Tennis Serve Sequence Photos
First published on 9-09-2009. Bookmark & share
by Randy Lynn Rutledge - a previously certified USPTA Tennis Teaching Professional
( Note: retired in good standing, but stopped making USPTA dues payments )
( Note: retired in good standing, but stopped making USPTA dues payments )
Sequence photos are used to describe the progressive parts of a tennis service.
Service Ready Position
The positioning of Rhonda Bright De Lang's feet, shoulders, tennis racquet, and ball tossing hand are all service variables which can change according to the type of service she plans to use to start a point. An imaginary line across the toes of Rhonda's shoes points in the general direction her tennis racquet needs to travel to meet the ball for the type of service she has chosen to execute.
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Hands Go Down Together
From her ready position, Rhonda has lowered the tennis ball down to in front of her left leg and her tennis racquet has dropped to the lowest part of the service motion which has caused her shoulders to turn away from the net.
A consistent start point for the upward motion of the ball toss allows a more consistent ball toss.
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Hands Go Up Together
Racquet Begins Going Back for the Power Loop
Knee Bend Accommodates Back Arch
Rhonda continues to lower her tennis racquet down into the power loop part of her service motion.
A slight knee bend moves Rhonda's shoulders back and shifts more weight onto her back foot, this allows her head to tilt back so that she can see the ball better.
Rhonda's slight knee bend and backward weight transfer allows her to load up with ground force to propel herself up and forward to meet the tennis ball.
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Raised Elbow Allows Racquet Head to Fall
Rhonda begins to raise her elbow which allows her tennis racquet head to begin falling down into the back-scratch position of her power loop. A lower tennis racquet head at the bottom of the power loop will allow greater racquet head force to be applied to the tennis ball.
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Bottom of the Power Loop
Rhonda's fully raised elbow has allowed her tennis racquet head to be taken lower at the bottom of the power loop. This bottom portion of the power loop is called the back-scratch position.
Notice that Rhonda's head is tilted back slightly more, her shoulders have started to rotate in the direction of the net, and her left arm is now down beside her leg. Lowering the left arm or tucking it into the body allows full shoulder rotation.
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Shoulders Rotate Forward To Ball Contact
Rhonda has propelled her tennis racquet up through the string-to-ball contact point.
Notice that her left arm has been raised slightly and tucked into her body. Her upward momentum has caused the heel of her back foot to be raised up off of the ground. It is not unusual for tennis players to propel themselves up and forward so that their right foot lands over the baseline after their racquet strikes the tennis ball.
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Follow Through
Rhonda has finished her service motion with a complete follow through.
Please visit Rhonda's Tennis Site to learn more about Rhonda Bright de Lang and to view more of her tennis photos. All tennis photos are from Rhonda’s Tennis Site - album NJK9 - 14 agustus 2010 (with permission).
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