47 - The Serve - From hi-techtennis.com - Lesson 1: SLOW DOWN - Alternate Strategy: Todd Martin

 Lesson 1: SLOW DOWN - Alternate Strategy: Todd Martin

This clip was shot by Mike Cottrill at 250fps. A special thanks to Mike for letting me use this amazing video clip on the site.

There are two pieces I want to focus on in this clip. First, notice Todd's unusual takeback style. You can see that he reverses the typical takeback by first lifting his arm and racket into the trophy position, and THEN begins his toss! If you are having trouble getting in the trophy position, I encourage you to experiment with this style. One of my members, Charles, had this to say after copying Todd's motion:

"I must tell you that I have never hit a ball better and more predictably accurate. The action is simple and there are few things that can go wrong. I start with going right into the trophy position,THEN toss the ball, then drop the racket,supunate/pronate and bang."

Charles Ferber

London, England

In the video clip, focus on just how long Todd holds his trophy position. It seems like an eternity that he keeps his tossing arm pointed up to the sky and the racket pointed up to the sky. This is a great image to focus on before going out and serving. Holding the trophy position for longer can really help you develop a much more effective throwing motion.