Tennis - Thrust Launch Serve

Explanation: This is basically the same as the flat serve except more power is generated by keeping the feet together when jumping to reach the ball. The body weight still has to be shifted forward as the ball is tossed but the back leg also comes forward to meet the front leg for the jump.

How: Follow the stages of the flat serve in terms of body positioning on the set up.

The ball may need to be tossed slightly higher as bringing the back foot through so it is next to the front foot produces much greater power from the lower body. This means the player will probably jump higher, and they want to make contact with the ball at the top of the toss. This will give the serve more chance of clearing the net.

Players should aim to land on the lead foot, complete the follow through and be ready for the return if it comes.

Points to Remember: The toss is even more important on this serve where different footwork is used, so it should be practiced as much, if not more, than the serve itself.

Because of the extra footwork used in this serve the body is constantly moving, this makes it vitally important that the toss is thrown in the same place each time, so the body learns where it has to be to connect with the ball properly.

Other Serves and Techniques: