Tennis Serve Basics: Grip, Toss and Contact

A practical guide to building a more repeatable tennis serve.

Use a continental grip

It supports pronation, spin and a more complete service motion.

Make the toss predictable

A repeatable toss reduces compensations later in the motion.

Reach up to contact

Good extension helps create height and margin over the net.

Let rhythm build speed

A smooth sequence usually produces more reliable pace than forcing the arm.

Practice targets

Serve training should include location, not only power.