B A C K T O B A S I C S

4 H E L P F U L K E Y SF O R A P E R F E C T

B A L L T O S S

B Y R H O N D A C O S T A

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True story. I do tennis camps for adults in Spain and before players

arrive we send out a form asking for their weaknesses and what they

want to work on. Undoubtedly it comes down to a consistency

problem off either wing or the uncontrollable Serve!

Now to be clear, we start looking at the serve the first day & everyday until

players leave. The serve is certainly the hardest stroke in tennis and can

break down on a dime.

The 2 main culprits I see with adult beginner & intermediate players

looking to improve the serve?

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They serve in the forehand grip – not the continental.

The Ball Toss is allover the place!

At some point I have to pick my

spots as I only have only 1 week

with players. And the reality is

they can get the ball in the box

with the wrong grip – albeit

with limitations on variety.

So I focus mainly on the ball

toss to have a shot at

consistency.

The ball toss is really

important. You need to

understand this. It’s a huge

reason serves aren’t

consistent.

It needs to be developed like

any other part of your game!

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Kids who learn & grow with the

game spend years practicing to

get the ball toss consistent.

Ideally if you were able to hit all

types of serves you’d want the

toss position in the same place

so your opponent doesn’t know

what’s coming (topspin, kick,

slice).

Relax shoulders

Lock the elbow

Open Fingertips – lay back the wrist

Be careful with the ball height

Now´s the time to get graceful

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So for beginner & intermediate players it’s important to practice getting the

ball toss out in front directly off that left front toe provided that toe is at a 45

degree angle.

Stop thinking how powerful

your serve has to be. Just

relax and remember you go

from slow to fast.

You start very relaxed and

only explode on contact.

1# RELAX THOSE SHOULDERS

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Place the arm & hand loosely on the left

thigh (right handed players), lock

the elbow and extend that arm straight

up above your head, hold as long as

possible, keeping your eye on the ball.

Reach upwards with a full extended

arm in order to clear the net.

2# LOCK THE ELBOW, EXTEND ARM UP AND HOLD

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A bend in the elbow may toss the ball

behind you.

Closing the fingertips or jerking the wrist

at all right before releasing the ball may

also toss the ball backwards. Work on

releasing the ball as gracefully

as possible with focus on getting that

hand open and arm fully extended.

3# DON´T CLOSE YOUR FINGERTIPS

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No one is a better reference to a graceful

tossing motion with eyes plastered on

the ball quite like Roger Federer.

Focus on keeping the head up and

eyes planted on that ball until

contact. Now your body should

be moving forwards, hitting

upwards and making one hell of

an impact.

Work incessantly on getting

the ball toss in the same position

every time. Nerves (tightness),

wind, sun can also go against you

but with a toss you can rely on,

you can kick those pressure

points to the curb.

4# THE HEIGHT

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Control the height so that it’s not too tall – making timing difficult to deal

with.

Make sure the toss is not too low or you won’t be able to fully extend the arm

(shoulder) sacrificing power.

I see people throw a ball up so high only to let it drop too low and practically

tee the serve off of their own shoulder height. What´s the point of putting up

a toss at all? I see ball tosses too far out in front, sideways, behind them, yet

they go for everything! And then wonder why they have zero confidence in

their serve.

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There is no limit to the number

of bad tosses that a player may

choose NOT to hit.

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Remember...

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Deliberate Practice

In the meantime, stop hitting bad

tosses. Keep practicing deliberate

practice! You can do tossing drills

on your own for free at your local

court or in driveway for that matter.

Ladies pull out your graceful game

and guys channel Federer here and

get that ball in the air as

thoughtfully as possible to begin

building on your serve. The toss is

only the 1st step.

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Rhonda Costa is the Tennis Director at

Costa del Tennis, a tennis travel

company based in the Canary Islands.

Rhonda lives in Spain, where she and

the other half of Costa del Tennis,

Janaina, continue to receive players

from all over the world, who return

time and again forging new

friendships.