Target Practice: Mastering Primary and Secondary Serve Locations in Tennis
Build a reliable serve by mastering your primary target, mixing in T and body serves, and using smart toss placement. Know when to hit each for max effectiveness.
Key Points
Ball Toss Placement in Practice:
Position your basket forward and to the right to reinforce a forward toss. Players often unconsciously toss backward during long serving sessions—this prevents that.Know Your Primary Serve Target:
Most players have one serve they hit best—typically a wide slice serve for right-handers on the deuce side. This opens the court and sets up the next shot. You should practice until you're confident hitting this under pressure.Develop Secondary Serve Targets:
Secondary targets include serving down the T or into the body. These are crucial mix-ups to keep opponents guessing and to prevent them from cheating toward your primary pattern.When to Use Each:
Use your primary serve on big points. Use secondaries (T or body) for variety or when the score allows for risk. The body serve is especially useful when opponents try to cut off wide angles.Match Warm-Up Tip:
Start by overhitting the serve long to ensure you're swinging up and clearing the net. Then slowly bring the toss more in front to land the ball in the box. This helps lock in timing and contact point
