There are three main types of service in general use, and from them come all the other variations that are of any value. These are:
A. The Slice
This is the most used of any type because it is suited to all sizes of players, and is equally easy for men and women.
B. The Flat or Cannonball
This requires a tall man to control with any speed, and is not of much value to short men or to women.
C. The American Twist, or “Kick.”
Here is a service that any size man or woman can use, but the amount of physical effort involved for the result gained makes it not a sensible service for most women.
Before I go into the actual stroke production of the three services, I must impress on the pupil several generalities about all types of service. Power and control in service come from the free use of the racquet head, and can never be gained by the wild gyrations and acrobatic writhings in which you see so many players indulge.
All of the great services that I have ever seen have been hit with ease, simplicity, apparently little body movement, and no violent contortion. I consider the services of Ellsworth Vines, Lester Stoefen, Donald Budge, Gottfried von Cramm, and Jack Kramer outstanding examples of service, yet the impression of ease of delivery is found with them all.
Notice the ease of Bobby Riggs’ service in marked contrast to the laboured style of Frank Parker. Anyone who has played them both can tell you how much more difficult Riggs’ delivery is than Parker’s. The secret of the power and control of all these stars lies in the way in which they control their body weight on firmly planted feet, and their unhampered use of the racquet with a free arm swing that carries smoothly through its entire arc, directly at their opponent’s court.
To serve well, you must learn to throw well. That is one reason why so few women have really good services. A woman’s arm is so set at the shoulder that it will not throw freely. Actually, a service is nothing more than throwing the fiat strings of the racquet head against the ball at a point in the air as high as you can comfortably reach. Watch any good baseball player throw a ball and you will see little body movement, no violent contortions, but lots of free arm motion.
Just so should a tennis player, serving, impress the watcher. If I find a pupil having trouble learning a service swing, I hand over an old “beat-up” racquet frame and make the pupil stand on the backline of the court. Then, from a point as high over his head as he can reach, I have him actually throw the racquet into or over the net in the direction of his opponent’s service court. It’s amazing how quickly the swing develops, even if it is a little tough on the “beat-up” racquet frame.
Peculiarly enough, the toss gets most players into trouble in learning to serve. The swing and toss must be synchronized so they work together and the ball and racquet head arrive at the correct spot in the air simultaneously.
It usually makes the beginner feel a little as if he were trying to pat his head with his right hand and rub his stomach with his left at the same time. Instinctively the pupil wants to toss the ball high in the air and then hit at it. This is the wrong approach. It is wrong to hit at your toss you should always toss at your swing. By this I mean you should start your swing and then, as your racquet is coming up, toss the ball to the spot where the racquet will hit it easiest above your head.
The method of tossing high in the air and then hitting the ball, as it’s falling, has several disadvantages. Even if we admit that you may be able to time your swing, which is most difficult even for an expert, the method is poor:
1. It destroys the co-ordinated rhythm of arms and swing of racquet so necessary for control.
2. It is very tempting to look away from the ball when it is in the air so long. The instinctive desire is to glance at the opponent’s court to see where you are going to hit the ball.
3. The wind may blow the ball off the line, or the toss itself may lack direction, both of which are absolutely fatal to this type service.
Its only advantage lies in the time it allows to take a tremendous swing, but such a swing is not needed if you control your racquet head.
By using the proper method, starting the swing and then tossing to the racquet:
1. You gain surprise, since the ball is in the air so short a time that your opponent can’t anticipate just when it will be hit.
2. You gain control, because the toss has less time to deflect and a shorter distance to go until hit.
3- You attain perfect rhythm, since the toss arm and the racquet arm go up together and keep the body balanced and ready to hit as hard or as easily as wished.
There are several common errors of service that I want to discuss before the stroke itself. We all know the fellow who winds up and whales the stuffing out of his first service, putting it in about once out of every thousand times, and then follows with an absolute lollypop that just pleads to be murdered. This man is all wet. Neither serve is worth the powder and shot to blow it up, and both should be forgotten.
Both first and second serves should be hit with the same general style of delivery and pace. The first should be hit as hard as you can control, well enough to put about two out of five in the court. The second should be hit as hard as you know will surely put it in. There is no excuse for serving double faults. It is the unforgivable tennis crime.
Any player should be able to learn to hit a service so he can put at least 85 per cent of his services in play, and if he does, he will eliminate double faults, or reduce them to one or two a match.
There is another player who must be called to your attention as an eyesore on the tennis court. That is the windmill contortionist. How of ten have you seen him? He tosses the ball about fifteen feet in the air with mighty flailings of the racquet, one foot twists around his neck, his back bends, and then, as the ball falls to the level of his nose, he gently pushes it across the net. All his tremendous physical gyrations have been wasted. No part of his weight has gone into his serve.
Do not reach too high to serve, since by doing so you injure the rhythm of your swing and probably pull out your shirttail, but above all, do not let the ball fall so low that all you can do is push it over. Take the happy medium. Service should be hit at a point as high as you can comfortably reach. It should be hit with a full arm swing but without violent physical effort or unnecessary racquet waving. Keep your backswing simple and free, and without affectation.
The position, both as regards the place to stand behind the baseline and the actual stance of the feet, is the same for all three services. Personally, I advocate serving from a position about four feet to one side of the middle of the court, which will allow you to hit practically straight down the centre line of the service court, and also give you plenty of chance to play the angle if desired.
Place the feet with the left toe making about a 45-degree angle to the backline, the right one comfortably behind it, and the weight about evenly divided. Thereafter, until the ball is actually hit, do not move the left foot at all, and if the right one moves at all, just lift it, but do not swing it forward (except as noted in the American Twist explanation given below). One hears much about the Footfault Rule, and the prevalence of footfaulting among modern players. There is no need to footfault and it is usually the result of carelessness.
Footfaults most common are:
1. Stepping on the backline of the court.
2. Swinging a foot across the line before the ball is struck.
3. Jumping in the air so both feet leave the ground, even if behind the line.
4. Walking up to the line and serving without coming to a complete stop before commencing to serve.
To serve legally, stop and stand about three inches behind the backline and within the side and middle lines (if continued). Then keep one foot on the ground and both behind the line until the ball is hit. Once the ball is hit by the racquet, you can do anything with your feet.
When you are serving, do not forget the courtesy due to your opponent. Be sure he is ready to receive before you serve. The rules provide that he need not play your service unless he is ready, but often a player will hesitate to say “Not ready” and will miss a shot, because he is not quite set. The walking service or the hurried first ball is the usual offence. The easy and gracious way to stop these faults is, when you have come to your position and are ready to serve, to stop and take a look at your opponent to see if he is set. He will appreciate it.