Nikola, this is really one of the best serve-videos for recreational players. I personally struggle so much with this move, even setting the right leg beside the left near the baseline before contact. Although knowing the issue, I never had the right idea to fix it. Your explanation makes so much sense. Thanks a lot from Germany.
Thia video made the single biggest impact on my tennis game and I am so grateful. My serve literally got an extra 15mph after only a couple of daya of working on it. Thank you so much!
This is one of the best serve videos I’ve ever watched. I did this without a racquet. I am excited to hit a hopper and I’ll start with the 1st progression. This video cleared up a lot of confusion for me and I’ve been playing a long time. I actually thought you had to delay opening your shoulders even at contact. Nick says and shows you open the shoulders, so long as you delay bringing the hips, legs and feet forward. It makes sense to me. Thank you
Very important subject Nik. Even at an advanced level this circular or horizontal rotation can be a big problem that robs power, directional accuracy and balance.
speaking of which, I had this problem for a long time, among others. Being frustrated with not getting serves in consistently I did your progression on kick serves, got it to consistently land in the service box 9/10 times and the practice of staying sideways for kick also helped me out on my flat serve and I noticed easy power because I intuitively started adding forward momentum to take out the kick still lingering in my 1st serve after having practiced it for 2 weeks straight everyday. Thus, I slightly overcorrected by flat serve by limiting torso rotation severely, then with only a tiny bit more rotation for flat I was able to get just the right amount of torso rotation for easy power I've tried the feet stuck to the ground a few months ago but it wasn't immediately apparent since I was working on many things at the same during the serve. The one thing that may have helped me when multiple issues were apparent including the right foot landing way in front was trying to finish with a forward bending at the hips, this made it much more difficult to over-rotate and much more easy power though pretty tiring and needed a more forward toss of the ball.
What a timely video! I spent an hour earlier today working exactly on this same frustrating problem. Tomorrow I will be going at it again, this time armed with much better understanding and your progressions. Thanks.
I used to pin point but I couldn't stop myself from bringing my back leg in front. I've changed to a narrow platform stance ala Andy Roddick and it's helped a lot.
good practice to keep both feet on ground. I love watching youtube matches from the 1970s, particularly seeing the players warm up their serves. Borg and Mac kept both feet grounded when warming up I love McEnroe's back leg action on serve
Nik, thanks for the serve tip about not letting the trailing leg come through in front of the front foot. Have used it the last couple of days and it has increased my consistency on the flat serve quite a bit, and it has added about 10 mph in speed with no harder service stroke. Really appreciate your channel and content!
I have the same exact issue. I don't jump on my serve so my right foot naturally comes forward to step in. I'll try to work on the progressions tomorrow and make them into muscle memory. I'm having lower left back pain because my body leans too much to the left. Thanks Coach 🙂
Yet another great video Nikola ! Thanks a lot for this breakdown. I've been working lately on this and I tried to get more power by forcing my chest to rotate a bit more too early and I definitely felt less power and precision as you brightly explained it. Thanks again buddy and looking foreward for your next instructional video.
Excellent video. However how do you explain Boris Becker’s serve? It’s a top ten all time serve yet he flung his right leg forward. Please explain his technique. Thank you!
Love your instructional videos. They've really helped me understand all aspects of the game. Concerning this video, my perspective is this: if you jump even a little on the serve, this is a great video, a great explanation of the steps and mechanics of the serve. However, if you don't jump, which is something like 5 out of 10 players in my Club, including myself, you have to find a way to release that "coiled up energy" in the torso, acting against the the lower part of your body ( hips and legs) which is why your back leg swings out (like when you're throwing a baseball or football) and hopefully some of that coiled-up energy is transferred to the service ball. Intuitively this happens because that's a lot of resistance on your hips if you don't swing your back leg out. If you jump this "resistance " is negated because your legs are in the air and the energy is "free flowing." Actually, your stationary serve exercise is probably indicative of how most people serve in general, I confess I tell people ( mostly beginners who took up the game later in life) to swing out their back leg because it looks like they'll injure themselves if they don't . Anyway, I needed to see this video 40 years ago, when I could jump and practice hitting serves a 1000 x a day, 7 day a week. Thanks again for your help in my game, you have a very unique and pragmatic view of the game, which is why I thought you might like to hear my view point.
No one at the high level jumps on their serve. The feet come up on their own. My senior players (some are 70+) get airborne ua-cam.com/video/3Tzk6IAH4VQ/v-deo.html
@@IntuitiveTennis Hilarious! It was the one video of yours I hadn't seen. I stand corrected. Your explanation is complete but I think I need to watch it a few more times to understand what you're really saying. Thank-you for replying to my comment. You're a fountain of knowledge .
When serving, how accurately can you tell whether or not your serve is in or not? I know your opponents have the final say but if you feel your balls keep acing the lines but get called out, does this bother you? How would you approach these situations? 👍
Nick thanks so much for posting this advice it’s so true and as affective my game I’ve had a lesson on this and the pin point service stance he suggested I try clicking my heels idea should i discard this and try the drills Great work again as always 👍🙏
Hello there! I can't seem to understand how I am supposed to reach the position at 3:13 where the tip of the racquet is pointing to the back fence , do you semi-passively force(meaning the arm is super relaxed but you "make" the racquet tip face the back fence) it or it just happens as a result of other motions and mechanics involved?? Would to have the answer to this!
I always hear that the back leg will produce most of the legs' force on the serve, yet you seem to stress that the back leg plays a more passive role than the non-dominant leg. Does that make sense?
Great video as usual. So is the sequence from the trophy phase racquet drop and then elbow out and then torso rotation as you move the elbow forward and then pronate before contact?
Question my right hip passes my left when I do a traditional motion however when I do a abbreviated motion is doesn’t happens as much . Should I stick to the abbreviated or keep trying the traditional motion ?
I have a question!! What is the role of the non dominant arm after contact in the serve??.I have seen players (like thiem) who follows the movement and others that sticks their arm to the chest. Sorry for my english, seeing you from Spain!!
Great drills! So we are not trying to actively delay the hip rotation, we just let it happen automatically as our upper body rotates into the serve motion?
Does this bad over-rotation when serving also aply for forhand and two-handed backhand shots? I have checked that when moving the back leg towards the court more power so do control appear. (Instead of jumping from back foot to front foot). Is there any lesson of yours talking about that? Thank you!
Very interesting. I am sure I am guilty of this, and I'll try out your advice. I actually thought that rotation was helping me get power, but I see that it isn't now. I also notice I have a hard time aiming to the left side of the box (I'm left handed), so I wonder if my accuracy might get better if my body isn't rotating as much. It seems like it would, since I am not rotating away from my target, particularly on the left of the box.
So you don't agree that the trunk rotation should occur as the racquet begins to drop, as it is very often adviced ? Besides that, do you think that turning too early can limit the depth of the racquet drop ?
Great video again Nik. I'm curious however, looking at ATP level players it looks like the leg drive begins the service unload immediately followed by the elbow drive up and around. Is this not the case?
I think this is me to a tee! Over rotation. I've noticed I land on my right foot and knew I should land on my left but didn't know how to fix it. I'm excited to try. Hopefully, I will lose my Mr. Double fault nickname!
This is nonsense. If you kicked your front leg out on the serve, then you can turn your hips fully and with more power toward the baseline. I could say more (based on physics in connection with human biomechanics) but as the saying goes: Correct the wise man, never the fool.
Role of the Back Leg on the Serve 👉🏻 ua-cam.com/video/Lomfb5AcsK0/v-deo.html
Came for the man spreading. Left with a better serve.
Nikola, this is really one of the best serve-videos for recreational players. I personally struggle so much with this move, even setting the right leg beside the left near the baseline before contact. Although knowing the issue, I never had the right idea to fix it. Your explanation makes so much sense. Thanks a lot from Germany.
I have watched a lot of video on the serve and many from you. This is the best I have seen bar none. You're a genius Nick.
Thia video made the single biggest impact on my tennis game and I am so grateful. My serve literally got an extra 15mph after only a couple of daya of working on it. Thank you so much!
Fantastic explanation Nick and step by step fix of the kinetic chain,for me as a rec player these type of videos are really helpful.
Hvala mnogo!
This is one of the best serve videos I’ve ever watched. I did this without a racquet. I am excited to hit a hopper and I’ll start with the 1st progression. This video cleared up a lot of confusion for me and I’ve been playing a long time. I actually thought you had to delay opening your shoulders even at contact. Nick says and shows you open the shoulders, so long as you delay bringing the hips, legs and feet forward. It makes sense to me. Thank you
Very important subject Nik. Even at an advanced level this circular or horizontal rotation can be a big problem that robs power, directional accuracy and balance.
speaking of which, I had this problem for a long time, among others. Being frustrated with not getting serves in consistently I did your progression on kick serves, got it to consistently land in the service box 9/10 times and the practice of staying sideways for kick also helped me out on my flat serve and I noticed easy power because I intuitively started adding forward momentum to take out the kick still lingering in my 1st serve after having practiced it for 2 weeks straight everyday.
Thus, I slightly overcorrected by flat serve by limiting torso rotation severely, then with only a tiny bit more rotation for flat I was able to get just the right amount of torso rotation for easy power
I've tried the feet stuck to the ground a few months ago but it wasn't immediately apparent since I was working on many things at the same during the serve. The one thing that may have helped me when multiple issues were apparent including the right foot landing way in front was trying to finish with a forward bending at the hips, this made it much more difficult to over-rotate and much more easy power though pretty tiring and needed a more forward toss of the ball.
This video is for me! Thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!!
I have this exact problem and been looking for the solution. Thank you!
What a timely video! I spent an hour earlier today working exactly on this same frustrating problem. Tomorrow I will be going at it again, this time armed with much better understanding and your progressions. Thanks.
Thanks for the video coach. Now I will have to pay attention to see if I am doing this over rotation on my serve.
I used to pin point but I couldn't stop myself from bringing my back leg in front. I've changed to a narrow platform stance ala Andy Roddick and it's helped a lot.
probably number 1 "hidden" issue noone talk about. brilliant Nick! 👍
So good! I’ve been thinking about that problem for a long time, in fact serving stationary helped me tremendously to get rid of it 💪🏼
Thanks Nikola for explaining this problem in great detail. I have been struggling with this over rotation for a long time! Love this timely video!
Great lesson thanks
good practice to keep both feet on ground. I love watching youtube matches from the 1970s, particularly seeing the players warm up their serves. Borg and Mac kept both feet grounded when warming up
I love McEnroe's back leg action on serve
I was watching Laver vs Roche today
super great video and points to raise👍👍👍
Nik, thanks for the serve tip about not letting the trailing leg come through in front of the front foot. Have used it the last couple of days and it has increased my consistency on the flat serve quite a bit, and it has added about 10 mph in speed with no harder service stroke. Really appreciate your channel and content!
Glad you are playing better Greg
This explains a lot, thanks!
Thanks so much! A very good video about this problem.👍
Glad it was helpful!
Omg that was the problem all along. Thanks Nick
🙌
great tip! thank you
I have the same exact issue. I don't jump on my serve so my right foot naturally comes forward to step in. I'll try to work on the progressions tomorrow and make them into muscle memory. I'm having lower left back pain because my body leans too much to the left. Thanks Coach 🙂
I have this prob, gonna practice with this, thanks alot coach.
Yet another great video Nikola ! Thanks a lot for this breakdown. I've been working lately on this and I tried to get more power by forcing my chest to rotate a bit more too early and I definitely felt less power and precision as you brightly explained it. Thanks again buddy and looking foreward for your next instructional video.
I really like you way to explain. For me is so clear and I understand very well why I must to do things in a certain way. It helps a lot! Thanks! 🤩
🙏🙏
Excellent video. However how do you explain Boris Becker’s serve? It’s a top ten all time serve yet he flung his right leg forward. Please explain his technique. Thank you!
Yannick Noah and Rod Laver too. But for 99% of the players it's right leg behind.
Precisely what I need to learn. ❤❤❤❤
🔥
Amazing teaching thank you!
I wish this guy was in the UK and I could afford and have time to learn
That’s a lot of wishes sir.
My game is getting better thanks to Nick. The best part about it is i don't have to pay him :) thanks Nick!
Love your instructional videos. They've really helped me understand all aspects of the game. Concerning this video, my perspective is this: if you jump even a little on the serve, this is a great video, a great explanation of the steps and mechanics of the serve. However, if you don't jump, which is something like 5 out of 10 players in my Club, including myself, you have to find a way to release that "coiled up energy" in the torso, acting against the the lower part of your body ( hips and legs) which is why your back leg swings out (like when you're throwing a baseball or football) and hopefully some of that coiled-up energy is transferred to the service ball. Intuitively this happens because that's a lot of resistance on your hips if you don't swing your back leg out. If you jump this "resistance " is negated because your legs are in the air and the energy is "free flowing."
Actually, your stationary serve exercise is probably indicative of how most people serve in general, I confess I tell people ( mostly beginners who took up the game later in life) to swing out their back leg because it looks like they'll injure themselves if they don't . Anyway, I needed to see this video 40 years ago, when I could jump and practice hitting serves a 1000 x a day, 7 day a week. Thanks again for your help in my game, you have a very unique and pragmatic view of the game, which is why I thought you might like to hear my view point.
No one at the high level jumps on their serve. The feet come up on their own. My senior players (some are 70+) get airborne
ua-cam.com/video/3Tzk6IAH4VQ/v-deo.html
@@IntuitiveTennis Hilarious! It was the one video of yours I hadn't seen. I stand corrected. Your explanation is complete but I think I need to watch it a few more times to understand what you're really saying. Thank-you for replying to my comment. You're a fountain of knowledge .
Very guilty of this. I see myself in video stepping forward with back foot through serve motion. Thanks for the progressions coach!
I have this problem and use the pinpoint Stance, will try fixing it with the info provided
Thanks!
THANK YOU 🙏
When serving, how accurately can you tell whether or not your serve is in or not? I know your opponents have the final say but if you feel your balls keep acing the lines but get called out, does this bother you? How would you approach these situations? 👍
Pls make a video on sliding 🙏🙏from a fan with injury
Nick thanks so much for posting this advice it’s so true and as affective my game I’ve had a lesson on this and the pin point service stance he suggested I try clicking my heels idea should i discard this and try the drills
Great work again as always 👍🙏
Is it easier to do this with a platform versus pinpoint serve stance, or doesn't matter? great video as always!
this is sooo good
Hello there! I can't seem to understand how I am supposed to reach the position at 3:13 where the tip of the racquet is pointing to the back fence , do you semi-passively force(meaning the arm is super relaxed but you "make" the racquet tip face the back fence) it or it just happens as a result of other motions and mechanics involved?? Would to have the answer to this!
Great eye opener! Thank you! 3:10 it seems you are initiating the upper body turn shortly after you start to elevate the elbow/drop the racket head?
I always hear that the back leg will produce most of the legs' force on the serve, yet you seem to stress that the back leg plays a more passive role than the non-dominant leg. Does that make sense?
Nick argues that a lot of what you have been hearing about the role of the back leg on the serve is wrong, see ua-cam.com/video/Lomfb5AcsK0/v-deo.html
Sehr, sehr gut!
Danke
@@IntuitiveTennis schon 50 Jahre machen ich diesen Fehler vollkommen unbewusst. 2024 werde ich das abstellen. Grüße aus Deutschland
Do you have any tips on opening up too early on the serve because I’ve been struggling with that.
I think this will be a good drills for me. My right leg tends to move to the side instead of going back. Maybe i’ll report back coach!
Great video as usual. So is the sequence from the trophy phase racquet drop and then elbow out and then torso rotation as you move the elbow forward and then pronate before contact?
Question my right hip passes my left when I do a traditional motion however when I do a abbreviated motion is doesn’t happens as much . Should I stick to the abbreviated or keep trying the traditional motion ?
I have a question!! What is the role of the non dominant arm after contact in the serve??.I have seen players (like thiem) who follows the movement and others that sticks their arm to the chest. Sorry for my english, seeing you from Spain!!
Stick arm to chest if possible
Great drills! So we are not trying to actively delay the hip rotation, we just let it happen automatically as our upper body rotates into the serve motion?
Does this bad over-rotation when serving also aply for forhand and two-handed backhand shots? I have checked that when moving the back leg towards the court more power so do control appear. (Instead of jumping from back foot to front foot). Is there any lesson of yours talking about that? Thank you!
Very interesting. I am sure I am guilty of this, and I'll try out your advice. I actually thought that rotation was helping me get power, but I see that it isn't now. I also notice I have a hard time aiming to the left side of the box (I'm left handed), so I wonder if my accuracy might get better if my body isn't rotating as much. It seems like it would, since I am not rotating away from my target, particularly on the left of the box.
3:21 rotation ONLY happens with flat and slice serve. NOT kick serve.
So you don't agree that the trunk rotation should occur as the racquet begins to drop, as it is very often adviced ?
Besides that, do you think that turning too early can limit the depth of the racquet drop ?
Great video again Nik. I'm curious however, looking at ATP level players it looks like the leg drive begins the service unload immediately followed by the elbow drive up and around. Is this not the case?
I think this is me to a tee! Over rotation. I've noticed I land on my right foot and knew I should land on my left but didn't know how to fix it. I'm excited to try. Hopefully, I will lose my Mr. Double fault nickname!
Good video although Boris Becker appears to make this “mistake” He does not land on his left foot
Like that.
👍
🙏👑🙏
👏
It is a mistake I'm making.Thank you.
Sorry, Patrick Mouratoglou teaches the opposite. Do I misunderstand something? Thanks
like
This is nonsense. If you kicked your front leg out on the serve, then you can turn your hips fully and with more power toward the baseline. I could say more (based on physics in connection with human biomechanics) but as the saying goes: Correct the wise man, never the fool.