Are you struggling to keep your serve toss consistent? These three tips will help you improve your technique and consistency.
1. Point your tossing arm to the net post.
You do see variation amongst top players, of course. Roger Federer, of course, has his toss arm parallel to the baseline and actually still looks at his opponent until shortly after he releases the ball. But he’s Roger Federer. My clients have a lot of success pointing their arm to the net post and moving it up continuing to point towards that direction because it’s an easy visual cue. And, of course, you can always repeat it which is key in consistency.
2. Keep your tossing arm straight
A lot of issues with your toss come from your arm or wrist when you bring your tossing arm up. Try to keep your elbow and your wrist straight. Any bend in elbow or wrist can lead to you just “flick” the ball up. I like to hold the ball loosely within the first 2 links of my fingers so that I can release it very easily.
3. Release the ball between chin and top of the head
All top players have the release point between chin and top of the head because - provided you have a straight arm and wrist - your hand at that point is parallel to the ground and your toss will go straight up. If you release the ball below this point it is very likely that your toss ends up going too far in front. If you're holding on to the ball longer you will most likely toss the ball behind you.
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