For many years, I have used a straight back racquet setup for the
drive serve with fair consistency and power.
Initially, I started with a
straight back setup before the service motion and that helped with my timing
and coordination of my lower and upper body into the serve, but it limited
my power potential because having the racquet up there too early in the
service motion prevented a smooth synchronization and rhythm to the entire
service motion.
This method helped with my timing, but the disadvantage was
the early racquet prep was out of sequence and limited my power and
consistency.
Some time ago, I was introduced me to the concept of hitting the ball on the
descend. Before, I had never paid much details to the ball’s path in the
whole scheme of the service motion - the ball was just there for me to hit.
I found out I was dead wrong in forgetting about the importance of the
ball toss and the need to hit the ball on its descending path.
For many
years I have been preoccupied with the foot work and racquet prep, that I
missed a key ingredient to a consistent and successful drive serve, that was
hitting the ball on the descend.
Because if you hit the ball on the rise, it
will hit the front wall on an upward trajectory and the serve will be either
long or come off the back wall for a setup. Thus, I began to synchronize the foot work, racquet prep with the ball
toss, so that I would hit the ball on its descending path.
