If you follow baseball, you know that some of the greatest pitchers in the major leagues have a variety of pitches that they can execute at any time. They have a fastball, curveball, knuckleball, slider and off speed pitch. The pitcher will use different pitches based on what the batter likes and doesn’t like. For example, if the batter is phenomenal at hitting fast balls, the pitcher would intentionally throw everything but the fastball. The pitcher would also throw pitches that he knows the batter struggles with.
You should apply this same concept with your serve. The serve options are flat, slice, the kick serve, body serve, varied speeds and placement. The best servers would keep their opponents guessing by hitting a variety of serves against them. The last thing you want is your opponent to get a rhythm on your serve. If you are hitting the same serve over and over again, your opponent will know exactly what’s coming, therefore, you would make it easy for them to hit a strong return to put you on the defensive. If you mix up your serve by slicing away from your opponent, slicing into the body, serving flat down the T, and mix up your speeds with the various serves, your opponent would never know what’s coming. The more they are guessing, the better opportunity you have to win your serve.
Mix up your serve, don’t be predictable and you will be in every match that you play.
Keep on playing!
