December 23, 2024 – Are You Maximizing Your Service Spin?

When you practice your spin serves – and you do, right? – after a few minutes, your arm and wrist are tired and you’re sweating right? No? Then you aren’t putting in full effort and therefore not getting full spin.

When I say “tired” and “sweating,” there’s some literary license, but the point is that serving with great spin is rather physical. If you want to maximize your spin, you have to maximize your racket’s acceleration and velocity, and the grazing motion.

Many players practice their serves with a focus on just control. Control is good, but it’s only one aspect of a spinny serve. You have to put in enough energy to really make that ball spin, and with all that racket acceleration and speed, still graze the ball. It’s not as hard as it sounds, but it takes practice.

And if you are practicing your spin serves with less than maximum spin, then you are practicing serves that aren’t that spinny, which is a bad habit (unless you are faking spin and serving no-spin). It’s practice, so go for maximum spin, and learn to control it. With practice, you will do so, and then your spin serves will be a major weapon. Turn your practice room into the spin room!