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Topspin Serve when playing Tennis

There are a number of different serving techniques in tennis and one of the most common is the topspin serve. This serve is a forward spinning serve and is accomplished by hitting the back of the ball at an upward angle with the racquet and therefore makes the serve slower than the flat serve. The topspin allows for the ball to be aimed very high over the net but the downward motion allows for it to still fall into the service box. This serve is

a safe serve and many players use it as their second serve.

The serve should not be hit any softer than the first serve but with the technique involved it automatically will come of the racquet at a lower speed. The serves topspin will make the ball bounce higher and that can give the opponent the time to "run around" the ball and return it on their forehand, or strong side.

The type of serve is harder to learn that a flat serve since as the contact point must be either behind the players head or at least at the point straight above the head of the server. This requires a number of complex body adjustments and mechanics. But once the method is learned it can be a very beneficial element in a player's repertoire. Serving techniques have not seen many changes in the past 20 or 30 years, with the same serving techniques that were used back then, still being used till today.

The Tennis Racquet

The tennis racquet consists of the handle or grip that connects to the neck and which then joins a circular frame that has a matrix of strings that are pulled together tightly. In the first century the game was played the racquets were made of wood and were a very standard size and the strings were made of animal gut.

As technology started to influence the game the racquets transformed from wood to metal and are now made of different composites that include carbon graphite, light metals and even titanium. The use of light medals allowed the racquets to be made larger to increase the power in the serves and returns. Technology also advanced the strings as gut was no longer used but synthetic strings were designed to create more strength and durability.

Today the hitting area of the racquet must be flat, composed of only strings and be uniform in size. The frame of the area that is used to hit the ball can not be any longer than 29 inches and have a width of no more than 12.5 inches. The overall racquet must be a fixed size, shape and weight. These rules have had to be changed at times during the last twenty years due to the onset of technology in the game and the engineering breakthroughs in the game. In 1997 for example the length of the racquet was reduced from 32 inches to its current length of 29 inches.

Tennis Balls

Tennis balls today are made of a hollow rubber and have a felt covering. They were originally white in color and were used widely, but over the years have been changed to a yellow, which allows for more visibility for both the players and officials that cover the game. The chair umpire and line people need to differentiate the ball from the white colored court lines, which are used to judge it the ball bounced inside or outside the line. Each ball must meet certain criteria before it can be used at a competitive level. The weight, size, deformation and amount of bounce have to be approved.

The official diameter is between 2.575 - 2.7 inches and the balls must weigh between 1.975 and 2.095 ounces. The International Tennis Federation and the United States Tennis Association only allow yellow and white balls. Yellow balls were only introduced in 1972 following studies that proved they were more visible. The hollow balls are filled with a specific amount of air and that helps with the bounce and flight of the ball making it have less of an aerodynamic drag.

The bounce in the ball begins to reduce as soon as they are taken out of the pressured cans they are distributed in. They are only used for a certain number of games in each competition. Testing of the balls is done by dropping them from a height of 100 inches and a bounce of between 53 and 58 inches is required to be used in competitive matches.

Flat and Slice Serve when playing Tennis

The flat serve is usually used as the first serve and is the fastest serve in the game. Male professional players can serve the ball on a flat serve as fast as 125 miles per hour. This serve was known prior as a cannonball serve and this is performed by swinging directly through the ball without any spin on the ball.

The flat serve must be hit close to the net since there is no spin to help it dip into the service box. Therefore the margin for error on this serve is very little and the reason why players generally use the serve only on their first serve. And it usually is hit down the center part of the court since the net is at its lowest (three feet) height.

The slice serve is accomplished by brushing through the ball in a rightward motion at contact. And a lefthander will do the same but in a leftward motion upon contact. This causes the ball to have a sidespin and making it either skid to the left or right and slice away from the opponent. The ball is usually hit at the players two or three o'clock position and to the right of the player's head. There is little margin if any for error and this serve is also usually used as a first serve by players since the risk is higher. Many players have perfected this serve and hit the ball with such speed that it is impossible for the opponent to hit the ball back.

Tennis Shots

There are a number of different shots that are used by players. There is the topspin forehand that will put a forward spin on the ball making it drop into the court and bounce high. The shot usually slows the game down due to the high bounce. The backhand shot is used by swinging at the ball from the opposite side of your dominate hand and is often time used to slice a slice or make a passing shot while approaching the net. The lob is often times a defensive shot but can be used as an offensive on as well.

The technique in this is to lift the ball as high as possible into the air and as deep as possible into the opponent's side of the court. This gives you the opportunity to get into position and that is why it is considered more a defensive measure than offensive.

Other shots often used is the forehand shot that is the most common shot and that is using the players strong hand and swinging through the ball keeping. Most players are much stronger on their forehand side than their backhand and therefore the forehand shot is more powerful and is used much more often.

The drop shot is another shot that players use. Backspin is put on the ball making it "die" as it hits the surface making the opponent have to come forward at a fast pace in order to hit the ball before it touches the surface of the court a second time.

Tennis Courts

Tennis courts are rectangular in size and are usually made of clay, grass or some sort of hard surface. The court is 78 feet in length and is 27 feet in width when singles matches are played and 36 feet wide when doubles matches are played. The net that crosses the entire width of the court runs parallel to the baselines and is three feet and six inches high at each post and just three feet high at center court.

The best way to lay out courts is in a north south direction so they will not be influenced by the sun at dawn or dusk. The types of tennis courts vary as to where they are built due to weather conditions and available of products needed for the development. The three courts most often used are clay, grass and a variety of hard surfaces. Each surface is unique and the professional tennis circuit plays on all three surfaces.

Clay courts surfaces are made of crushed stone, shale or brick and the game is much slower when played on clay since a high bounce is produced on the surface. Serves are slowed down and the overall speed of the game is reduced. The majority of clay courts are found in Latin America and Europe. Grass courts make for the fastest surface where tennis is played. Bounces are not always true and points are much quicker on grass than on other surfaces. Hard surfaces are also very fast surfaces and give hard hitting players an advantage.