How to Increase Accuracy and Speed of the Tennis Serve

IMPORTANCE OF THE TENNIS SERVES

The accuracy and ability to serve in tennis alone stands as one of the most essential and valuable shots in a game. A perfectly timed serve or ace can save a player from defeat, this is by far the quickest and perhaps the most intimidating way to essentially win a match; therefore conceptualising the correct biomechanical technique increases precision and accuracy which supports the understanding of the shot and movement as a whole. Newell (2010) states we must consider constraints presented amongst the environment and the individual (David, Button & Bennett, 2008; Delextrat & Goss-Sampson, 2010) in order to give effective instruction and apply the appropriate technical cues to improve students optimal skill development and performance.

FORCE SUMMATION & MOMENTUM

According to Blazevich (2010) a tennis serve is considered to be a throw like movement pattern where the joints extend sequentially oppose too simultaneously thus, creating greater force summation. The sequential summation of forces combined or and added up applied by different body parts help produce maximize force production. The summation of forces allows more momentum to be produced (Applying Biomechanics to Sport) differences in momentum are dependent upon variations in mass and velocity (Kocacsm M. Ellenbecker, T (2011). for example in tennis, a heavier racquet will have greater momentum than a lighter racquet moving at the same velocity and produce more force when it hits the ball (Kocacsm M. Ellenbecker, T.  (2011).

As Newton’s first law of motion explains ‘ a body in motion, will remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force’ (Newton, 1643) it is essential that momentum is transferred to another object or body part, as the grater the momentum an object obtains, the greater its effect on the other objects it collides with (Applying biomechanics to sport, (2008) This is particularly essential for tennis, as players gather as much momentum as necessary during the swing by summating forces and then transfer this momentum to the ball being stuck (Applying biomechanics to sport, (2008) For momentum to be transferred effectively stabilisation must first occur, here it is essential the body part is stable otherwise momentum can be transferred to movement other than those intended.  For example, in tennis it is common for athletes to brace (tense up) their muscles just before the impact of a (Kocacsm M. Ellenbecker, T (2011). Stopping the rotation of the body by bracing causes a whip-like effect on the arm—all the momentum gained in the trunk rotation is sent into the arm for a powerful swing (Applying biomechanics to sport, (2008) Not all of the momentum will be transferred to the ball as the player’s racquet will continue to follow through after the ball is struck. However, a full follow-through ensures that at the point of contact the velocity of the swing is high and not decelerating to a stop (The Australian Journal Sport Science (3).  

TRAJECTORY

Trajectories from all projectiles are ultimately affected by the external forces of gravity and air resistance (Acquisition of skill affect performance, (2010). In general, when an object is projected into the air it will be strongly pulled down by the force of gravity. Trajectory suggests three factors affect the flight of a projectile untimely manipulating the distance in which it travels. The three factors being:

1.       Angle of release

2.       Height of release and

3.       Speed of release

(Acquisition of skill affects performance, (2010),

Angle of release: All projectiles have two types of velocity, horizontal velocity and vertical velocity; once a projectile has been released the horizontal velocity will not change unless it is overcome by the vertical forces of gravity. “The optimal trajectory is a result of an even combination of horizontal and vertical flight, in theory this equals to the optimal angle of release of 45 degrees” (Acquisition of skill affect performance, (2010), A study conducted by the University of Kansas found athlete can get a higher velocity at a lower angle, and then there is a trade-off between the optimum release angle and maximum release velocity.  (Acquisition of skill affects performance, (2010)

Height of release: The height at which a projectile is released also has implications for the optimum angle of release. For example in the game of golf, “when the height of release is less than the height of landing, as in a bunker shot in golf, the optimum angle of release is more than 45 degrees” (The Australian Journal Sport Science (3).  This concept also relates to the tennis toss, former world number 1, Rafael Nadal (2013) says when tossing the ball its critical to aim at least 1 foot above your head as this allows time for the players arm to be perpendicular to the base line generating a perfectly straight toss (Rafeal Nadal, 2013) which ultimately effects the force generated by the hit.

Speed of release: Once a projectile has been released, its horizontal velocity remains constant for the duration of its flight. In sports that require projectiles to be thrown a great distance, athletes try to generate as much velocity as possible by releasing the projectile with the greatest possible amount of force (Physics Department, (2011).

BALL TRAJECTORY AFTER BOUNCING

After the ball lands in the service box, it bounces up off the court at speed v, at an angle θ, with topspin ω, and then crosses the baseline at height H, as shown in Fig. 1. In general, the height H increases as v increases, it increases as θ increases, and it decreases as ω increases. Topspin causes the ball to dive down onto the court which is good if you want the ball to land at a steep angle in the service box and to kick up at a steep angle. After the ball bounces, the effect of topspin is to reduce the bounce height. (Physics Department, (2011)

In general, In order to get the ball to bounce up off the court at high speed and at a large angle, the ball must normally be served at high speed and with topspin as demonstrated in figures 1 above. 

GENERATING TOPSPIN 

If the ball is struck when the racquet is exactly vertical and is at its maximum height, then there is no vertical motion of the racquet head at all (Physics Department (2011) In order to increase the amount of topspin, the angle of incidence of the ball onto the strings, as shown in Fig. 12(b), needs to be increased, a result that can be achieved by tilting the racquet head forward and by increasing the approach angle of the racquet head. Tilting the racquet head forward, as indicated in Fig. 12, also has the effect of projecting the ball down below the horizontal. (Physics Department (2011)

Figure 2 —A racquet approaching a ball at 80 mph, as in (a), can be viewed as if the ball approaches the racquet at 80 mph, as in (b). The ball will bounce off the racquet at about 25 mph, but in the court frame of reference (c) the ball is served at about 100 mph. (Physics Department (2011)

 SKILL CUES:

Many different biomechanical principles can be used to improve the technique, speed and accuracy of a serve to favour power and ball speed. “The complexity of the movement results from the combination of limbs and joint movement required summating and transferring forces from the ground up through the kinetic chain and out into the ball” (Kocacs & Ellenbecker, 2011. p. 504) The fasters and most powerful servers maximize and entire kinetic chain through proper muscles synchronization and coordination lower and upper body segments.    

SKILL CUES:	BIOMECHANICS BEHIND SKILL CUES:
·      Elbow position:	·      Elbow position is a key biochemical component all players should comprehend when developing content tennis serve. Ideally the elbow should be as high as possible and held way from the ribs preferably in line across the shoulders. (Lewit, C. 2005. p.2) This correct mental image is needed to generate racquet speed. Having the elbow position to low interrupts motion, if clean motion is interrupted it defects the power, consistency and placement we can generate. Having the elbow position in line with our shoulders allows us to uncoil and throw. (Lewit, C. 2005. p.2)
·      Extension of the tossing arm	A fully stretched arm will ensure the racquet head is moving at its top speed at moment of impact. (Lewit, C. 2005. p.2)
·      Bent knees	Creates leg drive which will results in power. (Lewit, C. 2005. p.2)
·      Ball toss	·      A straight ball toss when serving in tennis is critical. When the ball is released into the air when a players arm is perpendicular to the base line this generates a perfectly straight toss. The way the ball is tossed also affects the execution of the serve. This is critical because the amount of “spin that can be generated is severely affected by the point of contact between the racket head and the ball”. (Elliot, B. 2006)
·      Release	·      All about keeping our arm nice and loose. When releasing keeping the elbow high enough to generating a lag like motion. Having the elbow extend back and release forward creates a whip like motion that at the end of the ball release all the energy will generate from our body into the ball ·(Lewit, C. 2005. p.2)

HOW CAN WE INCREASE THE SPEED AND ACCURACY OF THE TENNIS SERVE?

Through the use of biomechanics and skill acquisition its evident coach and players can achieve the desired or enhance the effectiveness of teaching that skill movement to direct athletes.

Force production is not necessarily just about producing the most force possible, accuracy is critical for success; therefore, a player must be able to control both the amount and direction of force produced. In tennis flattening the arc can improve accuracy force (Biomechanical Analysis of the Tennis serve, (2014) Through rotating the hips as the racquet begins to swing and by flexing the wrists through the swing, the bat’s path is ‘flattened’ for a time, which gives the batter a greater chance at hitting the ball in the desired direction. (Biomechanical Analysis of the Tennis serve, (2014)

Generating power in a tennis serve goes far beyond observing professional players and instantly assuming to generate power we must hit hard, be strong and overcome the resistance of the ball. Biomechanics explains we can deal with different principals to maximize the accuracy and speed of a serve. Utilizing speed for the tennis serve can be amplified through momentum (mass x speed) this is the process used to generate power and speed in the ball toss and wind up and movement phases. To unlock these principals one must use momentum from of entire body, this movement enables energy to be transferred into the racquet and into the ball generating a powerful. Swinging the body back and forward enabling the wind up phase to natural occur, then transferring into the contact (force generated phase) momentum  is the base in which we can apply single elements of technique and generate the force naturally.

Another power producing concepts model which can be incorporated into ones serves technique is developing a powerful pitch, this is one of the best analogies it’s an upward pitching motion which relies on the throwing mechanic. The aim is to drive the racquet head up to ball for a big impact on contact. The key to forward pitch motion creates more racquet head speed which is the key to developing speed.

Achieving a powerful serve can also be utilized through the flexibility and or range of motion one ones physical wellbeing for example the use of coiling & uncoiling of the shoulders is a critical factor, the coiling and uncoiling motion requires abdominal, oblique and lower back strength so be sure to do the appropriate exercises for these areas. “These include crunches, oblique crunches, medicine ball twists, back extensions and Superman exercises. The shoulders need to be strengthened with overhead presses and lateral rises. The rotator cuff is also crucial for the serve”. (Optimum Tennis, 2014)

HOW ELSE WE CAN USE THIS INFORMATION

This blog has identified several skill cues aimed to develop the speed and accuracy of the tennis serve. Applying and or utilizing the biomechanically principals outlined in the paper should help increase the accuracy and speed generated through a tennis serve. Through the use of biomechanics and skill acquisition its evident coach and players can achieve the desired or enhance the effectiveness of teaching that skill movement to direct athletes.

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REFERENCES 

1) Acquisition of skill affect performance, (2010), Chapter 8, online, available
http://lib.oup.com.au/secondary/health/PDHPE/HSC/Student%20Book/PDHPE_HSC_e_chapter_Ch8.pdf

2) Applying biomechanics to sport, (2008) issue 3, Ebook
https://www.oup.com.au/titles/secondary/health__and__physical_education/physical_education/queensland/9780195573862/03_RUS_QSPE_3pp.pdf

3) Biomechanical Analysis of the Tennis serve, (2014) online available
tennisbiomechanics.blogspot.com/‎

4) Blazevich, A. (2010). Sports biomechanics, the basics: Optimising human performance. A&C Black

5) Davids, K., Button, C., & Bennett, S. (2008). Dynamics of skill acquisition: A constraints led approach. Human Kinetics

     6) Elliott, B. C., & Wood G.A. (1983) The biomechanics of the foot-up and the Foot-back tennis service

7) Kocacsm M. Ellenbecker, T.  (2011). An 8-stage model for evaluating the tennis serve: implications for performance enhancement and injury prevention.

8) Techniques. The Australian Journal Sport Science, issue 3 (2), chapters 3-6.

9) Rod Cross (2011), Physics Department, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006, Australia