advocating the wrist motion that you demonstrated. Rather, I think they're advocating a loose wrist like the forehand, which is compatible with pronation.
Fantastic video but what would have made it even clearer for us is if you had stood with your back facing us so that it is easier to emulate your motion.
The racket drop happens naturally if you have the right throwing mechanics and a relaxed/flexible shoulder. I’ve taught only 2-3 people out of tens of thousands who needed extra work to achieve a good racket drop when doing the right mechanics. For 99.9% it happened naturally as soon as we got them throwing the racket properly
Honestly, if the player isn't good I don't listen to him. Also, and just to be safe, if they are also not competing anymore I don't listen to them. So that leaves you, Karue Sell, Simon Freund, that WTA doubles' lady (forget her name) and others. I also watch RacquetFlex because they put an insane amount of work into their videos from a very technical standpoint. And then there is OneMinuteTennis, TwoMinuteTennis, that super annoying guy who wrote a book who isn't even a 4.0, ugh. I also can't stand Jeff S., who although a great player, has terrible drills and comes across as a know-it-all.
Download our FREE serve guide here - www.top-tennis-training.com/serve-guide/
Congratulations from an orthopedic surgeon, on your good understanding of upper extremity biomechanics. Your instructions should help avoid many injuries.
Many thanks 🙏
I’ve been watching your content for a while as well as other tennis content on TH-cam. Your content is by far the best, keep it up Simon…
Many thanks for the support 🙏
Are there any lessons you’d like to see in the near future?
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficialI feel like you have everything covered on your channel, it really covers everything. Only thing I didn’t see was the topic of analytics, but I’m sure it’s somewhere in one of your singles strategy videos. Well done once again.
🙏
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Turning defense into attacking play, along with the correct footwork
Hi! I am just starting to learn to serve with the continental grip and pronation. My teacher told me to do this wrist snap. I felt immediately how it hurt my wrist, it did not feel good and I have since then ignored his advice 😊 Thanks to your video I know now that my instinct was right. Thank you very much!!!!
Simon, I have looked at many videos across multiple Tennis Channels. I can say to everyone out there, this is definitely the best video explaining this concept. Thank you for all you do and the time you take to thoroughly explain things to everyone!
Many thanks for the support 🙏
Awesome! You explained what I done wrong in my serve and now got more on pronation! You're right! I saw even many tennis coach in the tennis courts, they also won't explain any about pronation when teaching us the serve! Love your video so much. Thanks for your great teaching video, Simon!
Many thanks 🙏
This is one of the best videos on this topic that I've seen in a while. You explain it so well. Thank you, Simon!
Many thanks 🙏
Just wanted to add that you may want to emphasize that at maximum racquet drop, the racquet is way over to the right of the server (for those right handed).
I see too many players trying to pronate out of a racquet drop close to the mid back “back scratching” position.
It is easy to pronate if the racquet drop is way over to the right side.
It is impossible to pronate out the “back scratching” position.
Thanks for your great videos, Simon!
You can pronate out of a back scratcher position but you’ll lose a lot of momentum and the throwing mechanics are ruined in that position. The racket drop phase that you’re talking about typically happens very well in individuals who have a flexible shoulder joint and/or who are good at throwing balls. If there are issues with joint flexibility, the racket drop will suffer so it’s important to improve the range of motion in that region
Tennis lesson of the highest quality, Simon, like all of the lessons you guys continue to share. Thank you, from Jamaica 🇯🇲
Hi Simon. Snapping the wrist is a recipe for disaster!! I did it three years ago (after watching a TH-cam recommending this method). I had a cortisone shot in the wrist 3 years ago, which reduced the pain for some time. I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor tomorrow for another cortisone shot.
Thank you.
That sound bad, I hope you heal up fully and master pronation 🙏 there are some real cowboys in this industry who are making a name for themselves without having a scooby doo about the fundamentals.
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Thank you, Simon.
Outstanding instruction, as always! Wish I had known this many years ago. Only recently have I been pronating (as correctly as possible.) The wrist snap was all I had been taught; an MRI revealed a torn medial epicondyle. Fortunately, 5 weeks in a wrist splint and physical therapy healed it but it rears its head from time to time. From a tennis results perspective I'm getting the same amount of slice and kick and a much better flat serve through pronation. Your companion vid on the forehand is absolutely spot on as well! Thanks for more super content!
Good luck with the healing 🙏
Just going thru this kind of wrist injury, because of this wrist snap. To make things worst, I do this also on forehand...thanks for clearly pointing it out.
Crystal clear demonstration. I've been unconsciously starting to snap my wrist, with some success...but it doesn't feel right. Thank you for this excellent video!
Good luck with the improvements 🙏
this is what i am looking for and thinking about during a few weeks that i tried to serve properly. finally i got the answer for that from your video. thank you so much.
My pleasure 🙏
Excellent explanations about service and pronation! I will follow this channel.
Thanks for the support 🙏
Thank you so much Simon! I’m just off to practice my serve and hope to start implementing your serve pronation drills ! Love your detailed instruction!
My pleasure 🙏
Good luck with the improvements
Excellent explanation of the snap the wrist misconception on the serve. As a coach, I hate to admit it, but I’ve told my students to snap their wrists.
Fantastic lesson on using the forearm correctly! I think the point about starting in the supinated position is what I wasn't doing because I was starting in a neutral position and would then have to force the forearm into the pronated position. It seems to go much more naturally into pronation when I am going up to the ball by starting in the supinated position. Thank you!
Great video! I also injured my wrist (tear) and the reason was totally that snap move. After few months off the courts, removed that snap motion like you say.
Snapping the wrist is brutal especially at higher speeds
Thank you Simon for your very important comment on tennis serve.
My pleasure
Excellent explanation of the serve motion.
Thanks - this will, I think, help my sore wrist. Good explanation.
What a great lesson, Simon! This is exactly what needed to be said about the serve. Indeed, so many wrong info about snapping the wrist, loose arm videos out there. I just think you needed to be more direct how important is that pronation comes all the way from the shoulder, and not just forearm. Injury also can happen if pronation comes mainly from forearm. Full pronation all the way from the shoulder where whole body supports that arm pronation is the key. Wonderful video!
In the early 2000s, there were many coaches going around and teaching the "Sampras serve". I joined a session once and he emphasized on how Sampras had a "snap" on his serve and this was where a lot of confusion was born in regards to wrist snap.
Every kid on including me on that session couldn't get a ball over the net after an hour of practicing. My wrist was in so much pain and as a kid who used a lot of "wrist motion" due to just hitting puberty, it was kinda hellish for the next couple of months.
The Sampras snap was an elbow move, that’s why it’s so important for coaches to demonstrate and show exactly what they mean or they end up screwing up players with poor instructions
😂😂
Thanks very thorough explanation like seeing how all the top severs do it I thought of knew they did but seeing so many top servers brings it home. Now I can through a ball a long way but I can’t serve anywhere near as well as I should with the way I can through a ball or a stone. I am rather unusual as I play all my shots left handed apart from my serve! I am mostly left handed except I through right handed. This means I don’t quite have the skill in my right arm as I do in my left arm but I have no throwing power in my left arm. So I will continue developing more feel in my right arm and I will do your drills and others to make myself pronate with the racquet as I do throwing a ball. Thanks for you expertise and quality instruction and video.
Thank you for this!! I am very new and not that good at all. I have been doing my serve all wrong, snapping my wrist and now I am in major pain. When I play now I have to do a bounce serve until my wrist gets better.
Thank you for that amazing explanation! Finally understand it
This is great, I need to figure out how to do this with a slice serve now
Covered here - m.th-cam.com/video/fJ_a2RLdFCM/w-d-xo.html
Oh man ! Simon. I cannot thank you enough for this specific video! This is one of the extremely rare times when I tried something out and it made an instant massive difference. I already had a good serve but I was not exactly sure if I did pronate or snap it on my flat serve. Making the exercices and then serving with pronation allowed me to gain in reliability and power (at least +20 / 30% more).
Funny part is that i did pronate from time to time unvoluntarily. It usually resulted in a fault because it would go wide on the right (I'm a right hander). Now I can understand way better what I was doing.
Mind blowing!
I don't think I do pronate on my slice serve (with which I already have a lot of success with), is it a problem ? (Or does the pronation occur after you hit the ball?).
Yes on the slice serve you pronate less prior to contact and complete full pronation after you make contact
Great instructional video, very helpful ❤
Thank you 🙏
Beautifully explained. I’m going to practice it today 😊
Great video as always! My problem is the back loop and a bent arm when I hit a ball (probably an issue with a ball toss). Hope you will cover these topics!
Nice Explanation Thanks for sharing
great video - really helpful!
My pleasure 🙏
What I don’t understand is if I am serving from deuce side , how does ball go to opposite court service box when the wrist/racket face is ending up facing right side? where are you hitting the ball so it goes to left service court side ? is there a separate video showing this? I will certainly try these drills!!
Very clear, great lesson coach Simon
Many thanks 🙏
Absolutely love this video. Thank you
My pleasure 🙏
The most crucial moment is neutral pronation,because full pronation is created by itself.but the contact point of the ball on the string it will be on neutral pronation and that is the real promatio on the contact with the ball which creates also and directions of the ball. Its important because beginners force full pronation cos they're thinking too much about full pronation.but we need to realise that its crucial moment is the moment of contact and before that
Teaching beginners pronation isn’t always the best methodology. Sometimes you need to let them tap the ball over and gain some confidence before you start with the advanced technique
Great content. Thanks man! 👍🏻
My pleasure 🙏
Very good. The best way to explain sth. ist the myth-busting. Could you explain the swing path on the serve. Right to left instead od fort, back, fort.
Check out this serve lesson - m.th-cam.com/video/6998O764rKU/w-d-xo.html
Best video out there thank you!
Wow, that wrist snapping looks painful, don't think I would even try it. Great explanation.
Many thanks 🙏
How does kick serve follow this motion of pronation, is it after with use the racket to push the ball from 7 to 1 o’clock from bottom up
I cover it here - th-cam.com/video/mQ82gQwkUtY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=3UnPcqNMGTaXi4jj
My problem is the back loop and lead with the elbow! Hope some video covering the topic! 🙏🏻
Keep your racquet close to your body/leg as you first drop it. Then, as you bring it up in back of you, concentrate on dropping the racquet head well to your right side, as you will see in any video of a good server.
(On the other hand, if you initially drop your racquet farther out from your body/leg, you will have a tendency to bring the racquet up into the trophy position using a circular motion that will put your racquet into the mid back “back scratching” position.
You can’t swing up and pronate from the back scratching position.
It’s easy to pronate if your maximum racquet drop is well to your right side.
I hope this helps.
Do you agree Simon?
This video may help you: m.th-cam.com/video/6998O764rKU/w-d-xo.html
Hi Simon! Great video, as always, outstanding lessons! You play with Babolat Pure Aero VS? Is your racquet of choise, your main racquet today? Which strings you use? What is your opinion about this racquet? Thank you!
I’ve found a strong continental grip and passing the racket over my head creates pronation without trying. I couldn’t do it when my grip was slightly eastern and the grip was too tight. No wrist snap is involved.
🙏
Thanks Simon
My pleasure 🙏
I never inferred that the "snap" people were advocating the wrist motion that you demonstrated. Rather, I think they're advocating a loose wrist like the forehand, which is compatible with pronation.
Wrist snap to most people would mean exactly that, a snap of the wrist. Not a pronation of the forearm.
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Exactly!
شئ رائع شكرا على التوضيح
My pleasure 🙏
Great video 👍👍
Thanks you master...
Any time
That's really helpful
Active Wrist snap surely is a 1-2% gain and isn’t worth the long term risk.
Does the wrist snap increase the height of the bounce though?
You can get more height on the bounce from an aggressive leg drive and elbow snap (Sampras style)
Is it the same technique with the overhead smash?
Yes, learning from those forehand wrist lag & snap videos can also injure your wrist.
Smash - th-cam.com/video/z6OU4nl92cw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=-mimXO_Osk_aSJ2W
Forehand wrist snap - th-cam.com/video/lVSN-JEXPwM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Nlbzzr4WM-jV5f0j
can grip size effect on how you pronate?
Grip size could alter the positioning of your two pressure points (heel pad and base of index knuckle) so it could impact pronation for sure
Great tips to sucess
Many thanks 🙏
Do you do this in kick serve
Yes, covered in this lesson - th-cam.com/video/mQ82gQwkUtY/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
Gracias
Does this need subtitles? Theres no way to turn them off
Fantastic video but what would have made it even clearer for us is if you had stood with your back facing us so that it is easier to emulate your motion.
With the demos or all the lesson?
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Oh just for this video's demo... easier to follow what you're demonstrating. Thanks
Great!!!!!!
Many thanks 🙏
Venus Williams is out here catching strays lol
Nice!
Isnt it Mouratoglou saying "snap the wrist"?
Who’s that?
My confusion is it looks like you hit sideways on the ball?
"Players like Sam Pruss." Ahahaha. Fire your subtitler man
😂 it’s AI generated, I’ll have to fire the app
I think that wrist snap will likey lead to golfer's elbow.
Can lead to all sorts of issues
I say where is the RAQUET DROP IN ALL OF THIS
The racket drop happens naturally if you have the right throwing mechanics and a relaxed/flexible shoulder. I’ve taught only 2-3 people out of tens of thousands who needed extra work to achieve a good racket drop when doing the right mechanics. For 99.9% it happened naturally as soon as we got them throwing the racket properly
like
Honestly, if the player isn't good I don't listen to him. Also, and just to be safe, if they are also not competing anymore I don't listen to them. So that leaves you, Karue Sell, Simon Freund, that WTA doubles' lady (forget her name) and others. I also watch RacquetFlex because they put an insane amount of work into their videos from a very technical standpoint.
And then there is OneMinuteTennis, TwoMinuteTennis, that super annoying guy who wrote a book who isn't even a 4.0, ugh. I also can't stand Jeff S., who although a great player, has terrible drills and comes across as a know-it-all.