1-2 Rhythm: The
Serve
Nick Wheatley
What are the real checkpoints for the two
rhythm phases on the serve?
A key component in learning and executing the serve is what I call 1-2 Rhythm. This is analogous to 1-2 Rhythm on the groundstrokes, as we have discussed in the preceding articles.
1-2 Rhythm is the key to timing and also great energy transfer on all the
strokes. But it is probably even more important on the serve, the one shot in
tennis most associated with rhythm.
In this article, I present a different perspective on the critical moments
in the serve. These new checkpoints will give you a different, tangible,
powerful way to key your serve and maximize not only explosiveness but
reliability.
2 Phases
To review the concept, 1-2 Rhythm divides tennis strokes into two phases or
parts. Part 1, the set-up phase, is smooth and deliberate. Part 2, the
execution phase, is explosive and full of energy.
So what are the two service phases? Phase 1 begins with the start of the
windup and ends when the tossing arm is extended and the legs are fully coiled.
Phase 2 then begins with the explosion of the legs upward into the shot.
Understanding this transition solves much of the confusion players have about
the timing of the key positions and how to execute them consistently.
Phase 1
The interval for Phase 1 varies dramatically for top
servers yet all are smooth and deliberate.
Players all have a ritualistic process they go through before they start the
service motion, some more involved and complicated than others. Phase 1 begins
after these rituals are complete.
This is when the arms start to move. Usually this is the movement of the arms
slightly downward before breaking apart. The tossing arm then moves
downward and backward and then moves upward to make the actual toss, although
the amount of downward and backward movement varies significantly with
individual players. <A J-Curve or arc >
Meanwhile the racket windup begins. The shape of this windup or backswing
can also vary tremendous, from some variation of a semi-circular shape to
abbreviated motions in which the initial motion of the hand and racket is
actually upward.
What ties all these variations together is the smooth and deliberate feeling
of the motion, the essence of Phase 1. This feeling applies to the ball toss
motion, in which the arm drops and then extends slowly and evenly. The release of the ball causes
virtually no disruption to the speed of the tossing arm as the ball departs
from the fingers.
This slow and deliberate feeling also applies to the windup. Quantitative
studies show that there is very little acceleration of the racket as the
players move through Phase 1. The movement to the trophy position can take 2
seconds or more, and the racket head speed during this interval is usually
10mph or less. (Click
Here.)
Note the differences in tossing arm and racket positions
for elite juniors at the end of Phase 1.
Transition
It might seem
logical that the transition between Phase 1 and Phase 2 happens at the
trophy position, since so much is made of it in coaching and teaching.
In reality the true
initiation of Phase 2 is the leg drive, synchronized with the extension of the
tossing arm.
High speed video shows the trophy position for different players simply does
not correspond with the explosive start of Phase 2. The variations in the both
the shape and the timing of the windups of great servers effects when players
reach the trophy position. And for many or most, the trophy position simply
does not correspond directly with the full coiling of the legs.
Despite the Phase 1 differences, the timing of the
explosive Phase 2 is the same.
What does
correspond is the extension of the tossing arm. Different
players extend their tossing arms more and less directly upward--or even
slightly backward. Whatever these variations, the two checkpoints are synched
at the beginning of Phase 2. That may seem surprising, but we can see this
clearly if we measure the actual duration of the two phases for great servers.
Let's use three great servers who have substantial differences in their
Phase 1 motions and timing: Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer.
There are big differences in the overall duration of the motion of these 3
champions. But these differences are all in duration of Phase 1.
What is
surprising and critically important is that the duration of Phase 2 from the
start of the explosion with the legs to the contact is virtually identical for
all three.
As you might expect, Andy is the quickest in Phase 1. To complete Phase
1--reaching the extension of the tossing arm and the full coiling of the
legs--takes him about .44 seconds. Pete takes more time to reach the same
position at about .68 seconds. Federer takes the most time .88 seconds, almost
twice as much as Andy. At this point all have extended their tossing arms and
reached maximum knee bend. But note the differences in the arm and racket.
Andy's are famously to his right side. Pete is closer to the trophy position
but not quite there. And Federer is a little closer than Pete, but still shy of
the classic trophy position.
Now look at the
timing of Phase 2. Watch the legs uncoil and explode. The timing
to the contact is identical for all three players. How long? A little more than
a third of a second, or .36 seconds to be exact.
Clearly Phase 2 is what initiates the energy transfer that creates massive
racket acceleration, power, and spin. And these three great players are all
timing it indentically.
As the legs drive
up and forwards, the body is also rotating. The racket builds speed as it
moves into the drop position, and then accelerates dramatically up to the
contact point. The leg drive pushes both feet off the ground, and the players land
with the front foot inside the baseline.
This transition point and the following explosion are key for players at all
levels to master 1-2 Rhythm. So find your own transition point.
Feel the
deliberate slow windup and the drop of your weight in your knee bend.
Find the same
feeling in the toss and the extension point of your tossing motion. Learn
to make these checkpoints correspond. Now explode! Of course,
you want to make sure your other key positions like the racket drop and the
contact are within good technical parameters.
But don't worry about them or when, exactly, you are making the trophy
position when you are serving in matches. Under pressure this clear feeling of
the two phases will give you confidence and alleviate anxiety and pressure.
Second Serve
The distinction between the phases is identical for the
second serve.
There is no major
difference regarding how 1-2 rhythm operates between the 1st serve and the 2nd
serve, or
indeed between how it operates between flat, slice, or topspin serves.
The swing path from racket drop through contact point will vary depending on
the type of serve the player is attempting, but the 1-2 Rhythm will remain the
same, as does its function to create power and/or spin on the serve in a
reliable and efficient manner.
Remember, 1-2
rhythm is founded on a relaxed body and hitting arm. Development
should be through the use of the descriptive terms highlighted at the start of
the article, feeling the set-up phase is smooth and deliberate, and then the
feeling of energy and explosiveness that is associated with part 2.
I'm a big believer in using shadow swings to generate feel, and this can
really help with the serve with the players pausing in the shadow swing at the
knee bend with the tossing arm extended to really feel the position and also
the power potential they are about to unleash.
As with all the strokes, it's also critical to video the serve in high
speed, and review the footage to look at the set-up phase, the execution phase,
and of course see what is happening when Part 1 ends and Part 2 begins!
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 Nick Wheatley is an LTA Performance Coach and head coach at Hawker Tennis in south west London. His junior teams, the Hawker Jets, have won 44 competitions since formation, and over the last 2 years alone, his junior players have won 19 singles tournaments between them at county level. He has been ranked in the top 75 nationally in 35 and over singles and in
the top 5 in Surrey county. Nick has done video analysis for numerous players
at all levels, including former British Top 10 player Marcus Willis. His unique teaching video series, covering every aspect of the game, is
available on his website www.nickwtennis.com
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