- Joan Hahn
- May 6, 2021
- Last Updated on
Your tennis serve toss is a basic motion of your serve. Depending on your skill level, a ball toss can be an asset in scoring points or wreak havoc in your match.
We’re going to take an in-depth look at how you can serve as the experts to increase your chances of winning.
5 Steps to Follow When Tossing A Tennis Ball
1. Stand Properly
The first step in the series of tips is to be in the proper serve stance wherein your front foot is pointing the right net post, and your back foot is in parallel to the court’s baseline.
Your toes at the back foot are slightly in alignment with the heel of your front foot.
2. Bounce the Ball A Few Times
After you have the proper serve stance down, you’re going to let it bounce repeatedly.
To do this, players need to move in a way that the weight is slightly transferred forward on the front foot, and then bounce the ball in front. It releases tension from your hands, arm, and body to prepare for an optimal service toss.
3. Set Your Hands Into The Ready Position
When you are holding the ball, make sure to do it lightly with your fingertips rather than the palm of your hand.
After you’re done holding the ball with your fingertips, move your hands into a ready position.
Your wrist should be in a laid down manner.
As players are doing this, the ball is lightly touching the tennis racket in front of you.
4. Transfer Your Weight To Your Back Foot
One of the keys is to transfer the weight of your body towards the back foot. Your front foot hits the court ground as you start in the forward motion.
Most of the weight is driving off your back leg, so the body weight is on the front foot when you follow through it.
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5. Move Into the Trophy Pose
Here’s how to make the trophy pose service motion for your mental image:
You drop your hands together, and then you lift the tossing arm towards the sky with the use of your shoulder.
You lead with your elbow as you keep your arm straight. As soon as your arm reaches the top of the head, you open your hand wide and release the ball.
While the tossing arm moves upwards, enable the dominant arm to swing back, similar to a pendulum behind you, and then continue behind the head.
To avoid any problems, bend your knees to achieve a full bend when your arms complete the motion.
John Isner is the world’s best server because of his tosses and serves. (1)
If you do these steps correctly, the ball will consistently land in the appropriate service box with no problem in your tennis game.
Keep practicing your serves with a friend until you are comfortable with the lifting motion. You may also practice by yourself from time to time.
FAQS
The ideal release point falls typically between the eye level to the top of the head. However, you are going to most likely have the perfect timing naturally in the game.
You need to toss the ball two to three feet above the maximum reach of your racket. On the other hand, the ideal height is different for every player. Try tossing several balls until you find your height.
So, How Do You Toss a Tennis Ball?
A serve ball toss is an underrated movement in the sport. When playing as a beginner, it is essential to master the ball toss to become better.
It takes time before you can toss the ball perfectly, like Roger Federer, but it is worth the practice tosses. You can speed up progress by following the tips above with consistency.
Remember that there isn’t the perfect height on toss placement nor does it have an ideal release point.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to get the proper toss location. You can get better at tennis by using a serve toss drill, such as the Keep Lifting drill and other tennis drills.
References:
- https://www.atptour.com/en/players/john-isner/i186/overview
