Tennis Serve Toss

[gzhpcu]

Is this still basically correct? (I know talented players like Sampras had practically the same toss, but for the rest of us....)

[John Yandell]

No way, in my opinion, anyone needs or should have that kind of variety. Why not just mention to your opponent where you are going to serve?

Also, the flat serve is the one furthest to the right, so think the chart is wrong there. The relative distances away from the body are also highly exaggerated in my opinion.

I think the other problem is it is very difficult to toss the ball accurately to one or two spots, much less all these.

I say the big difference is first and second serve. If you want to move a little right for more slice and/or flatter ok, or a little more left for more kick, ok again. But I have never seen a player with all these tosses.

[gzhpcu]

Stanley Plaegenhoef did a study once...

[John Yandell]

Yeah I have that book! Can't really read the diagram in the post and I am out of the country now--but I'll check it out when I get back!

[llll]

Is this still basically correct? (I know talented players like Sampras had practically the same toss, but for the rest of us....)

phil i think the diagram was for purposes of concept. if you look at the slice location its almost at the baseline !!! as john said the kick is alittle more left and perhaps back the slice alittle more to the right etc. john when you return let us know whats right.
couldnt read the post from the book what was his conclusions
p.s. glad you you still post with us being the only member to have thier strokes analysed twice by john

[gzhpcu]

Larry, Plagenhoef did not go into details in his book. He just provided the diagram showing where the toss drops for the top players of his era for the first and second serves.

Tough to analyze, because it really depends on the types of serves the top players liked to use... in his book he analyzed servers who were not allowed to jump on the serve yet...

[John Yandell]

Still, no one til Brian Gordon has tried to accomplish what Stanley did. He had amazing high speed film (literally film!) of all those players. I contacted his widow and found that after he passed they threw it all away. Now that is a painful loss!

[gzhpcu]

IMHO, the point where the ball drops for the serve toss, has changed in respect to the days when you had to keep in contact with the ground with at least one foot.

In those days, serve and volley reigned. The priority was to get to the net quickly, hence a toss well forward, allowing one to lean in, do the cross over step with the right foot (for a rightie...) and go forward.

Most of today's players go more upward than forward, and are baseliners. Federer is a prime example.

The forward weight transfer of the body does not really contribute much to serve speed. Vic Braden, I believe, once said about 6 mph max. The rest of the kinetic chain and going up towards the ball is much more effective.

[uspta146749877]

A Sampra's toss analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqdixKEoTt8