Roscoe Tanner Serve

[gzhpcu]

It is from the American Gladys Heldman World Tennis magazine...

[stotty]

The magazine"World Tennis" in the 70's had a series of high speed photos showing the Tanner serve (front view). Anybody have it? I have lost it...

Interesting....I have loads of magazines from the 70s. I shall have to wade through them to see if I have got it.

Stotty

[gzhpcu]

The magazine"World Tennis" in the 70's had a series of high speed photos showing the Tanner serve (front view). Anybody have it? I have lost it...

[gzhpcu]

I know you don't like his serve John, but I have always been fascinated by it. One benefit I see, is that with the very low toss, the arm action is very fast with no hitches, so that you have less leeway to introduce superfluous extra movements. Everything is very simple and fast.

[John Yandell]

Isner is close.

[gzhpcu]

Look no further....

[hockeyscout]

I never noticed that throwing arm until now - very interesting. I wonder how many coaches today would have tried to change what he does?

[gzhpcu]

Found this from an old Vic Braden video...

[stotty]

I have never seen a top player with such a low throwing arm. I saw his serve live in Wimbledon many years ago on one of the outside courts and it was impressive to see live.

Yes I saw him on an outside at Wimbledon too. It was impressive. He drew quite a crowd. There was another guy on the adjacent outside court playing at the same time who actually served a fair bit harder but I can never remember his name. It will come to me one day. He was thick set with long, slightly curly blond (slightly ginger) hair.

Speaking of Tanner, it's unbelievable how a life can go so wrong. A man who should have been set for life is now on the wrong side of the law and struggling to pay the bills.


Stotty

[gzhpcu]

I have never seen a top player with such a low throwing arm. I saw his serve live in Wimbledon many years ago on one of the outside courts and it was impressive to see live.

[stotty]

Look at his arm action half way thru the video....

Weirdly low throwing arm....

Stotty

[gzhpcu]

Look at his arm action half way thru the video....

[stotty]

Just showing an exception to the rule of the tossing arm going straight up and pausing...

It's amazing what you can fit in even when striking at the apex. Here Paolo Cane (at 3:07) fits in a full wind up and and rotary toss to boot. I am not sure how vertical his left arm is but it certainly looks more vertical than Tanners. This game never ceases to amaze me. Never say never because someone one day will come along and do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE4_UTA3J1k

Stotty

[bottle]

I'd rather receive one of Rosco's first serves than one of his checks.

He served a tennis ball better than he served his five daughters' childhoods.

I'll never have time to study Sampras' serve, Federer's serve and Roscoe's, so I'll skip Roscoe's.

If your chosen name is accurate, I wonder if you would have time to study and discuss the serve being taught now by Doug King in videos at TennisPlayer.

[klacr]

Agreed Phil. Always exceptions to certain "rules" when key check points are met beforehand. It's an interesting motion for sure, but few players have that ability. Much better the standard way, then see where the player takes it.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton