Hitting a Serve
You will eventually be able to do four things with your serve. The first is to get it into play consistently while using proper technique. At the beginning stage, technique is more important than consistency. Even if your serve is a bit inconsistent at the beginning, good technique will produce a better serve in the long run.
When you are able to consistently get your serve in play, the next goal is to place the ball wherever you want it to go within the opponent’s service court:
Straight at your opponent
Down the middle of the court
Wide to the left or right side
Deep into the service court
The third objective is to hit more powerful serves. Power comes with increased strength and improved coordination as you prepare, swing, and follow through.
The last objective is to be able to hit with a variety of spins. This step will show you how to hit slice, topspin, and flat serves.
Once you can get serves into the service court, to a specific area of that court, with power, and with spin, you’re no longer a beginner or an intermediate server. Now, you’re an advanced player—at least when serving.
It’s more difficult for beginners to hold serve because they haven’t had enough time to develop it into an offensive tool. Now is the time to start. The following explanations, illustrations, and drills will help you develop a serve, beginning with the punch serve for beginners and continuing to an intermediate and advanced full-swing serve that can be used at any level of the game. Intermediate and advanced players can skip the punch serve section.
Tennis: Steps to Success Jim Brown,Camille Soulier