player tosses up and the hand comes down immediately. Hold it up much higher and longer than you think necessary and you will begin to understand what it feels like to hit “up” to a ball. I The toss shoulder finishes under the chin and finger tips stretched to the sky. I The toss arm and side firmly hold that side of the body up. It is the counter force to pressing the feet against the ground for “loading” of weight. I Shoulder angle is achieved. The tossing shoulder sets substantially higher than the hitting shoulder. This will enhance upward drive to the ball with the legs and chest. Chunk #3
“Pulling” the toss arm out of the way for
power is a foreign idea to most players. Typically, the toss arm just drops when it finishes launching the ball. I Upon completion of the toss and setting shoulder angle the toss elbow now needs to bend. If you keep it straight it will simply pull your body down. I Initiate toss arm action with the back of the tossing shoulder. Sharply pull your toss arm to the outside and at a downward angle by driving the elbow, triceps and bicep down. This is similar to “elbowing” someone with the intention of hurting them. You’ve probably never done this but, come on … you wanted to once or twice in your life! I With the initiation of the pulling action with the toss arm, the front leg is driving up, the back foot/leg drives the hip forward and the chest drives up to contact. The racket arm is still lagging behind. I At this point all body and racket power is heading up. The racket can now get the best results possible. A
common term for this is “slinging” the racket head. All upward and rotational forces are in action in advance of the racket head moving to the ball. In summary, great toss technique will directly affect power on the serve and add to your consistency. A powerful deliberate toss arm is key to creating racket head speed for power. You cannot create power from a racket swing alone. Start with Chunk #1 and make sure that you are producing the most basic of the toss movements. If you progress through the steps, your toss will be consistent and you will gain the fluid power that has otherwise been elusive. Start today to measurably increase the speed and power of your serve. Lisa Dodson is owner of The Total Serve, a USPTA Pro 1, and a formerly WTA worldranked player. She may be reached by email at ldodson57@yahoo.com or visit www.thetotalserve.com.
NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine
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