The Importance of the Serve
The average set consists of 55 points. The average point lasts three hits, including the serve. Statistically, this results in 44% of all swings at the ball in singles being the serve.
If that doesn’t send a crystal clear message that the serve is the single most important shot in tennis, nothing will. At what levels does this astonishing statistic hold true? It’s pretty much the same for both recreational and pro level players.
Relaxation
Let’s start the discussion on relaxation while serving by identifying the key link in the service motion. You can do everything right, the stance, the toss, the preparation, the swing, the follow-through, etc., but if you do not have a relaxed racket-hand grip, and the subsequent relaxed wrist, you will have a weak serve.
To test this theory, just throw a ball. First, with a normal relaxed wrist. Then, lock your wrist to understand how a firm wrist will prevent a natural and effective service motion.
Although most players know that the wrist must be loose and whip-like to snap the racket head into the ball, a surprisingly large number of players stand ready-to-serve with a moderate to extremely tense ready position that includes a tight grip on the racket.
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To help begin and maintain a relaxed grip, try using the non-racket hand to support the weight of the racket. Start relaxed and the racket-hand should main remain relaxed. Start tight, and chances are it will remain tight. A relaxed service motion requires all the parts of the arm to be relaxed, from the fingers to the wrist, and on up through the bicep into the shoulder. Since the fingers on the racket grip are critical in the process, let’s discuss which fingers need to be completely relaxed and which may need just a slight force on the grip to remain in position.
Which Fingers need to be Relaxed
While none of the fingers will hold tightly onto the grip, the two fingers that maintain the proper hand position on the racket handle are your thumb and index finger. How firm should you grip? About as firm as you could hold a pet parakeet you didn’t want to fly away.
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If a bird isn’t handy, try this. Borrow an egg and hold it in your hand. Pretend you are holding your tennis racket and go through a full serving or throwing motion. Just don’t let go of the egg. If it breaks from you squeezing it, you are holding it too tight. If it rolls around in your hand and breaks or doesn’t break, you are holding it too loose. Warning: If you tend to be tense you might want to try this exercise outdoors in case the egg breaks!
Of course, there’s almost always an easier way to make the same test. Use an empty plastic water bottle. If you squeeze too tight, you will hear that the water bottle will make a “crackling” sound. Practice your throwing motion until you minimize the crackling sound or hear no sound at all.
The Grip and Range of Motion
The wrist is understood to be the fastest moving of all major joints in the human body. Therefore it is no surprise that the wrist should stay as relaxed as possible during the entire service motion. However, a simple, but commonly ignored connection is that the wrist cannot remain relaxed if the fingers are squeezing the racket handle in a vise-like grip. Try it for yourself. Squeeze the handle of the racket and try and relax your wrist and flip your wrist quickly up and down. You’ll quickly see it’s impossible. If you want to move your wrist freely and quickly, you’ll have to relax your fingers on the grip.
The next related question is whether the position of your hand on the grip makes a difference in racket head speed, or whether any type of grip can yield an equally quick wrist motion through a full range of motion. The answer is that the hand position on the grip does make a difference.
The continental or “hammer” grip is commonly accepted as the hand position that allows the largest and quickest range of motion in the wrist. If you’re not familiar with this grip, you can most easily find it by tapping a ball down on the ground with the edge of your racket. And, yes, from its nickname, this same grip position is how most people would hold a carpenter’s hammer.
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If you’re still curious, experiment for yourself. Hold the racket grip in 90 degrees away from the hammer grip, just like you would hold a frying pan. The strings of the racket should now be pointing up and the palm of your hand should be pointing down to the ground, just like cooking on a stove. When you flex your wrist you should immediately see that the range of motion in the wrist is drastically reduced in this “frying pan” position as compared to the continental or hammer grip.
This should clear up any lingering mystery around racket head acceleration and power on the serve. Relax your fingers on the grip, holding it in a position similar to holding a hammer. Keep the fingers relaxed through the motion and feel the wrist flexing in as full a range of motion as possible, as quickly as possible.
Of course, there are other concerns on the entire service motion, but these basics will get you a decent serve if you do perform none of the other elements, including a well-placed toss, bending of the knees to build ground forces, and coiling of the torso and upper body to further accelerate the entire body together through the entire service swing. Now that you are hopefully convinced of the benefits of relaxing your grip for a better serve, lets move on to some ways that you can get a feel for a the right amount of relaxation.
Ways to Loosen the Grip
Although there are many ways to loosen your grip on the racket, we will share two surefire ways to get you on your way to a faster and more powerful serve.
Tip #1: Drop your fingers off the grip – As you might imagine, if your fingers are not even on the grip, they certainly cannot squeeze it! To get a feel for a relaxed grip, try dropping one or even two fingers off the bottom of the grip. Serve some balls this way and then put the fingers back on and try to keep your grip just as relaxed. If needed, go back and forth with fingers on and then off again until you feel the same relaxation both ways.
Tip #2: Use a golf aid to help you relax – It always helps to get immediate feedback when you’re trying to get a feel for a new tennis skill. There’s a golf aid that also works great for tennis. It’s a finger sleeve that beeps when you squeeze too hard. Go to www.griploose.com if you want more information.
Summary
I remember asking a tennis industry leader I consider one of the most knowledgeable in the world the obvious question, “So, just how loose a grip do you want to hold on the serve?” He replied, “As loose as possible, as long as the ball goes in the court a high percentage of the time and the racket doesn’t fly over the net.”
Joe Dinoffer is a USPTA and PTR Master Professional. Visit his site, Oncourt Offcourt, at www.oncourtoffcourt.com.
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