Serve technique: ball bounce and court positioning

What this lesson covers

The serve requires contact at waist height to ensure control. Players must bounce the ball so it reaches the belly button area rather than hitting it too low or too high. A side-on stance with the racket held high allows for a consistent high-to-low motion. Avoiding a flat, spoon-like swing is essential for better ball trajectory.

Positioning after the serve determines net coverage. Serving from the middle of the service box provides a shorter path to the net position. Players should execute a split step exactly when the opponent makes contact with the ball to avoid being caught out of position. If arriving at the net on time is difficult, stopping earlier is preferable to running uncontrollably and missing the split step. For advanced players, adjusting the serving angle to cover the court more effectively prevents leaving gaps for the opponent to exploit.