Tennis serve videos: lessons and pro serves

What to watch for in a serve video

• The grip. Most coaches teach the serve with a continental grip, the one you would use to hammer a nail with the edge of the racket. A forehand grip feels easier at first but makes spin and pace hard to add later.
• The toss. Watch where the ball goes up and where it is struck. A toss that lands in the same place every time, a little in front of you, makes everything after it simpler.
• The trophy position. Pause when the hitting arm is up and the tossing arm points at the ball. Compare the shoulder tilt, the elbow and the knee bend with your own.
• The legs. Pace starts from the ground. Look at how far the knees bend and how the player drives up into the ball.
• Contact. Slow the video down around contact. The forearm turns over through the ball, and much of the racket-head speed comes from that turn.

How to practice with these videos

1. Pick one lesson and take one cue from it, for example "toss a little further in front".
2. Hit a basket of first and second serves with only that cue in mind.
3. Open the AI coach in the app, choose Drill Ideas, tell it what you worked on and what happened, and ask for a 20-minute serve session for next time.
4. After your next match, use Match Review to talk through how the serve held up under pressure.