I have already talked about the basics on the forehand and the backhand, now I feel it is time to give a few pointers on the serve. These tennis lessons I have begun with focus on the fundamentals, if you have solid fundamentals it makes improving so much quicker and easier.

I’m sure most people would agree that the serve is single most important shot in professional tennis, certainly in the men’s game. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the same significance in amateur club and league tennis but nonetheless it is of great consequence.

Having a reliable serve breeds confidence and can make all the difference when two players are closely matched. To develop a great serve many hours of repetitive practice need to be pursued, however the rewards are great and unlike other strokes; you can practice alone! Let’s begin by talking about the grip.

Too many club players use the ‘frying pan’ grip as I call it. By this I mean the eastern forehand or even semi western grip. For many this is comfortable and supportive but it leads to the classic mix-in serve where the wrist is laid back, the elbow points to the ground and the racket resembles a waiter’s plate.

From this position it is difficult for the player to hit the shot with any accuracy and it is virtually impossible to deliver with power. Invariably this technique leads to the granny style ‘plop’ serve – the ball is pushed over the net with nervousness and sits up to be hit away.

The initial grip one should learn for the serve is the ‘continental’ or ‘chopper’ grip. Here the first knuckle of the hand should be placed on the bevel situated at 1 o’clock, the hand will create a ‘V’ shape and the middle of this ‘V’ should run up the centre of the racket. I will be adding some photos and video of the various grips sometime in the near future.

The difficulty in learning to use this grip is at first the ball will often be overly sliced or mishit and players will give up reverting back to the ‘good old’ reliable granny serve. (No offence to you older ladies!)

If you find yourself in this situation, you must deal with the limitations and stick with it even though immediate results may not be to your satisfaction! Part of the battle is just feeling comfortable with the new grip over time which can happen over just a few practice sessions.

The other part of the battle is to become aware of the path that the racket must travel relative to the grip change. It is important to remember the four different movements your hitting arm should make when serving.

Firstly there is the cocking or trophy position, this is where your arms and racket together create a Nike swoosh shape. Here the racket face (hitting side) should be facing the fence. The elbow is bent creating a “V” formation from the shoulder, to the elbow, to the hand. The racket must then drop down more or less perpendicular to the back insinuated by the elbow moving forward and up.

From here the only way is up! The racket can begin its rapid rise toward the ball and contact point. This movement is where all the power comes from and if made correctly there should be an internal rotation of the shoulder followed by pronation of the forearm and the outward rolling of the wrist through contact.

To gain greater insight into this, place your hitting hand flat on your ear, throw the ball up as high as you can reach and give the back of the ball a high five. This is the movement you are aiming for – connecting squarely and fully.

The final movement is the follow through. After contact your racket should continue moving upwards and out. The wrist should outward and the racket should continue its deceleration passing by the left leg (for a right handed player). Be sure to finish your swing on the correct side of your body (left side for righties and right side for lefties) and not out in front, keeping the arm relaxed.