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JAK'S MONTHLY ESSAY SERIES: Achieving Your Personal Best

WHY DEVELOP A SPIN SERVE?

By Jak Beardsworth

The legendary Jack Kramer – those of you who have been playing a long time probably remember namesake wooden stick - once said way back when, and it’s still a classic keeper, “You’re only as good as your second serve.” So true!

How good is yours?

If you’re like many club players the answer is that it’s not very good, and mostly underdeveloped or not developed at all. In fact it’s often a liability, i.e. “We’ll receive.”. It becomes attackable. And it’s an automatic disadvantage when serving seconds, especially for your then very vulnerable net partner to be exploited in doubles play. Advantage receiver!

Curiously, despite being motivated to achieving a reasonably solid level otherwise, many pretty good players tend to stop growing their game at that all-important juncture, and never bother to learn to spin a serve in on a second serve – yes, it can be a steep learning curve for some and take some time, and practice. A good one can eventually be utilized even on a first serve on occasion as a change of pace and bounce height, to disrupt the receiver’s timing. Often referred to as “bending it in,” it’s particularly necessary if you’re going to possess a complete game and hold your own versus better players.

BTW, I should mention right off that it’s usually bad juju to boast about never double faulting in your previous outing. Yeah sure, no double faults because you more than likely tapped in that flat lollypop, patty cake floater –the one that even lesser players munch on. And, it’s at speed that wouldn’t even register on any self-respecting radar gun…the so-called Grandpa, Grandma serve (although interestingly, the slowness can actually throw some aggressive, chomping at the bit returners off on occasion, but not for long).

Good players playing good players double fault here and there since they avoid the “tap-in” and commit to a substantial, bending or slice (yes, they are different) spin delivery.

Most players will need coaching help, especially in the beginning, but in the meantime, at the very least, what are the universal basics in bending a serve in?

  1. You’ll need to adjust your grip from your flat serve position (might still be forehand grip?) to a minimally “Continental” position, or an even more extreme “Eastern” backhand position, both aimed at creating an angular racket face at impact resulting in spin.
  2. Along with grip change the toss will need to be adjusted as well from that well out in front neutral position for a flattie to either back somewhat and slightly left creating a “topspin” rainbow like trajectory (literally bending it in) with a very safe net clearance, and a higher bounce out of an opponent’s favored strike zone. Or, still in front but now slightly to the right for a resulting “slice” or “slider.” Both are spin serves. Just a different ball rotation and flight dynamic. Regarding tossing: left is right, right is left in terms of ultimate direction.
  3. Racket speed through the ball should absolutely be equal that of your flat bomb. Avoid chickening-out and slowing down resulting in less ball rotation.
  4. Your visualization – imagery - will now encompass that “rainbow” trajectory for the ’topspin´approach, or the “sidewinder slice,” versus tha flat, linear one characterized in a flat ball strike.
  5. Practice will be required. Minimally 1x per week for 15-20 minutes using about 12 balls only…quality practice vs quantity practice.
  6. Introduce into “friendly” play on 1st serve only as a way of reducing pressure and initial double faulting while still gaining confidence.

Keep aspiring higher. It’s never too late for a slightly older dog to learn a necessary new trick!


Copyright© 2007- 2025 by Jak Beardsworth Tennis. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

COMMENTS WELCOME: JB1tennis@comcast.net

Past Essays

Check back often for more essays.

  • August 2025 -WHY DEVELOP A SPIN SERVE?
    [read more]
  • July 2025 -“TRADITIONAL TENNIS PROTOCOL: Don’t Be Last off the Turnip TruckK”
    [read more]
  • June 2025 -“I PLAY BETTER WHEN I DON’T THINK”
    [read more]
  • May 2025 -THE BIG ROLLER–RHYTHM BUSTER
    [read more]
  • April 2025 -OFF THE GRID BODY POSITIONING
    [read more]
  • March 2025 -CAN YOU HANG?
    [read more]
  • February 2025 -Roy Emerson Explains The Way To Your Best Tennis
    [read more]
  • January 2024 - Win the First Set. Lose The 2nd. Then the Tb Crapshoot.
    [read more]
  • December 2024 - Believing In Your Shots
    [read more]
  • November 2024 - The Walking Wounded
    [read more]
  • October 2024 - HEY!… MAYBE IT'S JUST YOUR GYRO NEEDING RECALIBRATING
    [read more]
  • August 2024 - The Game's Most Difficult Skills & the Most Taken For Granted
    [read more]
  • June 2024 - KNOW YOUR DOUBLE'S IN-POINT SITUATION WHEN BACK or RETURNING SERVE
    [read more]
  • April 2024 - Coulda, shoulda got that: The Art of Poaching
    [read more]

 

 


Older Essays

Essay Archives

Click a year to view more essays

2023

  • December 2023 - The Forgotten Stop Volley
    [read more]
  • November 2023 - "You're Only as Good as Your Second Serve"
    [read more]
  • October 2023 - good misses vs bad misses
    [read more]
  • September 2023 - Why good players are good players!
    [read more]
  • August 2023 - On poaching and fake poaching: Becoming a Force at the Net in Doubles
    [read more]
  • July 2023 - The Beautiful Game is Getting Ugly
    [read more]
  • June 2023 - The Approach Dropper: Lob Killer
    [read more]
  • May 2023 - Why club players don't practice
    [read more]
  • April 2023 - DON'T FIGHT TIGHT
    [read more]
  • March 2023 - Classic finish line failure
    [read more]
  • February 2023 - Defending the lob over your net partner - The "Switch"
    [read more]

2022

  • December 2022 - E. I. D. - Extended Impact Duration
    [read more]
  • November 2022 - Movement Enhancement to Stay Better In-Point Connected
    [read more]
  • September 2022 - Advanced Visualization 301
    [read more]
  • August 2022 - Tennis' uniqueness: warming-up the enemy
    [read more]
  • July 2022 - Extracting Double Faults Through Receiving Positions... and more
    [read more]
  • June 2022 - Consider Serve and Volley
    [read more]
  • May 2022 - How the Toss Primes the Serve Relaxation Pump
    [read more]
  • April 2022 - Ball Watching and Science
    [read more]
  • March 2022 - Caving
    [read more]
  • February 2022 - Kenny G and Emmo
    [read more]
  • January 2022 - The Knees
    [read more]

2021

  • December 2021 - The Match is with You
    [read more]
  • November 2021 - The Backup Racket in Your Bag
    [read more]
  • October 2021 - Every Tennis Player Can and Should Have a Weapon
    [read more]
  • September 2021 - LEARNING NEW SKILLS: First the Process, Then the Results
    [read more]
  • August 2021 - The Challenge of Visualizing… For Some
    [read more]
  • July 2021 - Playing with both your feet and your hands
    [read more]
  • June 2021 - Finding the Range
    [read more]
  • May 2021 - The Focus
    [read more]
  • April 2021 - About Your Butt Cap
    [read more]
  • March 2021 - The Essential Forehand and Backhand
    [read more]
  • February 2021 - On Being a Doubles All-Courter
    [read more]
  • January 2021 - Same Grip Volleying Myths
    [read more]

2020

  • December 2020 - On mechanics and style
    [read more]
  • November 2020 - THE BIG 3: The Glue That Keeps Your Best Game Together
    [read more]
  • September 2020 - Protocol and Game Tradition Revisited
    [read more]
  • August 2020 - As Good as Your 2nd Serve
    [read more]
  • July 2020 - Shot Shaping
    [read more]
  • June 2020 - Getting a Point in Jeopardy Back to Neutral
    [read more]
  • May 2020 - A Positive Mind-Set: On and Off the Court in Today's C-19 Reality
    [read more]
  • April 2020 - The Zombie Tennis Creed – Top Ten
    [read more]
  • March 2020 - A Roadmap Into "The Zone"
    [read more]
  • February 2020 - The service toss: myths and realities
    [read more]
  • January 2020 - Shot Gazing
    [read more]

2019

  • December 2019 - The Dreaded High Bouncing Moonball Dilemma
    [read more]
  • November 2019 - Chalk Flew: Troublesome Line Calling without Hawkeye in Clubland [read more]
  • October 2019 - In the Spirit of Don't Drink and Drive… Don't Think and Hit [read more]
  • September 2019 - Old School vs New School [read more]
  • August 2019 - Getting the Ball Where You Want It [read more]
  • July 2019 - Taking Points Off…What? [read more]
  • June 2019 - Confidence Is Confidence: Take It Wherever You Can Get It [read more]
  • May 2019 - TENNIS INNOVATION IMPLODES [read more]
  • April 2019 - Defending the Court with Older Bones: A Club Player's Guide to Saying "Nice Shot" Less [read more]
  • March 2019 - Do You Have Doubles Rally Tolerance? [read more]
  • February 2019 - I Knew Jimy Van Alen: A Historical Look Back [read more]
  • January 2019 - The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste: Mental Toughness Skills [read more]

2018

  • December 2018 - Less Bling is the Thing [read more]
  • November 2018 - Anatomy of a Doubles Serve Return…from the Inside Out [read more]
  • October 2018 - Older Dogs and New Tricks: Still Improving at Any Age [read more]
  • September 2018 - The All-Important Dynamic of Gripping [read more]
  • August 2018 - The Cinemascope Syndrome: Undermining Your Ball Watching [read more]
  • June 2018 - Serving and Returning Better with a Quiet Eye [read more]
  • May 2018 - The Man Who Breathed for Two [read more]
  • January 2018 - Rituals Anyone? [read more]

2017

  • December 2017 - Why Serving is so Difficult in Clubland [read more]
  • October 2017 - Managing your body and mind in tennis space [read more]
  • August 2017 - Why Bother Breathing to Improve Your Game [read more]
  • May 2017 - The "Maintaining" One's Game as One Ages Fallacy [read more]
  • February 2017 - Punta Gorda Tennis Clubs: Setting the Bar [read more]
  • January 2017 - State of the Club Game: The Growing Death of Sportsmanship [read more]