If you’re serving toward your opponent’s right service box, you should be standing on the right side (deuce side) of your court. If you’re serving toward your opponent’s left service box, then you should be standing on the left side (add side) of your court. Your right shoulder should always be pointed in the direction of the service box where you are serving. You get two chances to serve the ball into the opposite service box. If you miss both times, that is considered a double fault and you should move to serve to the other service box. If your ball hits the net and drops into the service box, that is considered a let and you can replay the serve; you can have an unlimited amount of lets, though this does not happen very often. These instructions for serving are for right-handed players. If you’re a lefty – which happens to be a huge advantage in the game of tennis – just use the opposite hands and feet.
For a flat serve, you should hold the tennis racket using a Continental grip. For this grip, you should hold the racket perpendicular to the ground, with your pointer finger along the first bevel of the racket, so that your thumb and index finger make a “V” shape when you look down at your hand. Many new players try to grip the racket as tightly and as hard as they can. This should not be the case, especially not when you serve. Keeping your grip more relaxed – about a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the loosest – will give your serve more power and fluidity.
Before you toss the ball, bring the ball to the flat racket face in front of you. Drop your racquet head downward while shifting your weight back and bring your racquet behind you in an arc-like motion. At the same time, begin to toss the ball slightly in front of you toward the court. This can be done slowly and deliberately. When tossing, remember that you are not throwing the ball; you should just let go of the ball when it is at the top. Imagine you’re placing the ball up on a shelf. The ball should be just a bit higher than you can reach with your racquet. In order to have the highest chance of hitting the ball you need to throw it straight up, or slightly toward the net without spin. After you release the ball with your hand, you can keep it up or above you for guidance and stability.
Once you get good at it, you’ll have this down as one fluid motion – tossing the ball up with one hand while “scratching your back” with your racket with the other. Practice the toss along with this motion as much as you want before actually hitting the ball (just not during a game, or you will try your opponent’s patience. ). You will see that some beginners like to lift the racket up behind their back before they toss the ball. Though this will make it easier to hit the ball, in some ways, you will generate much less power and momentum this way. As you release the ball you’re tossing, load your back knee by forcing most of your weight onto your back leg. You can bend both of your knees but focus on having most of your weight in your back leg so you can use it to spring forward when you make contact.
If you hit the ball off-center, you won’t have as much control over where it will land. If you hit the ball with the frame of the racket, then 9 times out of 10, it won’t land in the service box.
Many beginners toss the ball far too low, just over their heads, and then strain their whole bodies to get the ball to fall into the other service box. Though this can be done, it’s an unwieldy shot and won’t give you the best results.
It’s good to get into this habit even though refs or opposing players rarely call a “foot fault” during play. There was the exception of Serena Williams, who was penalized for a foot fault in the 2011 US Open women’s semi-final, which caused her to basically lose the match![1] X Research source
You can also look out to see if your opponent has a weaker forehand or backhand. Typically, many beginners really struggle with the backhand. If you find a weakness, try to land your serves in the part of the service box that will force your opponent to use his or her weaker stroke.
Move farther away from the middle of the baseline to get a better angle. Stand halfway between the middle of the court and the sideline. Continue to use the Continental grip. Toss the ball in front of you and a little bit to the right. Picture yourself hitting the ball from left to right. This would be like hitting the ball from 9 to 3, if there was a clock drawn on the ball. Move forward with the edge of the racket going forward. Rotate your shoulders so you face your body toward the target. Make contact with the ball, brushing the back of the ball toward your dominant side. Strike the ball laterally on your dominant side. For a righty, hitting a side spin slice will make the ball curve to the left.
Toss the ball behind your head instead of in front of it. Bend your knees, bringing your hips forward. Spring toward the ball while keeping your hitting elbow and head up. Brush the back of the ball with fast racket-head speed. Uncoil at the very top of your swing. Follow through.
Position your feet parallel to the baseline. Hold the ball with your non-dominant hand. Hold out your racket with your dominant hand, so the ball is parallel to the racket face. Move your racket back behind you, as if you were to hit a forehand. Drop the ball and make contact with the ball just as it falls, serving it over the net as if you were hitting a regular forehand shot.
