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Topspin Serve
Preparation
- Feet are shoulder width apart (or closer), front foot pointed to the right net post, back foot parallel to the baseline.
- Body weight on the front foot (left for right handers).
- Grip - continental (see a description of the grips here), keep it loose.
Ball Toss
- The ball hand and the racquet hand lift up at the same time (as in a “Jumping Jack" motion, without moving the feet).
- The left arm lifts the ball and the release of it is made above eye level for more control.
- The toss for the Topspin Serve is slightly to the left and higher than on the Slice and Flat serve. You should imagine that the ball going higher will drop faster on the racquet which will result in more friction and more spin as a result.
- As the ball goes up, the racquet is lifted to your side, the right elbow bends, pointing to the back fence, and the tip of the racquet up.
- Weight is transferred from the front foot to the back foot.
- The knees bend as you toss the ball or after the release of the ball (it should be your personal preference).
Swing and Contact
- As the ball comes down, the feet push into the ground to lift the body up; the racquet drops behind the back and the bottom of the racquet points toward the sky.
- Racquet speed through the ball is generated by the "pushing up" from your legs along with the upper body turning and the shoulders uncoiling. The elbow then extends, and the forearm and wrist pronate or rotate inward. Caution: Bend your legs a lot more on this serve to avoid arching your back considering that you will have to look straight up to the ball!
- At contact the whole body should be extended and as a result of thrusting from your legs.
- Keep your head up and in balance at all times.
- For the Topspin Serve the racquet contacts the ball in a low to high "brush". Example: Imagine that the ball is a face of a clock; by brushing from 6 to 12 (or 7 to 1) o'clock that is how you create the "topspin".
Follow-through
- Right after contact with the ball, the racquet and the forearm drop first as a result of forearm pronation.
- Notice that on the follow-through, the racquet sometimes ends on the dominant side as a result of the "brushing up and out" on the ball at contact.
- The landing must be made on the front foot (left for right handers), back foot "kicks" back for balance.
- The last step is a "split step" to get ready for your opponent's reply.
When do we use the Topspin Serve
- Mostly on the second serve. It is considered a high percentage serve because of the high net clearance and amount of spin imparted on the ball.
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