The Serve: Fundamentals and Strategy

Key Points

• You have to make contact with the ball behind the line and hit the ball diagonally or crosscourt over the kitchen line into 1 side of the court separated by the center line
• The Drop Serve is where you release the ball and let it bounce before hitting, making contact anywhere you want
• For the Air Serve, contact has to be made below your naval and the racket has to be below your wrist
• Once you feel comfortable with the serve and it’s consistent, try and aim for more depth and placement, pushing your opponent back and giving them less time to get to the kitchen
• Try using a continental grip to generate more slice on the serve, and a semi-western grip for more spin
• Vary the serve by using different spins, heights, and locations