Serve Drill: Toss and Balance

In this video you will learn a drill to practice your toss and balance when you serve.

Place two hoops, tangent to the baseline in the deuce court as shown

Stand inside the outer hoop

The front foot and the tossing arm should point towards the diagonally opposite net post

The back foot should be almost parallel to the baseline

The toss

Hold two balls in the non racket hand

This will prevent you from holding the ball in your palm when you toss the ball

Extend your non racket hand straight up and toss the ball

Bend your racket arm behind forming an 'L' position

Hold the ball with your fingers and drop the tossing arm

Open your hand up and toss the ball as your arm reaches almost the top of your head

Toss the ball straight up and try and make it fall in the hoop inside the court

If you do not have hoops, you could place your racket on the court and aim for the ball to fall on the strings

The balance

Place an exercise ball right behind the baseline

Sit on it with the front foot and non racket hand pointing towards the diagonally opposite net post

Toss the ball and try and hit it across into the service box

The exercise ball helps you work on your balance during your serve

The stance and balance are extremely important to be able to serve

Stand behind the baseline with the front foot and tossing arm aligned with the net post

There should be a racket's distance between both feet

Place a stepper behind the baseline

Stand on it and hit the ball across in the service box

This will make you work on your balance and toss

If the toss goes wayward you will lose balance and fall off the stepper

Next you can practice throwing the ball to get the hang of the serving technique

Hold the ball in your racket hand

Flex your knees, extend the non racket arm and bend the throwing or racket arm behind, forming an 'L'

You should be in the trophy position, ready to serve

Twist your torso and lead with the elbow as you throw the ball across into the service box

You can check out the video on how to serve

Practice the different drills to help you improve your toss and balance

The ball's in your court, enjoy your game