Serving Footwork

In an issue of the USPTA’s Addvantage magazine, Dr. Jack Groppel discussed two basic types of footwork for the serve. With one type of serve, the back foot swings around, entering the court first. In the second type of serve, the front foot stays in front and enters the court first.

Is one better than the other? Dr. Groppel explains the benefits of each, but concludes the article by saying that both types of footwork are acceptable.

When the back foot comes around and enters the court first, this results in (or is a result of) more noticeable trunk rotation (angular momentum) — very important on the serve.

When players keep the front foot in front throughout the serve, this is generally because the player has a deep knee bend and push off, resulting in what looks like more linear momentum (going straight up).

Dr. Groppel points out that the second type of serve is being used by more top players to generate more power, since pushing off the ground (reactive power) produces a higher racquet speed.

Be aware, however, that when juniors try to emulate a pro’s stroke (such as Andy Roddick’s abbreviated backswing), they may not understand that the pro is performing ALL of the parts of that stroke correctly, and that no one part of a stroke is responsible for its success. Trying to use And Roddick’s abbreviated backswing without the right leg, trunk and arm movements, or with a bad toss, can result in a poor serve or eventual injury.

Make sure your players understand all of the components of a serve, and let them try both types of footwork to determine which is best for their serve as it is now.

This is a great opportunity to use a radar gun to see the difference a biomechanical change or addition can make to a tennis stroke. If your school doesn’t have a radar gun (ask your baseball coach), your local police department might be happy to have an officer come by one day and meet the teens and use a radar gun to help them work on their tennis strokes.

Remember, the optimal tennis stroke is one which provides the most power, accuracy without causing injury.