Dominating Tennis

How to serve in tennis: the service motion step by step

Build the whole serve.

Traced from real footage

See it, eight instants at a time.

Every frame is traced from real match footage, so you see the shape of the stroke, not a drawing of an idea.

Federer’s serve, instant 1 of 8
FIG. 24 · FEDERER’S SERVE
Federer’s serve: eight instants traced from the footage, frame for frame. Hover or tap to flip.
Try it

Move the idea yourself.

One instrument from The Program, free here. Drag it and watch the numbers change: models are labelled as models.

The chain · serve
Model
The traced serve, instant 6 of 8
Traced serve · 6/8
LegsHipsTrunkShoulderRacquettosscontact
100 %
racquet speed at contact, relative

Each link peaks just after the one below it and passes the speed up. The racquet, last, gets the sum. The figure is a traced tour serve; the curves are drawn for illustration. Legs, hips and trunk: about 51 % of the energy (Kibler 1995). Of the arm's share of racquet speed: internal rotation about 40 %, pronation about 5 % (Elliott 2006).

Key facts

  1. ~51–55%

    The 2011 review attributes about 51–55% of kinetic energy delivered to the hand to the legs and trunk.

    Kovacs & Ellenbecker, Sports Health, 2011

  2. ~40%

    By one estimate, shoulder internal rotation supplies about 40 % of racquet-head speed at impact.

    Elliott, BJSM, 2006

  3. 03

    The trophy pose and maximum shoulder external rotation are separate checkpoints; the camera view cannot establish a three-dimensional joint angle.

  4. 1,311°/s

    A four-player study compared the fastest and slowest of 20 serves: peak shoulder rotation 1,604 vs 1,311 °/s and peak racquet speed 45.43 vs 34.89 m/s. These were selected trials, not group averages.

    Gorce & Jacquier-Bret, Frontiers, 2024

  5. 147.78%

    In a study of 12 experienced male players, mean contact height was 147.78% of standing height. Individual means across five conditions ranged from 141.09% to 153.76%.

    Mendes et al., Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 2013, Table 2

  6. 263km/h

    Historical reports include Groth at 263 km/h (2012 Busan Challenger), Isner at 157 mph (2016 Davis Cup) and Roddick at 155 mph (2004 Davis Cup). The reports use different units and venues; they are not a current ranking.

    Australian Olympic Committee; USTA 2017 media guide; ATP Roddick biography

Why it works

The serve coordinates the legs, trunk, arm and racquet. The legs push against the ground while the trunk and arm contribute to the motion. A simple legs-to-racquet story is a coaching model; it does not establish a fixed order for every joint-speed peak.

The eight-stage model describes start, release, loading, cocking, acceleration, contact, deceleration and finish. Compare the loaded pose with the later racquet drop, then follow the motion toward contact. The projected drop alone cannot measure shoulder rotation or stored energy.

Shoulder internal rotation and forearm pronation are different movements. A two-dimensional racquet-centre track cannot tell you how the string bed turns. Use the trace to inspect sequence, then check technique against the original footage with a coach.

A drill changes the task. Research on isolated tosses, knee serves and overhand throws found differences from full serves. Use a constraint for a specific coaching question, then return to the full serve to check what carries over. These comparisons do not establish long-term improvement from the ladder below.

The line to say on court

“Coordinate the whole motion. Check the drill in the full serve.”

Drill: Serve, simplify, retest

10 min · with a partner
  1. Choose a broad service-box target, comfortable effort and camera view. For both usual-motion blocks, score the same two observations: serve lands legally, and finish stays controlled as you recover ready for the next ball. Do not require a particular landing foot. Film ten single-delivery attempts and count both, plus the attempts meeting both.
  2. Try ten comfortable standing serves with an abbreviated motion to the same target. Keep this block separate: the toss and rhythm can change with the task. Observe the same outcomes; a higher score here does not establish improvement in your usual serve.
  3. Return to your usual motion for ten single-delivery attempts at similar effort. Keep faults and out-of-target attempts in the ten. Your score is the number that land legally and finish under control in this final block. Compare it with the same combined count from the first block, and notice any change in target, effort or observation conditions.
Number to beat7 of 10 usual-motion serves in with a balanced finish

More drills like this: serve, practise alone, beginners

Faults and fixes

Waiter's tray, with the face open in preparation
A visible racquet position does not identify which joint caused it.
FixReview the grip and preparation in the original video with a coach before choosing a cue.
Motion feels all arm
That sensation alone cannot identify a missing contribution from the legs or trunk.
FixCompare loading, trunk motion and the swing on video with a coach; test one cue in a full serve.
Racquet drop looks short
Camera view and individual movement affect its projected appearance.
FixReview the complete movement from a consistent view. Do not force extra shoulder range to copy a silhouette.
Unbalanced landing
The landing shows how the motion finishes, but cannot by itself explain the cause.
FixUse a comfortable effort and review balance with a coach. Do not force a jump inside the baseline.
Toss drifting
Release and whole-body timing both deserve review.
FixInspect the toss during a full serve as well as any isolated practice.

Questions players ask

Should I snap my wrist on the serve?

Avoid making a forceful wrist snap your main cue. Review the coordinated motion with a coach; shoulder internal rotation and forearm pronation are different movements, and this trace cannot measure either.

Why does my shoulder hurt when I serve?

Shoulder pain can have several causes. Stop the painful serving activity and seek assessment from a qualified clinician. A lesson or video cannot diagnose it, and changing knee load is not a treatment plan.

Where does serve power come from?

The whole body contributes. The 2011 review attributes about 51–55% of kinetic energy delivered to the hand to the legs and trunk. A separate estimate attributes about 40% of racquet-head speed at impact to shoulder internal rotation. Different quantities and methods: do not add the percentages.

Will tossing higher give me a faster serve?

Toss height alone does not establish a speed gain. Review the toss together with your swing timing. In a five-player study, isolated tosses rose higher than tosses during full serves, even when players tried to reproduce the same action.

What this doesn't cover

The percentages describe different metrics and cannot be added. The fast/slow comparison selects two individual serves from four players, not averages or a training effect. Single-camera traces show projected shape, not joint speeds, racquet-face orientation or the cause of pain. The drill is an authored coaching task. Studies comparing movement under different constraints do not prove that this ladder improves a learner’s full serve; its suitability and transfer need review.

Sources

Read next

Serve and returnHow to toss the ball for a tennis serveToss from a straight, locked arm, release at eye level, and send the ball to the same spot every time. For a right-hander, the flat serve's toss sits slightly in front and to the right, slice further right, kick further over the head. The toss sets contact height, spin and placement before you swing, so fix a wobbly serve at the hand first.StrikeHow to use your legs on the tennis serveTo use your legs on the serve, bend into a deep load and push the court away, then leave the ground and land on your front foot inside the baseline. The court pushes back with the same force, and that force is the budget your hips, trunk and arm spend. Elite servers push about 1.5 to 2.1 times their body weight into the ground.StrikeShould you snap your wrist on the serveNo, you shouldn't try to snap your wrist on the serve. Shoulder internal rotation supplies about 40 to 54 % of racquet speed, and forearm pronation about 5 %. What looks like a snap in slow motion is the racquet face being carried round by a rotating arm. Drop the racquet edge-on and let the forearm and shoulder turn the face.StrikeHow to get racquet lag on your forehandYou get racquet lag on your forehand by keeping your hand soft while your body turns, so the racquet head trails your hand and then releases. Don't snap the wrist for power. In elite forehands, forearm pronation adds almost nothing to racquet speed, while the shoulder adds about 45 to 48%. The wrist's job is to get out of the way.