Tossing the Ball on a Tennis Serve: Where to Put It?

Wondering where to put the ball when you toss it on a tennis serve? Check out this blog post for all the info you need to get started.

Introduction

In tennis, the ball is usually served diagonally across the service court from the server’s backhand side to the receiver’s forehand side. The server may also elect to serve the ball from their forehand side to the receiver’s backhand side. Your decision of where to put the ball on your serve will be based on what type of serve you are using and your opponent’s position on the court.

The Basics of a Tennis Serve

When hitting a tennis serve, the player must toss the ball into the air and hit it over the net into the opponent’s court. A proper tennis serve entails hitting the ball in an upward motion, resulting in topspin. This spin makes the ball travel faster and tend to “kick up” when it hits the ground in its opponent’s court, making it difficult for them to return. The toss is a critical part of creating this topspin – without a good toss, it will be difficult to create enough power and spin on the ball to make an effective serve. So where should you aim when tossing the ball for a serve?

The Toss

In tennis, as in any other sport, there are some basic rules that must be followed. For example, in baseball you have to throw the ball over the plate and in football you have to put the ball between the uprights. In tennis, one of the most important rules is where you must put the ball when you toss it up for a serve.

The Toss for a Flat Serve

The flat serve is the most common type of serve, and it’s the easiest to learn. With a flat serve, you toss the ball up and hit it with a flat swing, keeping the ball low over the net.

To start, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the ball in your nondominant hand. For righties, that’s the left hand; for lefties, it’s the right hand. If you’re a righty and serving to a righty, hold the ball in front of your body with your left hand and use your right hand to grab it from above. If you’re a righty serving to a lefty or a lefty serving to a righty, hold the ball in front of your body with your right hand and use your left hand to grab it from above.

Once you have the ball in your toss hand, extend your arm toward the sky so the ball is about eye level and then bring it back down so it’s behind your head (but not touching it). As you bring your arm back down, bend your elbow and let go of the ball so it falls behind you. As it falls, quickly bring both hands up in front of you—right handed players will end up holding the racquet in their dominant hand; lefties will end up holding it in their non-dominant hand—and then step forward with your dominant foot to hit the ball.

The Toss for a Slice Serve

For a right-handed player, the toss for a slice serve should be aimed to land slightly behind and to the left of the left shoulder as you stare at the contact point. The ball should then bounce up around waist high. For a lefty, the toss should land behind and to the right of the right shoulder. The same principles apply for both players when tossing for a topspin serve.

The Toss for a Kick Serve

The toss for a kick serve is a little different than for a flat serve. You want to toss the ball a little closer to your body and you want to hit it with a light under-spin. The idea is to get the ball up high so your opponent has a difficult time returning it. It’s also important not to let the ball bounce too high on your service motion. This will give your opponent time to adjust and return the ball more easily.

Conclusion

After trying out different techniques and finding what works best for you, it’s important to make small tweaks to keep your serve fresh. Experiment with different ball tosses, such as changing the height or the spin. By mixing things up, you’ll keep your opponents guessing and make it more difficult for them to return your serve.