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Photo Lesson: How to Hit the Basic Serve

By Jeff Cooper, About.com

8 of 10

Point of Contact

Point of Contact(C)2007 Jeff Cooper licensed to About.com, Inc.
This is the second of those two most important positions to remember. By far the most crucial factor in successful serving for most players is meeting the ball in the right spot. For a fairly flat serve like the one shown here, the ideal point of contact is at full upward extension, roughly a foot farther forward than your head, and roughly a foot to the right of your head.

Try to see your racquet strike the ball and keep looking at the point of contact for a split second afterward.

Most beginning servers (and many players who have been serving for years) meet the ball much too low. If you have trouble meeting the ball at full extension, practice tossing it to the right spot with or without a wind-up (whichever you do when you serve), and then freezing your racquet right where it meets the ball. This will help you realize where you're actually meeting the ball, and once you start meeting the ball at the right spot, it will help you remember that fully extended feeling.

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