It’s really noticeable when a player does the racquet drop as a deliberate motion compared to when it’s intuitive i.e as a result of natural serve motion.
@@TheTennisMentorindeed! I served great in a match the other day. Then I started to think about serving in a more fluid motion and that I should think about not thinking. Needless to say my serving turned to shit 😂
Yes but sometimes people need to take progressive approach to learning to serve. Having a “natural” racquet drop will not be something most learners will do, what they will do in all likelihood is the waiter tray. These are great drills, but the racquet does drop and sometimes it’s good as you are learning to segment it and then use these drills to put it together IMO. Thank you so much for the great content!
Fantastic video, Ashley! Could you could help me clarify the racquet position one more time? I've heard that the non-dominant hand should be held parallel to the racquet. Is it therefore required?
As you toss the ball up on your serve, your tossing arm will be held up high, causing your shoulders to tilt and your hitting arm to drop. Your racket arm will still be bent at 90, but because of the shoulder tilt, will be lower than your toss arm (like a seesaw).
I've got a slight waiter's tray (with a continental grip) on my 4.5 serve that I can't get rid of. It's hardly noticeable and can only be seen in slow motion. When I shadow swing, my serve looks fine, but in the real swing I get wrist extension when I drive with my hips. Got any tips to make sure wrist stay neutral and doesn't extend back?
Without seeing your serve, it sounds like the waiter’s tray isn’t causing any problems. But, if you’d like to get rid of it, you could try facing your strings slightly more towards your head when in the ‘pre throw’ position. From there, let the lag happen by itself and report back to me.
Try serving from the correct position (skip the back swing) to get used to the feeling of having your arm at 90/90. The shadow swings in this video should also get you more familiar with the correct feeling
The serve is a throwing motion. The racquet drops without even paying attention to it. To ask a player to pay attention to that is like asking a pitcher to pay attention to how the baseball lags behind their back. Just throw the racquet at the ball. The power in the serve is from the torso not so much the legs.
The serve is not a throwing motion. Only Americans with their intuitive reference to baseball are thinking and saying this. The serve is a striking motion.
@@knotwilg3596 Bullshit. The serve is a continuous throwing motion. Thats why Americans have the best serves. Striking motion? WTF are you even talking about?
@@123Rockchild There are many fluid motions. That doesn't make them good models for each other. Throwing a ball and serving have similarities but they are dissimilar enough to teach them in isolation, not as two of a kind.
Inside the house is difficult aside from stretching. But you can practice the shadow swings and throws outdoors, and even better if you have a wall to hit against.
Thanks for the great tips. When I let the racket drop naturally, I have another problem that my wrist will be open up if I fully relax, so that it will have some waiter serve. How can fix my wrist ?
Are you using the continental grip? And are you getting into the same ‘pre throw’ position I mention with your strings pointing to the side (or slightly downward)? If so, don’t worry too much about the waiters tray. The problem comes when you force the racket to drop or when you drop too early. Keep the racket up until you drive up to the ball!
I was curious to see how you could hit a decent serve without a racquet drop (based on the videos title). As I expected you can’t,unless you hit a lame underhand serve…which isn’t really a decent serve.
This is a great question! Your legs still drive your hip and body up to the ball, just with less rotation. The depth of the ‘drop’ comes from the drive UP and having good flexibility (especially in the upper back for the kick serve). You’ll see all the best kickers point their chest up to the sky!
GTH - GREAT Tip for Hip ! I actually tried this out with your practice steps and this really worked for me... I finally managed to find the ritam and loose arm for proper racquet drop and speed 😊😊😊 Thanks Ash, you are real Tennis Mentor !!!
You have a gross mistake, the racket is open on the swing☝️like beginners🤣,learn to close like Raonic and Berrettini, the serve will be more stable and twice as strong
I’m watching the original footage that I have in super slowmo and it shows exactly what I explained… the leg drive and racket drop happen simultaneously
Excellent series of instructions.
Appreciated
Nice. Racquet drop as a product of forward rotation and not a seperate motion. Good stuff.
The absolute best explanation I've ever heard; thanks.
Vamos!
What a video, I do this and never really thought about this much
Thanks Ashley. Have a great weekend!
You too Javi!
It’s really noticeable when a player does the racquet drop as a deliberate motion compared to when it’s intuitive i.e as a result of natural serve motion.
It is once you understand it. The difficult part is to think less!!
I think I do that tbf 😂
I have this problem
@@TheTennisMentorindeed! I served great in a match the other day. Then I started to think about serving in a more fluid motion and that I should think about not thinking. Needless to say my serving turned to shit 😂
Best so far for me. Tried to fully picture it for years. Thanks for excellent explanation.
I’m so glad you found it helpful!!
Excellent instruction!
🙏🙏
Fantastic video!!!
One of the best tennis lessons ever ❤
Thanks so much Tony
Well explained.
Thank you
@@TheTennisMentor As always, by the way.
great tips and insights Ash, cheers
Thanks buddy 🙏
Thanks a lot!
Thanks for watching!
As always great content! Greetings from Germany
Thank you 🙏😁
Thank you
Yes but sometimes people need to take progressive approach to learning to serve. Having a “natural” racquet drop will not be something most learners will do, what they will do in all likelihood is the waiter tray. These are great drills, but the racquet does drop and sometimes it’s good as you are learning to segment it and then use these drills to put it together IMO. Thank you so much for the great content!
Nice video 😀👍🎾
Wow, video is super, was scared firs by its title. Big thanks.
Glad you liked it
Awesome tip.
🙏🙏
I just applied the lessons from this vid to my serve practice and wow it paid dividends. My arm is way less fatigued than normal.
So glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing 😄
Fantastic video, Ashley! Could you could help me clarify the racquet position one more time? I've heard that the non-dominant hand should be held parallel to the racquet. Is it therefore required?
As you toss the ball up on your serve, your tossing arm will be held up high, causing your shoulders to tilt and your hitting arm to drop. Your racket arm will still be bent at 90, but because of the shoulder tilt, will be lower than your toss arm (like a seesaw).
"Throw your racquet into the ball"... I haven't been thinking about it like that. I've been thinking more about the ball than the racquet.
(Just don’t let go of the racket 😅)
Hes in Portsmouth lol, play there a bit. Thanks for advice
Nice! Thanks
I've got a slight waiter's tray (with a continental grip) on my 4.5 serve that I can't get rid of. It's hardly noticeable and can only be seen in slow motion. When I shadow swing, my serve looks fine, but in the real swing I get wrist extension when I drive with my hips. Got any tips to make sure wrist stay neutral and doesn't extend back?
Without seeing your serve, it sounds like the waiter’s tray isn’t causing any problems. But, if you’d like to get rid of it, you could try facing your strings slightly more towards your head when in the ‘pre throw’ position. From there, let the lag happen by itself and report back to me.
Hey Ashley been struggling with the 45 degree pre serve position, been having a straight arm like Qinwen Zheng. Any tips?
Try serving from the correct position (skip the back swing) to get used to the feeling of having your arm at 90/90. The shadow swings in this video should also get you more familiar with the correct feeling
@@TheTennisMentor legend. Hopefully youre around at the australian open in a few months happy to shout you a beer 🍻
@@theeeonendonly26 I aim to be 🤞
To loosen your grip while serving do you recommend holding racquet more with index and middle fingers or ring and pinkie fingers?
I'll be doing about this today! The racket drop is the only thing I think about on my serve 😂 whoops
Let me know how it goes!
Another key here is to hold racket loose enough. Otherwise the over tense hand will hold racket too tight and prevent it from a natural drop.
Yes definitely
The serve is a throwing motion. The racquet drops without even paying attention to it. To ask a player to pay attention to that is like asking a pitcher to pay attention to how the baseball lags behind their back. Just throw the racquet at the ball. The power in the serve is from the torso not so much the legs.
The serve is not a throwing motion. Only Americans with their intuitive reference to baseball are thinking and saying this. The serve is a striking motion.
@@knotwilg3596 Bullshit. The serve is a continuous throwing motion. Thats why Americans have the best serves. Striking motion? WTF are you even talking about?
@@knotwilg3596But don’t you want to feel the serve is a natural fluid motion like throwing a ball is?
@@123Rockchild There are many fluid motions. That doesn't make them good models for each other. Throwing a ball and serving have similarities but they are dissimilar enough to teach them in isolation, not as two of a kind.
Is there any way to practice serve inside the house? Serve is so important, although it's a lonely trainning, and often requires a court...
Inside the house is difficult aside from stretching. But you can practice the shadow swings and throws outdoors, and even better if you have a wall to hit against.
Thanks for the great tips.
When I let the racket drop naturally, I have another problem that my wrist will be open up if I fully relax, so that it will have some waiter serve. How can fix my wrist ?
Are you using the continental grip? And are you getting into the same ‘pre throw’ position I mention with your strings pointing to the side (or slightly downward)? If so, don’t worry too much about the waiters tray. The problem comes when you force the racket to drop or when you drop too early. Keep the racket up until you drive up to the ball!
@@TheTennisMentor
Yes, I use the continential grip. I will try to not drop so early and see if it getting better.
Thank you so much !
It's like a baseball pitch
Very much so, just upwards!
Which type of Adidas trousers are you wearing?
I think they were called Adidas yoga pants
I think about my racket drop on every single serve i make it's become extremely annoying and i can't seem to get my serve to be any better
Have you tried the drills on this video yet? They should really help
@@TheTennisMentor Will try it today actually, i have practice at 4pm (Paraguay time) thank you!!
Why did you name your video as you did? You are instructing the racket drop (in conjunction with the leg drive). 🤔
in which tennis club do you mostly take lessons
The Avenue, Hampshire
I was curious to see how you could hit a decent serve without a racquet drop (based on the videos title). As I expected you can’t,unless you hit a lame underhand serve…which isn’t really a decent serve.
So how does your racket drop when you kick serve and don't rotate your torso into the court?
This is a great question! Your legs still drive your hip and body up to the ball, just with less rotation. The depth of the ‘drop’ comes from the drive UP and having good flexibility (especially in the upper back for the kick serve). You’ll see all the best kickers point their chest up to the sky!
Good video. Title is a bit of click bait but video makes up for it. Thanks.
I’m glad you think so, thanks 🤝
Sunday is training day. Make a guess what I will try to focus on when it comes to the serve 😅
Vamos! Please report back!
100k by the end of the year i reckz.
That would be nice 😁 currently on path for the end of next summer… it’s a long (but fun) process 🐌
@@TheTennisMentor Don't worry...We'll make a "couple of" recomendations for your work 😊
Hero
I don t get what tou mean, because every player drop the racket always.
Did you watch the video?
*forward. Not “forwards “
Thanks Jill 😊
Didn't watch whole video yet, afraid of its title, does it mean that all my training went into the drain ? Is this video scary ?
😆 nothing’s gone into the drain… your training so far has made you the player you are today!
Maybe this could take you up another level?
@@TheTennisMentor Thanks Mr.Neaves ! Will proceed carefully , will watch it 1min/day, I was so focused on producing drop for last 3 month.-)
That's really useful, thanks Ash 👍
My pleasure Harry 🤜🤛
GTH - GREAT Tip for Hip !
I actually tried this out with your practice steps and this really worked for me...
I finally managed to find the ritam and loose arm for proper racquet drop and speed 😊😊😊
Thanks Ash, you are real Tennis Mentor !!!
So great to hear, keep it up!
You have a gross mistake, the racket is open on the swing☝️like beginners🤣,learn to close like Raonic and Berrettini, the serve will be more stable and twice as strong
Title is clickbait.
Oh my god! Are you sure that you're gonna heal from that?
Yes, the idea of the title is to tempt you to click. I hope you found the video useful?
@@TheTennisMentor Excellent video as always, coach. What a great free stuff! 👍🙂
Sorry, but this is NOT TRUE. look at Wawrinkas Serve in Slowmotion, there is a massive racket/underam drop well before leg or hip movement happens..
I’m watching the original footage that I have in super slowmo and it shows exactly what I explained… the leg drive and racket drop happen simultaneously
@@TheTennisMentorOk. i am just saying, there seems to be at least one top player which has an racket drop independet from leg and hip drive.
Let me know when you find one 🙂
@@TheTennisMentor Wawrinka has a racket/underarm acceleration down before leg/hip drive, don't u you think? 😉