Just because you saw Federer hitting serve like that doesn't mean you have to teach like that even if it takes time it's better to start with a continental grip and take months and months of training to get to the point where professional serve motion is at not like stupid eastern grip forehand serve because it will only limit their serve technique
Why would you teach beginners an advanced grip, when they obviously don’t have the advanced swing mechanics to use it? Makes no sense. As their mechanics evolve, so will the grip. Skipping steps won’t get you there any quicker, but it will develop bad habits.
Yeah, but if you teach them with Eastern grip to serve, they will create more bad habits because I have seen players that can't change to continental afterward using Eastern grip or even in volleys...... I would rather feed them to continuously hit the ball from their overhead by allowing them to point the target with their finger and then hit it down even if it takes more time for them to work on rather than making them use to use forehand grip which will limit their skills level when it comes to serve. However, the concept that you are showing to the people has been taught throughout so many year and yeah it works for the beginners but let me tell you that will limit their skills to serve properly...
@@direwolf525 basic technique doesn’t prevent people from developing more sophisticated strokes as their skill level improves. What does cause players to develop bad habits is teaching them the continental grip before they are capable and ready to use it.
I don't leave comments on UA-cam videos, but I've found these videos really useful and this one is a gem. Making me rethink quite a lot about my serve.
What a pity there was not this vid 17 years ago, when I started tennis. In the meantime I did break two tendons of my right shoulder and payed 50K+ for the surgery + 6 months recovery… now I’ve one of the best serves in the club (and only 100% thanks to Tom) and I’m watching this vid with a great envy for those much more luckier ones who got now the best shortcut to the true serve 🎉
I skipped basic as a kid and started with just wrong (heaving hand grenade motion). When I started playing tennis again 5-6 years ago at age 45, I made it a priority to learn how to serve correctly. I took a serve course and they had you start right with continental grip. I got a bit better but I struggled still, almost trading one bad motion for another type of bad motion. I only recently had the discovery to fix my arm action I needed to go back to a full FH grip to really learn basic first. Tom really gets this, it’s amazing I don’t hear any other teaching pros talking about this.
Great advice. As a coach who sees other coaches teach continental grip to beginners way to early on, I could not agree more. It can be frustrating because some coaches are telling their students and the parents that they are teaching the advanced technique, and the poor kid has no chance. Like you said developing all kinds of weird swing paths to the ball.
I am a tennis coach in Bangslore. I teach small kids. Thank you for your service ideas. Likeyou say, teach the waiter's serve first, and then later they can switch to continental.
Thank you for simplifying each step which is a progression towards correct technique. So many components are difficult to remember as a beginner...like juggling. My aim is to get the ball in play as a beginner.
Hi Tom, Love your statement: "basic technique isn't bad technique"! I would like to build on that... Badly technique is mostly developed because of players/coaches trying to advanced technique (and/or to advanced balls/court)... and good technique is developed from basic technique. Well you explain it in the video in some words, but I think you can even state it more explicitly. Finally, I hope you can make a video where you explain what the difference is between basic and bad technique!? Looking forward to it:) (also the progressions for groundstrokes and volleys if you like:))
How about the rotation of hips and shoulder through that motion on contact,should we focus on the same time for the begginers..same as you explain for the throwing motion basic?!thank you..keep your amazing work coach
Hey Coach, I got a question: what grip should we as trainers recommend, when we do the first service lessons with a beginner? Should recommend an eastern forehand grip? And how do we know, that it is time to move on and get to the next steps? Should we start with a beginner standing heading with the front of the body to the net, because that is probably the position he or she would intuitively use, when serving for the first times? So: What introductions should give at all, concerning grip and body position, when we practice the serve for the first time? Aprecciate your work very much!
Good words.... evolve, increments, develop. Its much easier and enjoyable to start out with easier more natural movements. Just like babies. Babies can function doing "babylike" things and not functioning as an adult. We all had to go through stages and each stage is so important. 🤔 Makes a lot of sense.
One element here is not clear to me. If I start with the Eastern grip and later switch to Continental, won't I naturally just heavily slice the serve every time. I understand that some great servers of the past used the Eastern grip - Boris Becker, for example. So presumably it can't be intrinsically flawed. But how do I learn to twist around the arm and racket head before (or at?) contact with a Continental grip if I've learned to hit flat with an Eastern grip? Won't I need to unlearn the arm motion I learned first, or at least learn a new service action almost from scratch once I go Continental (or be content always to heavily slice my serves)?
Why not just serve under hand as beginners? I think a basic underhand feed can start the point more in your favor than a basic overhead serve. I do think a lot of incorrect mechanics can be acquired from not having some proper instruction, however, starting the point can be achieved in many ways.
I cant disagree with this video more. A continental grip is not an advanced technique. It is basic even for a 3.0 level. If you start with a forehand grip you will quickly realize you have no power and no control. You will not only have to start over from scratch learning proper technique, you will have to unlearn the bad habits you've ingrained from learning bad technique with a forehand grip. Roger Federer was just trying to get the ball in with his left hand on the first try. If he was seriously trying to learn a left handed serve he'd go straight to continental grip.
Just because you saw Federer hitting serve like that doesn't mean you have to teach like that even if it takes time it's better to start with a continental grip and take months and months of training to get to the point where professional serve motion is at not like stupid eastern grip forehand serve because it will only limit their serve technique
Why would you teach beginners an advanced grip, when they obviously don’t have the advanced swing mechanics to use it? Makes no sense. As their mechanics evolve, so will the grip. Skipping steps won’t get you there any quicker, but it will develop bad habits.
Yeah, but if you teach them with Eastern grip to serve, they will create more bad habits because I have seen players that can't change to continental afterward using Eastern grip or even in volleys...... I would rather feed them to continuously hit the ball from their overhead by allowing them to point the target with their finger and then hit it down even if it takes more time for them to work on rather than making them use to use forehand grip which will limit their skills level when it comes to serve. However, the concept that you are showing to the people has been taught throughout so many year and yeah it works for the beginners but let me tell you that will limit their skills to serve properly...
@@direwolf525 basic technique doesn’t prevent people from developing more sophisticated strokes as their skill level improves. What does cause players to develop bad habits is teaching them the continental grip before they are capable and ready to use it.
@@TomAllsopp Not true, I have a player who started with the continental grip and developed well...
You have one player who did that? I’ve had more. But that doesn’t help all of the players who aren’t ready and able to use it.
I don't leave comments on UA-cam videos, but I've found these videos really useful and this one is a gem. Making me rethink quite a lot about my serve.
There are only few people who can teach things from such basics, loved your explanation
What a pity there was not this vid 17 years ago, when I started tennis. In the meantime I did break two tendons of my right shoulder and payed 50K+ for the surgery + 6 months recovery… now I’ve one of the best serves in the club (and only 100% thanks to Tom) and I’m watching this vid with a great envy for those much more luckier ones who got now the best shortcut to the true serve 🎉
I skipped basic as a kid and started with just wrong (heaving hand grenade motion). When I started playing tennis again 5-6 years ago at age 45, I made it a priority to learn how to serve correctly. I took a serve course and they had you start right with continental grip. I got a bit better but I struggled still, almost trading one bad motion for another type of bad motion. I only recently had the discovery to fix my arm action I needed to go back to a full FH grip to really learn basic first.
Tom really gets this, it’s amazing I don’t hear any other teaching pros talking about this.
Great advice. As a coach who sees other coaches teach continental grip to beginners way to early on, I could not agree more. It can be frustrating because some coaches are telling their students and the parents that they are teaching the advanced technique, and the poor kid has no chance. Like you said developing all kinds of weird swing paths to the ball.
Yep, there's a lot of kids with continental grips hitting the ball awkwardly and all over the place...it's painful to watch.
I am a tennis coach in Bangslore. I teach small kids. Thank you for your service ideas. Likeyou say, teach the waiter's serve first, and then later they can switch to continental.
Excellent fundamental explanation and development strategy. Thanks you
Thank you for simplifying each step which is a progression towards correct technique. So many components are difficult to remember as a beginner...like juggling. My aim is to get the ball in play as a beginner.
This is a great help, my serve is the absolute worst. This helps tremendously, beginning technique is not bade technique. I like that a lot.
This video might not be for everyone. But make sure you like and comment to help as many beginners as possible see this video. They need it!
The serve is the most complicated stroke in tennis my friend. Great job on the video.
Hi Tom,
Love your statement: "basic technique isn't bad technique"! I would like to build on that... Badly technique is mostly developed because of players/coaches trying to advanced technique (and/or to advanced balls/court)... and good technique is developed from basic technique. Well you explain it in the video in some words, but I think you can even state it more explicitly. Finally, I hope you can make a video where you explain what the difference is between basic and bad technique!? Looking forward to it:) (also the progressions for groundstrokes and volleys if you like:))
Hi mate, I'll try to get on that! Lets chat soon
Great content very practical progressions for any beginner
This is gold.
I am a beginner and I approve this vid.
This is brilliant! Wish I saw this before…
Great lesson.
How about the rotation of hips and shoulder through that motion on contact,should we focus on the same time for the begginers..same as you explain for the throwing motion basic?!thank you..keep your amazing work coach
Hey Coach, I got a question: what grip should we as trainers recommend, when we do the first service lessons with a beginner? Should recommend an eastern forehand grip? And how do we know, that it is time to move on and get to the next steps? Should we start with a beginner standing heading with the front of the body to the net, because that is probably the position he or she would intuitively use, when serving for the first times? So: What introductions should give at all, concerning grip and body position, when we practice the serve for the first time?
Aprecciate your work very much!
Gonna try this for a lefty serve. :P
A very valuable tip of tennis. Thanks a lot Tom.
Turns out that I can serve left handed better than RF (at least when he recorded that video)!
You made my day!
1-0 to you!!
Very basic love it
Good words.... evolve, increments, develop. Its much easier and enjoyable to start out with easier more natural movements. Just like babies. Babies can function doing "babylike" things and not functioning as an adult. We all had to go through stages and each stage is so important. 🤔
Makes a lot of sense.
One element here is not clear to me. If I start with the Eastern grip and later switch to Continental, won't I naturally just heavily slice the serve every time. I understand that some great servers of the past used the Eastern grip - Boris Becker, for example. So presumably it can't be intrinsically flawed. But how do I learn to twist around the arm and racket head before (or at?) contact with a Continental grip if I've learned to hit flat with an Eastern grip? Won't I need to unlearn the arm motion I learned first, or at least learn a new service action almost from scratch once I go Continental (or be content always to heavily slice my serves)?
Ditto ❤
Many coaches don't realize that for an older, non-athletic person starting tennis, even a basic "stupid" serve is hard to do.
Why not just serve under hand as beginners? I think a basic underhand feed can start the point more in your favor than a basic overhead serve. I do think a lot of incorrect mechanics can be acquired from not having some proper instruction, however, starting the point can be achieved in many ways.
It’s often easier for beginners to feed with a serve than a forehand. Regardless, whenever they’re ready to serve, this is how to do it.
I cant disagree with this video more. A continental grip is not an advanced technique. It is basic even for a 3.0 level. If you start with a forehand grip you will quickly realize you have no power and no control. You will not only have to start over from scratch learning proper technique, you will have to unlearn the bad habits you've ingrained from learning bad technique with a forehand grip. Roger Federer was just trying to get the ball in with his left hand on the first try. If he was seriously trying to learn a left handed serve he'd go straight to continental grip.
Why don't any 3.0's use the continental grip then? You clearly don't know anything about this topic.
foot fault Kid,,,lol dont shout at me like Williams sister LOL
A British guy calling football soccer. Sad day
Can’t argue with that