In this clip we are going to show you how
to hit the flatter serve with the same exact grip. It is a little more advanced, a little
bit tougher. You might even want to try a few up here at the net on the service line
but adjusting your grip like we have showed you before. What you are going to do right
here is take a look at Gustavo hitting a flatter serve and you are going to watch at how he
is going to go up with the ball. He is going to go up with the ball and his racket facing
forward before he hits it. It is important to do this before he hits it because while
you are learning this a lot of people try to turn the racket but it is after this and
it is too late. You want to turn your racket like you are going before which is also called
turnation, you might hear that term. We like to keep it a little more simple here in Phoenix,
Arizona, that is how we are and have that racket facing forward just like the string
is facing forward. He is going to show you in half motion just give it a kick serve with
the racket going forward on the flatter serve, same grip. See that you can do it in a nice
slow motion just to give you the idea. He is turning that racket face up there and he
is doing it before he makes contact which is very very important. The ball doesn’t know
the difference so you want to make sure your racket is facing forward. He is waiting for
a good toss. If he has a bad toss he is not going to hit it. The toss is very important
just to make sure. There you go, he is very very patient. These Venezuelans are very very
patient and they are known for that. So right here, now he is going to pick up the heat,
there you go. There is your flatter serve. His racket face actually did turn inward and
it faced forward at contact and that racket, you have to look at that. Turning that racket
face is a little bit tougher so I would recommend going up to the surface line initially with
your grip up here at the top just to get used to it.


Dennis Veasley

34 thoughts on “Tennis Serve & Return Tips : Tennis Flat Serve”

  1. I can hit a mean flat serve but its accuracy is extremely small, it alway seems to hit just barely outside the box, and when I try to adjust, I end up hitting right into the net.

  2. @lkjkhfggd how tall are you? Federer is 6"2 and can only just hit flat serve so If you're 5"11 (I think) or under then you might have to put at least a little bit of spin on the ball to dip even when hitting a flat serve

  3. I'm 6"1 so I am definitely capable of hitting flat, but I learned recently how to hit topspin and slice and both of those shots have much more accuracy so I like using those much more.

  4. well most people don't hit a complete flat serve because it requires more skill to get it over the net and in, personally i always use a grip that's a bit more eastern so that i get some topspin but not too much

  5. @lkjkhfggd you know a lot of people never hit flat serve, they hit big kick serves for first, and slice or kick for second

  6. @hattrickster33 yeh maybe I should do that… my serves are so bad its unbelievable. In fact, I lose games because of my bad serves.

  7. @hattrickster33 haha I practiced serving for hours and hours and it doesn't pay off in game. I remember one day where I was practicing serves after weeks of horrible ones, and that day I finally got it, my serves that day were all going in, all had great form, all were awesome. that was the best day of my life. the next day though, I forgot what made the serves go in or something, since I just kept on missing serves in real games. I don't know what to do about it either.

  8. @lkjkhfggd damn…well after my coach broke down the serve into 6 components, and going back to basics (starting above your head) I realized what I had to do to improve my serve and then I practiced that. It might be worth getting a coach to show you although it will probably cost a few bucks; really helped for me

  9. @lkjkhfggd haha, that was me. just keep serving and trying new things. it will come back. mine stays with me now. just practice. its muscle memory

  10. @lkjkhfggd lol thats happened to me so much, i would either be able to put a certain spin and a hit, or do a backhand or a type of serve, but then a day or 2 later, everythings gone, and i still havent gotten my backhand back either….

  11. @TheLeilisa height doesn't matter in tennis it's how you can move around the court and your strokes that will really matter..I took up tennis becuase I was to small for other sports. you are taller then me so your fine if your worried about it.

  12. @Killawolf95 Height doesn't matter for club tennis, maybe. Now look at the top 3 players on the ATP world tour; they are all above 6'.

  13. @coolcat6116 Yes they are above 6' by 1-2 inches big deal you don't have to be tall to play tennis may help but you don't have to be tall. Nadal 6'1 Djokovic 6'2 and Federer 6'1

  14. I'm 6"2 and I use the flat serve for first and kick serve for second but in a 3 set match I make about 10 double faults, to many I know! The first serve percentage is about 50% but I hit it over 110 mph every time.

  15. height doesnt do too much, more about agilty and flexibility imo, im only 5'7" and i dont think im that bad, but im only in highschool, so im not that great either
    height would most likely help on only serves and overheads and maybe volleys

  16. Good tips on the swing, but Gustavo needs to keep his back foot DOWN. Moving your feet while serving the ball gives you a less stable platform, and can easily lead to your being off-balance after you strike the ball. Unless you ace the guy, this can lead to getting blasted off the court by someone who can control the return down a line. A stable platform also allows better repetition, leading to greater consistency. Swinging feet around doesn't improve speed, just lowers consistency.

  17. Yeah they're in the 6'0-6'3 range. The biggest servers are taller though. Isner, Berdych, Del Potro.

    Del Potro is 6'6" and has a monster of a forehand ( in my opinion only thrird to Federer's and Nadal's) in part due to his height. However, David Ferrer is 5'9" and #5 in the world! So height isn't too much of a factor unless you're really tall and want to crank up big flat serves.

  18. I can do topspin . A slice serve , kick and flat but I don't seem to get the power that I should in flat serves! I am six foot one .

  19. That's a hell of a hard serve considering I see hardly any knee bend . If he threw that in as well that would be a beast of a serve .

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