Roddick is still my favorite server. All the other great servers were almost seven footers, Roddick just let it rip every time with no real height advantage.
Wouldn't be fair to say someone who is 6'2'' doesn't have any 'real' height advantage. Yes, maybe not a Karlovic or Isner advantage if that's what 'real' means.
Roddick's serve was so different and so good, and it begs the question why nobody else ever copied it? I actually made my 12 year old son do an abbreviated takeback a year ago, and now I'm going to incorporate that narrow foot stance, leg drive and modified trophy pose. His serve used to be weak, but the short takeback immediately improved his power and consistency. Some club members advised him to do a more traditional flowing service action, but we measured his serve speed and his short takeback makes his serve just as fast. I often mention Andy Roddick's serve when these people - who mean well - try to advise him to change his action.
I used the "Roddick" style serve for a while when I was younger, got more power and it cuts out a lot of the errors players go through during a full-motion, the major downside, in my opinion, is the stress it places on the shoulder joint. In a traditional motion when you drop the racket, the swing speeds up gradually and then you explode once you get in or near the trophy pose. With the Roddick style, you start that acceleration from the trophy pose with no momentum so the shoulder can take an extra amount of damage. If it works for your son, stick to it, just make sure he's doing a lot of band work to strengthen the shoulder joint and scapula muscles. All the best Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial I feel differently. I feel more stress on my shoulder doing a full take back than when I have an abbreviated swing because there is EXACTLY less motion. Trying to accelerate your arm from a stand still is less stressful than from an arm in motion already counteracting the motion you want it to move in. A full take back can cause an increase in lag AT THE COST of more stresses being generated to move it in a different direction.
@@laykefindley6604 Same for me, after switching to Roddick’s abbreviated serve this month, my shoulder discomfort has gone away completely when I serve :D
Simon, I'm impressed not only with your analysis of the motion but also your ability to mimic it almost perfectly, something you've done with the strokes of other pros you analysed in your videos. You're certainly head and shoulders above other instructors when it comes to pro strokes analysis, not to mention the level of your tennis. Thanks for all the videos you and Alex have shot and posted. They're a gem to students of the game like myself.
I based my serve heavily on his serve and his explanation of it. I always found the less complicated arm motion helped me focus on my legs and core. Helped me immensely being 5’8”.
They're free because we love helping people improve. That's what drives us. We sell our premium content to those who wish to go much deeper into the game and that helps us dedicate more time to improving both our free and premium content. Thanks for watching All the best Simon
Very interesting. I've tried the in between stance. And abbreviated take back even before watching. I could hit my serves just as fast as my traditional platform but could have a lower ball toss and quicker release. This helped my disguise and getting lots of aces. Also it's easier to place your ball toss and jump into the serve. It was amazing. However I got lazy and went back to the traditional serving technique. I was watching Fed a lot. But you've reinforced the idea. The difficulty for the receiver to read my direction was amazing. This was the best part cause that actually gets you aces mostly. I practiced this profusely and could get like a NFL QB looking at the T and instantly switching out wide or wide to BH on ad side. And then I got lazy cause this technique was not suffiently ingrained. it requires hitting a 100 or so practice serves daily until you get it. Then you have to continually practice it till you convert it. But it's totally worth it.
Great review of his serve Simon! Spot on about all the key elements of his serve. I got to see it up close a few years ago, like 10 feet away, and I must say the timing and explosiveness are really impressive. He's made a lot of money due to that serve. ;-)
Yes, I would like to see your analysis on Roddicks 'forehand'. It always seemed he was holding back in a way and had the potential to be much more powerful. Also Nadals forehand analysis. Thanks
I've tried so many different serves. I initially had the Brian Battistone serve (like serving in volleyball.) I'd jump up really high and slam it down. I got a lot of aces and free points but I had no control. I switched to Roddicks take back. I now have more control and while I may not hit aces I still hit serves that don't make it back to my side.
I noticed that he stops his racquet when he reaches the trophy position. Not a fluid motion keeping the racket moving from the beginning , more like a explosion motion. Thanks for the video Simon. All the best for you.
His "pause" is on average 0.2 seconds, think about how little time that is. But I agree, the explosion really happens from the trophy position. Thanks for watching All the best Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial ok simon. More videos about footwork please :) . I would love to have the footwork and balance of federer. I don't know how he is always in balance.
I have started to incorporate this service motion instead of my improvised Murray motion. This Roddick motion easily gave me 25+ mph effortlessly due to the rapidness. I’m really shocked by how consistent my 1st percentage has been with A.Rod’s motion despite its cannon speed it gave me. Working on my kick serve with this motion but I recommend anyone giving it a try. It’s worth trying something to see if it works for you. Thanks Simon.
Hi Simon, would love to hear from you and the team covering serve & volley tactics. What types of serves to use and where to serve at? Positioning for the easy volley. Thanks
Kyrgios would be a good comparison in the pin point department. He drives with both legs, has a quick toss and delivery. All with a conventional take back but he gets there quickly. Doesn't stop at trophy. Just one quick motion
Good suggestion, we have done the Nick Kyrgios serve analysis for our Serve Blueprint course but if enough people like this comment then we'll do another video for CZcams. Thanks for watching All the best Simon
Top Tennis Training - Learn Tennis Online no need for a comparison video. Well unless you want to compare the load. I remember that vid on kyrgios. It's all about quick burst down up and then a loose blessed shoulder. Thanks for the reminder to not be so slow and telegraphic! Also, I tell people to look at the toss over the shoulder like roddick is in the thumbnail. That extra turn is huge. If you're looking at toss to the inside of toss arm you're not turning enough.
The shoulder turn works depending on the stance in general. With some players if you try to turn them like a Federer or Sampras, don't have the mechanics to pull that serve off. Players who use a pinpoint stance for instance in general don't turn as much.
"creates a lot of stress in the shoulders..." And then he had shoulder issues starting in 2008 until the end of his career. His serves started to slow down and he needed to adjust to have more variety and placement options. He couldn't bang out 145mph vanishing balls down the T as much as he used to after that.
Great analysis. I’ve heard some people say his serve mechanics led to his career being cut a little short. Regardless Roddick was one of the few players whose serve was entertaining to watch I think because of the uniqueness of its style.
I've heard that also, but then if you take away his serve, what else did he possess that would have led to him having the career he did? His forehand was a weapon when on, backhand was always the weakest part of his game and his net game improved with his career, his serve is what made him so hard to beat when he played well. Thanks for tuning in All the best Simon
I always felt Roddick was born in the wrong era. Think of how many slams he would have won if he didn’t have Federer in his way. He lost 4 slam finals to roger including that epic 09 wimbledon. They also slowed the courts down significantly so his serve would have been even more potent had he played in the Agassi sampras era.
Thanks for the great lesson! I think we can take some element out of his serve. But may not be a good idea to completely revamp our serves based on Roddick's
Simon, I used to be a big power server in the club and would use that Roddick swing. And it allowed me to give my opponents only just half a second of time to react to the serve. Because it allows you to hit lighting fast serves.... But now since I been several years off the courts, the serve has slowed to a second of time now for my opponents. Which to me that speed is slow.... But when you are a power server you have to be good at serving to all places within in the box so you can shut down all the long rallies that club players try to draw you out into.. There's just too many club players who are serving bad serves and that's why they are stuck in long exhausting rallies for 3-4 hours in matches because they serving too much back into their opponent strike zones. crushing serves down the middle of the box instead of down the T, crushing them deep to the corner and all the opponent has to do is stick out a racquet to block it.
Roddick got a short peak of maybe 3-4 years bombing 140+ serves regularly. Definitely the most explosive server we have ever seen. But even with a monster shoulder your body just cant deal with this level of stress serving hundreds of balls everyday..i agree that the leg drive is definitely somehting we can take note of though
Great video, thank you so much for putting a summary in the description. It makes it so much easier to refer back to. I definitely notice significantly more power when I have a deep knee bend but all the forward momentum from the explosive leg drive also makes it harder to recover. How do you recover in time to cover that flat return to your feet?
Put this video in the TTT Hall of Fame. And you have many outstanding videos. Slab hitting with Fed, Lorenzi. Simon hitting with anybody right or left handed. Never seen that recording of Roddick discussing his serve. If I'm ever near your courts I'll try to schedule some sessions. Maybe something would rub off on me.
I am glad I saw this video because I saw elsewhere in a channel dedicated to the serve that legs are irrelevant. I tried to serve without jumping and the result was disastrous : no power! It's like shooting 3 pointers in basket without the leg. It's a feeling of weakness.
I know which channel you mean and the guy who is teaching that 90% power comes from the arm action is trying to stand out and make some claims that make him look "unique" Absolute bullshit. Look at the best servers, why do they all jump on serve? Trying to get clicks on his ads by saying something controversial, anyone with a decent tennis IQ knows he's spewing BS.
Thanks I can really relate to this. I'm getting back into tennis after many years and today I was practicing and this Roddick kind of motion felt much more natural to me and I was getting more power and accuracy. I still have a lot to work on though especially getting that forward momentum launching myself into the court.
Very illuminating. Particularly when Roddick begins the leg drive upwards. 08:18. The start of the leg drive upwards (straightening of the knees) typically coincides with the so-called trophy pose, wherein the palm is directly above the elbow. With Roddick, the palm *lags* the elbow!.. In Roddick's case, rather than focusing on "trophy pose" it may be more helpful to think of "leg drive" and when the leg drive upwards occurs.
I've been struggling with my serve for a while and I'm going to try the shortened backswing thing, as well as using both legs and driving up through the ball; since I am a shorter player :) Anyways thank you for this video. I always look forward to watching these.
Wow...that was really well explained for real.....the problem is when I start using this serve on my friend he never will be able to return the ball again and he won't play tennis with me anymore. I think I will play it safe and stay awful.
They talked at Roland Garros Iga Swiatek's new abbreviated service motion, adding 10 more mph to her serve. Wonder if that was Andy Roddick style of serve. Swiatek three-repeat as French Open champion!
Great video Simon. Roddick imo has the earliest leg drive of any player I have ever seen and due to his modified trophy pose and his explosive leg drive was the main reason why he hit the serve so hard. However, I dont think Roddicks serve is a good motion to model purely because you need to be very athletic with strong, powerful legs along with a very flexible shoulder in order to pull it off. His motion really is a one off just like Sampras' motion.
Thanks for watching Grant Roddick's motion was certainly unique, however I feel that many players could copy the explosive leg drive, of course not to his level. The shoulder flexibility is something that Roddick took very seriously, I saw him on a few occasions doing some shoulder mobility work and stretches. Most tennis players neglect that side of the game. All the best Simon
Top Tennis Training - Learn Tennis Online HI Simon yup shoulder flexibility is key for a great serve. Do you still do one on one coaching lessons? I might be interested in a few sessions if you do. Thanks.
One point he didn't explain is that you can actually accelerate the racket faster with Roddicks tack back as opposed to a traditional one like Fed or Theim.. just try changing the take back alone and you'll notice how much faster you can bring the racket head through
Well you can shorten the motion which in turn speeds up the racket head if you use a fast motion and low ball toss, however, the swing itself isn't the source of extra power. It's the speed at which you go through the entire motion.
I think a way LEG DRIVE is misinterpreted is that it is actually the BOWING OF THE BODY and the uncoiling of this bow shape that is seen as leg drive. How many of you have tried your best to push with your legs only to never get any more power? It's more to do with the INTENTION of explosively uncoiling from the bow shape rather than thinking of pushing up with your legs.
I know you hear this all the time, Simon, but your racket is seriously cool. Love the look. Also, great breakdown on Roddick's serve. Easy to understand bit of info. I'm surprised a lot of coaches believe that power generated from the legs isn't that significant in a serve. I played baseball competitively for most of my life and I couldn't fathom anyone having any success just using their arms and torso. It seems to make perfect kinetic sense that engaging the legs would be an excellent way to add power to a serve. But I am a bit newer to playing so perhaps someone more knowledgable could explain why some coaches believe this?
Thanks for watching Shea and for the nice comment. It is pretty hard to believe I know, in my opinion most of the coaches who buy into the whole "legs don't matter" misinfo fall into one of these: 1. Coaches who have learned the game from a textbook. Meaning they never played to a high level themselves but gained their tennis knowledge by reading manuals and watching others play, never having felt the same sensations that players feel. 2. Have come across one of the main "studies" that try to prove that the majority of power on serve comes from the arm. Most of the coaches I speak to with any degree of playing experience know the importance of the legs on serve. All the best Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial I agree with everything that you said but take the case of Stan Wawrinka who uses very little leg drive but gets lots of power also (though not as much as Andy).
@@gordogordo1698 Wawrinka doesn't jump as much as Roddick but he still starts the motion by driving into the ball, so his initial push is off the ground. He's also very, very strong and uses his core much more than many players on serve
Having a good range of motion in the shoulder joint is definitely a big factor in how much power you can generate, if the shoulder muscles are tight then it's hard to get the drop. Something we cover inside the serve revolution course in depth
not sure if you will read this, but thought it fits here the best..have you followed thiems serve progression/evolution? he has shortened his take back and narrowed his stance quite a bit over the years. this year it seems, his right arm and racket in the trophy pose are similar positioned as roddick does with the forearm more horizontal, yet shoulder still back and racket head pointing up. add that to his roddick like left arm while reaching in the air and hips far in the court/to net post as well. his serve in 2018 reminds me much of andy's, more so than monfils and his numbers are very impressive for a guy his size. effectiveness is another chapter though.. please forgive not always using the correct technical terms
Good analysis. Thiem has 100% played around with his service motion. Seems like Roddick is one of his main influences on the serve. Thanks for watching. All the best Simon
Could you make a video of playing tournaments at different courts. I am used to our soft synthetic grass with alot of sand and us open balls at our tournaments. At different tournaments they have harder synthetic grass courts and other types of balls. These things make me play less well early on and make me nervous which only makes things worse. This was in doubles matches
Federer must have been picking up on slight adjustments, ball toss, body angle etc Also when you play someone a lot, you start to find specific patterns of play they use, especially depending on the score. Roddick like most servers would have his favourite targets and go-to plays on big points and Federer probably knew them very well and what to expect
What always impressed me about Roddick's serve was how little time he spent between the first serve and the second serve. No bouncing the ball, no staring at the court. He missed the first serve, almost immediately, he threw the next ball up in the air for his second serve....
Yes he was extremely quick. Almost too quick sometimes when you need to calm down after the first serve before the second. Thanks for watching. All the best Simon
The closest comparison of the tennis serve would be to the jump smash in badminton. We have two swing motions- compact swing and full swing. Andy's swing motion is comparable to the compact swing motion. Although the jump smash is a more explosive shot than a tennis serve, requiring higher power draw from the ground with the legs, but the badminton racket, being much lighter in weight than the tennis racket is easier on the shoulders. Some prefer the full swing but I have seen most pros use the compact swing giving them more accuracy and power in the jump smash.
For newbies, would you recommend learning to serve without the leg drive and just trying to get it into the serve box, or should I leg drive from the start to build good habits?
Love to see the inner workings of one of the greatest servers of all time (IMO the GOAT server haha). Novak wasn't too far off with his impersonations lmao
But Roddick doesn't do a quick down and up with his legs, the video shows him bending his legs to his modified trophy pose, then coming up with his whole body as he initiates his forward swing. I think his power comes from his lean-back so his chest is pointing at the ball, and then hitting the ball more in front of him than over him to give him more leverage and also a longer swing ramp.
When I say he goes down and up quickly with his legs, I don't mean only his legs, I mean they drive the entire body down and up quickly. It's pretty clear he does have a fast knee bend, he doesn't pause in the knee bend for 5 seconds does he?
Top Tennis Training - Learn Tennis Online hi Simon, sorry, I don't mean to be oppositional, I just notice that when the ball goes up, he bends his knees, and when he is ready to strike he launches up into the ball. Certainly not 5 seconds, but longer than, for example, when jumping up to touch a basketball ring. Love your videos by the way.
First, you need to specify if you're right or left-handed. Second, you can use one or two hands for the backhand, but if you're unsure, I'd say start with two.
Very informative, Simon, as your videos often do, thank you. One question: do the legs mainly help to reach the height or it is also used to push forward and help hip rotation?
The leg drive does three main things: 1. Starts the kinetic chain from the ground up, explosive power starts the upwards phase of the motion. 2. Increases the power due to this chain 3. Helps you to reach up to make contact at the highest possible spot All the best Simon
Did you say another main thing, that he's hitting the ball exact in time, when the ball stops in the air? While you hit ball with 0 speed of drop its another bonus into power.
How about a Borris Becker serve analysis? Many of the modern players share many features of their serves making his look so unique and hard to grsp in terms of dynamics
I would say yes, however, I'm not sure many of our viewers would be interested in that. I can see it getting maybe 10-15k views and then getting lost online. If you want to see it, give the comment above a like and lets get 100 likes
The legs add to the power for sure, but most of the power still comes from the upper body's rotation. Wheel chair players can serve at around 80 mph. A 120 mph can be considered a fast serve on the ATP, so the legs add significant power, but to say most of the power comes from the leg is not right. Obviously less than 50% of the speed comes from the leg. Roddick himself said you can add 10, 15 mph from the legs, which means without jumping, Roddick can already serve well past 100 mph.
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Simon,your videos are splendid.Thanks.I'm a beginner at tennis,again. I had a shoulder trauma in a accident,with took me 10 years without playing. Came back playing one week ago.I still have a partially ruptured tendon,but getting better each day with Physiotherapy. I'd appreciate having video lessons on volley,which is weakest fundament,if possible with slow motion footages. I'm from Brazil,by the way and just found your channel few days ago. Thanks for your kindness and charisma. Best wishes.
Talking about how powerful the legs are doesn't explain how they power the serve; leg power going up doesn't translate into power going forward, which is what you need to explain a powerful serve.
Power from the legs drives the body upwards and forwards into the ball, creating more RHS and therefore more power. Pretty simple concept. Unless you’ve never used your legs on your serve before…
Watching this videos, I think I can become a tennis coach myself, Eventhough I never played tennis, Accept the airshot I do in my room, using a 20 year old racket
Roddick is still my favorite server. All the other great servers were almost seven footers, Roddick just let it rip every time with no real height advantage.
His serve sounded like a cannon going off. Incredible power
I'm not really surprised tbh. The dude was built like a QB.
Wouldn't be fair to say someone who is 6'2'' doesn't have any 'real' height advantage. Yes, maybe not a Karlovic or Isner advantage if that's what 'real' means.
TheSwordOfChe it’s completely fair. The average pro tennis player is tall compared to normal people.
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial its hard other player immitate Roddick serve
for years I've search for Roddick serve analysis and finally I've found the best breakdown of it.. The best breakdown analysis by far..
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
czcams.com/video/cQfDof4iOeg/video.html this guy does it well too.
I totally agree!
Roddick's serve was so different and so good, and it begs the question why nobody else ever copied it?
I actually made my 12 year old son do an abbreviated takeback a year ago, and now I'm going to incorporate that narrow foot stance, leg drive and modified trophy pose. His serve used to be weak, but the short takeback immediately improved his power and consistency. Some club members advised him to do a more traditional flowing service action, but we measured his serve speed and his short takeback makes his serve just as fast. I often mention Andy Roddick's serve when these people - who mean well - try to advise him to change his action.
I used the "Roddick" style serve for a while when I was younger, got more power and it cuts out a lot of the errors players go through during a full-motion, the major downside, in my opinion, is the stress it places on the shoulder joint. In a traditional motion when you drop the racket, the swing speeds up gradually and then you explode once you get in or near the trophy pose. With the Roddick style, you start that acceleration from the trophy pose with no momentum so the shoulder can take an extra amount of damage.
If it works for your son, stick to it, just make sure he's doing a lot of band work to strengthen the shoulder joint and scapula muscles.
All the best
Simon
Actually Gaël Monfils molded his serve after Roddicks
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial I feel differently. I feel more stress on my shoulder doing a full take back than when I have an abbreviated swing because there is EXACTLY less motion. Trying to accelerate your arm from a stand still is less stressful than from an arm in motion already counteracting the motion you want it to move in. A full take back can cause an increase in lag AT THE COST of more stresses being generated to move it in a different direction.
@@laykefindley6604 Same for me, after switching to Roddick’s abbreviated serve this month, my shoulder discomfort has gone away completely when I serve :D
Intention doesn't really matter all that much in this instance. You can mean well and inadvertently give bad advice.
Simon, I'm impressed not only with your analysis of the motion but also your ability to mimic it almost perfectly, something you've done with the strokes of other pros you analysed in your videos. You're certainly head and shoulders above other instructors when it comes to pro strokes analysis, not to mention the level of your tennis. Thanks for all the videos you and Alex have shot and posted. They're a gem to students of the game like myself.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
All the best
Simon
I agree I am also a big fan of Simon
The leg drive really adds to the kinetic chain at the racket head. I can generate a lot more topspin on my serve when i time the jump right.
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
I based my serve heavily on his serve and his explanation of it. I always found the less complicated arm motion helped me focus on my legs and core. Helped me immensely being 5’8”.
Thank you for watching 👍
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Great analysis on the mechanics of Roddick's serve.
Thanks for watching Ram
All the best
Simon
Excellent explanation of Andy Roddick's serve. Thanks Simon.
My pleasure 🙏
I don’t get why these videos are free. It’s so well explained. ❤️ These vids help me a lot!
They're free because we love helping people improve. That's what drives us.
We sell our premium content to those who wish to go much deeper into the game and that helps us dedicate more time to improving both our free and premium content.
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
Then send them some money
You could have a donation option for casual viewers.
You've a problem with people watching it for free?
The best break down of Roddick 's serve!
Thanks for watching.
All the best
Simon
Very interesting. I've tried the in between stance. And abbreviated take back even before watching. I could hit my serves just as fast as my traditional platform but could have a lower ball toss and quicker release. This helped my disguise and getting lots of aces. Also it's easier to place your ball toss and jump into the serve. It was amazing. However I got lazy and went back to the traditional serving technique. I was watching Fed a lot. But you've reinforced the idea. The difficulty for the receiver to read my direction was amazing. This was the best part cause that actually gets you aces mostly. I practiced this profusely and could get like a NFL QB looking at the T and instantly switching out wide or wide to BH on ad side. And then I got lazy cause this technique was not suffiently ingrained. it requires hitting a 100 or so practice serves daily until you get it. Then you have to continually practice it till you convert it. But it's totally worth it.
Great review of his serve Simon! Spot on about all the key elements of his serve. I got to see it up close a few years ago, like 10 feet away, and I must say the timing and explosiveness are really impressive.
He's made a lot of money due to that serve. ;-)
Oh yea, a ton of green.
Thanks for tuning in
All the best
Simon
Roddicks serve is my favourite of all time, I could watch it all day long
Thanks for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Yes, I would like to see your analysis on Roddicks 'forehand'. It always seemed he was holding back in a way and had the potential to be much more powerful. Also Nadals forehand analysis. Thanks
I've tried so many different serves. I initially had the Brian Battistone serve (like serving in volleyball.) I'd jump up really high and slam it down. I got a lot of aces and free points but I had no control. I switched to Roddicks take back. I now have more control and while I may not hit aces I still hit serves that don't make it back to my side.
I noticed that he stops his racquet when he reaches the trophy position. Not a fluid motion keeping the racket moving from the beginning , more like a explosion motion. Thanks for the video Simon. All the best for you.
His "pause" is on average 0.2 seconds, think about how little time that is.
But I agree, the explosion really happens from the trophy position.
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Yeah, very explosive. But never as explosive as your serve simon. Even Federer would be afraid to return your serve.
Haha I wish mate.
Thank you for watching.
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All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial ok simon. More videos about footwork please :) . I would love to have the footwork and balance of federer. I don't know how he is always in balance.
I have started to incorporate this service motion instead of my improvised Murray motion.
This Roddick motion easily gave me 25+ mph effortlessly due to the rapidness. I’m really shocked by how consistent my 1st percentage has been with A.Rod’s motion despite its cannon speed it gave me.
Working on my kick serve with this motion but I recommend anyone giving it a try. It’s worth trying something to see if it works for you.
Thanks Simon.
Thank you for watching 👍
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Hi Simon, would love to hear from you and the team covering serve & volley tactics. What types of serves to use and where to serve at? Positioning for the easy volley.
Thanks
Very good explanation and then you are an excellent player ... That's a big difference in compared to other people coach.
Thank you for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Kyrgios would be a good comparison in the pin point department. He drives with both legs, has a quick toss and delivery. All with a conventional take back but he gets there quickly. Doesn't stop at trophy. Just one quick motion
Good suggestion, we have done the Nick Kyrgios serve analysis for our Serve Blueprint course but if enough people like this comment then we'll do another video for CZcams.
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
Top Tennis Training - Learn Tennis Online no need for a comparison video. Well unless you want to compare the load. I remember that vid on kyrgios. It's all about quick burst down up and then a loose blessed shoulder. Thanks for the reminder to not be so slow and telegraphic! Also, I tell people to look at the toss over the shoulder like roddick is in the thumbnail. That extra turn is huge. If you're looking at toss to the inside of toss arm you're not turning enough.
The shoulder turn works depending on the stance in general.
With some players if you try to turn them like a Federer or Sampras, don't have the mechanics to pull that serve off.
Players who use a pinpoint stance for instance in general don't turn as much.
Haha Nick is serving platform some today 🙃
Great video! I was working on my serve today and thought I needed to try something new, so this is great!
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
"creates a lot of stress in the shoulders..."
And then he had shoulder issues starting in 2008 until the end of his career. His serves started to slow down and he needed to adjust to have more variety and placement options. He couldn't bang out 145mph vanishing balls down the T as much as he used to after that.
Late in the day to make this comment, Simon well done in explaining the serve! 👍🏽
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
Top Tennis Training - Tennis Lessons : keep the Instagram feeds coming. Love it
This was actually really good for my game. I was suffering a bit of a serving drop and this helped get it back on track
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
Looking for this video for a while. Really good.
Thanks for watching Glenn
All the best
Simon
Very good. The best serves are deceptive and quick. Roddick could serve missiles. So glad I got to watch him play
Great analysis. I’ve heard some people say his serve mechanics led to his career being cut a little short. Regardless Roddick was one of the few players whose serve was entertaining to watch I think because of the uniqueness of its style.
I've heard that also, but then if you take away his serve, what else did he possess that would have led to him having the career he did? His forehand was a weapon when on, backhand was always the weakest part of his game and his net game improved with his career, his serve is what made him so hard to beat when he played well.
Thanks for tuning in
All the best
Simon
I always felt Roddick was born in the wrong era. Think of how many slams he would have won if he didn’t have Federer in his way. He lost 4 slam finals to roger including that epic 09 wimbledon. They also slowed the courts down significantly so his serve would have been even more potent had he played in the Agassi sampras era.
Thanks for the great lesson! I think we can take some element out of his serve. But may not be a good idea to completely revamp our serves based on Roddick's
Absolutely!
Very informative video on doing serves super efficient & fast
These videos are just fantastic.
Thanks for watching Josh.
Glad to hear you enjoy them.
All the best
Simon
Simon, I used to be a big power server in the club and would use that Roddick swing. And it allowed me to give my opponents only just half a second of time to react to the serve. Because it allows you to hit lighting fast serves.... But now since I been several years off the courts, the serve has slowed to a second of time now for my opponents. Which to me that speed is slow.... But when you are a power server you have to be good at serving to all places within in the box so you can shut down all the long rallies that club players try to draw you out into.. There's just too many club players who are serving bad serves and that's why they are stuck in long exhausting rallies for 3-4 hours in matches because they serving too much back into their opponent strike zones. crushing serves down the middle of the box instead of down the T, crushing them deep to the corner and all the opponent has to do is stick out a racquet to block it.
Awesome video, a great analysis.
Thanks for watching.
All the best
Simon
The legs it is then! Thanks Simon for a very informative video.
Thanks for watching Kevan
All the best
Simon
Roddick got a short peak of maybe 3-4 years bombing 140+ serves regularly. Definitely the most explosive server we have ever seen. But even with a monster shoulder your body just cant deal with this level of stress serving hundreds of balls everyday..i agree that the leg drive is definitely somehting we can take note of though
Thank you for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Great video, thank you so much for putting a summary in the description. It makes it so much easier to refer back to.
I definitely notice significantly more power when I have a deep knee bend but all the forward momentum from the explosive leg drive also makes it harder to recover. How do you recover in time to cover that flat return to your feet?
Thanks for watching Kevin
Here is a video all about balance after serve - czcams.com/video/fmwrM3vtIfc/video.html
Thanks for the video Simon, what a creative way of using a soccer ball!
Put this video in the TTT Hall of Fame. And you have many outstanding videos. Slab hitting with Fed, Lorenzi. Simon hitting with anybody right or left handed. Never seen that recording of Roddick discussing his serve. If I'm ever near your courts I'll try to schedule some sessions. Maybe something would rub off on me.
Thank you for watching.
All the best
Simon
I am glad I saw this video because I saw elsewhere in a channel dedicated to the serve that legs are irrelevant. I tried to serve without jumping and the result was disastrous : no power! It's like shooting 3 pointers in basket without the leg. It's a feeling of weakness.
I know which channel you mean and the guy who is teaching that 90% power comes from the arm action is trying to stand out and make some claims that make him look "unique"
Absolute bullshit.
Look at the best servers, why do they all jump on serve?
Trying to get clicks on his ads by saying something controversial, anyone with a decent tennis IQ knows he's spewing BS.
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial absolutely right!
Thanks I can really relate to this. I'm getting back into tennis after many years and today I was practicing and this Roddick kind of motion felt much more natural to me and I was getting more power and accuracy. I still have a lot to work on though especially getting that forward momentum launching myself into the court.
Thank you for watching 👍
This is incredibly helpful! Hope you’re instructing because you’re a great teacher!
Very illuminating. Particularly when Roddick begins the leg drive upwards. 08:18. The start of the leg drive upwards (straightening of the knees) typically coincides with the so-called trophy pose, wherein the palm is directly above the elbow. With Roddick, the palm *lags* the elbow!.. In Roddick's case, rather than focusing on "trophy pose" it may be more helpful to think of "leg drive" and when the leg drive upwards occurs.
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Great explanation! Thank you.
Thank you for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Top video Simon! 💯
Thanks for tuning in Max
All the best
Simon
Thanks
Thanks for watching
excellent job. thanks!
Thank you for watching.
Are there any videos you'd like to see from us in the near future?
All the best
Simon
I've been struggling with my serve for a while and I'm going to try the shortened backswing thing, as well as using both legs and driving up through the ball; since I am a shorter player :)
Anyways thank you for this video. I always look forward to watching these.
Thanks for tuning in Jaden
Good luck with the serve
All the best
Simon
Any update?
Very good and interesting explanation.
Wow...that was really well explained for real.....the problem is when I start using this serve on my friend he never will be able to return the ball again and he won't play tennis with me anymore. I think I will play it safe and stay awful.
Haha time to get some new tennis friends. . .
They talked at Roland Garros Iga Swiatek's new abbreviated service motion, adding 10 more mph to her serve. Wonder if that was Andy Roddick style of serve. Swiatek three-repeat as French Open champion!
I’m seeing more and more players use the abbreviated serve these days
Great video Simon. Roddick imo has the earliest leg drive of any player I have ever seen and due to his modified trophy pose and his explosive leg drive was the main reason why he hit the serve so hard.
However, I dont think Roddicks serve is a good motion to model purely because you need to be very athletic with strong, powerful legs along with a very flexible shoulder in order to pull it off. His motion really is a one off just like Sampras' motion.
Thanks for watching Grant
Roddick's motion was certainly unique, however I feel that many players could copy the explosive leg drive, of course not to his level.
The shoulder flexibility is something that Roddick took very seriously, I saw him on a few occasions doing some shoulder mobility work and stretches. Most tennis players neglect that side of the game.
All the best
Simon
Top Tennis Training - Learn Tennis Online HI Simon yup shoulder flexibility is key for a great serve. Do you still do one on one coaching lessons? I might be interested in a few sessions if you do.
Thanks.
One point he didn't explain is that you can actually accelerate the racket faster with Roddicks tack back as opposed to a traditional one like Fed or Theim.. just try changing the take back alone and you'll notice how much faster you can bring the racket head through
Well you can shorten the motion which in turn speeds up the racket head if you use a fast motion and low ball toss, however, the swing itself isn't the source of extra power. It's the speed at which you go through the entire motion.
2009 Wimbledon Final with FED
Rodick Tried and Tried Fed just kicked it up a notch
Too soon... still too soon.
Simon, this is a great video.
Thanks for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Great observations and very well explained.
Great analysis.
Glad to hear it!
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
great video.
Thanks for watching.
All the best
Simon
I think a way LEG DRIVE is misinterpreted is that it is actually the BOWING OF THE BODY and the uncoiling of this bow shape that is seen as leg drive. How many of you have tried your best to push with your legs only to never get any more power? It's more to do with the INTENTION of explosively uncoiling from the bow shape rather than thinking of pushing up with your legs.
If that works for you 👍
Really good video
Thank you for watching Krishnapriya
All the best
Simon
Great video
Many thanks 🙏
I know you hear this all the time, Simon, but your racket is seriously cool. Love the look. Also, great breakdown on Roddick's serve. Easy to understand bit of info. I'm surprised a lot of coaches believe that power generated from the legs isn't that significant in a serve. I played baseball competitively for most of my life and I couldn't fathom anyone having any success just using their arms and torso. It seems to make perfect kinetic sense that engaging the legs would be an excellent way to add power to a serve. But I am a bit newer to playing so perhaps someone more knowledgable could explain why some coaches believe this?
Thanks for watching Shea and for the nice comment.
It is pretty hard to believe I know, in my opinion most of the coaches who buy into the whole "legs don't matter" misinfo fall into one of these:
1. Coaches who have learned the game from a textbook. Meaning they never played to a high level themselves but gained their tennis knowledge by reading manuals and watching others play, never having felt the same sensations that players feel.
2. Have come across one of the main "studies" that try to prove that the majority of power on serve comes from the arm.
Most of the coaches I speak to with any degree of playing experience know the importance of the legs on serve.
All the best
Simon
Interesting. Thanks, Simon. Can't wait for the next vid.
Thank you Shea
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial I agree with everything that you said but take the case of Stan Wawrinka who uses very little leg drive but gets lots of power also (though not as much as Andy).
@@gordogordo1698 Wawrinka doesn't jump as much as Roddick but he still starts the motion by driving into the ball, so his initial push is off the ground. He's also very, very strong and uses his core much more than many players on serve
How important is a steep racquet drop for a fast serve?
Having a good range of motion in the shoulder joint is definitely a big factor in how much power you can generate, if the shoulder muscles are tight then it's hard to get the drop.
Something we cover inside the serve revolution course in depth
Man, the contact Andy makes with the ball sounds like a whip cracking!
The leg drive is powering his massive and super fast shoulder turn where he got a lot of power from
Brilliant video 👍
Thank you for watching 👍
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
not sure if you will read this, but thought it fits here the best..have you followed thiems serve progression/evolution?
he has shortened his take back and narrowed his stance quite a bit over the years. this year it seems, his right arm and racket in the trophy pose are similar positioned as roddick does with the forearm more horizontal, yet shoulder still back and racket head pointing up. add that to his roddick like left arm while reaching in the air and hips far in the court/to net post as well. his serve in 2018 reminds me much of andy's, more so than monfils and his numbers are very impressive for a guy his size. effectiveness is another chapter though..
please forgive not always using the correct technical terms
Good analysis. Thiem has 100% played around with his service motion.
Seems like Roddick is one of his main influences on the serve.
Thanks for watching.
All the best
Simon
Could you make a video of playing tournaments at different courts. I am used to our soft synthetic grass with alot of sand and us open balls at our tournaments. At different tournaments they have harder synthetic grass courts and other types of balls. These things make me play less well early on and make me nervous which only makes things worse.
This was in doubles matches
The abbreviated motion helped to disguise Andy's serve but somehow Fed was still reading like a book. Any ideas how?
Federer must have been picking up on slight adjustments, ball toss, body angle etc
Also when you play someone a lot, you start to find specific patterns of play they use, especially depending on the score.
Roddick like most servers would have his favourite targets and go-to plays on big points and Federer probably knew them very well and what to expect
He wasn't reading it like a book. He bullied Andy's backhand not his serve.
What always impressed me about Roddick's serve was how little time he spent between the first serve and the second serve. No bouncing the ball, no staring at the court. He missed the first serve, almost immediately, he threw the next ball up in the air for his second serve....
Yes he was extremely quick. Almost too quick sometimes when you need to calm down after the first serve before the second.
Thanks for watching.
All the best
Simon
I been trying Andy service
Nice
The closest comparison of the tennis serve would be to the jump smash in badminton. We have two swing motions- compact swing and full swing. Andy's swing motion is comparable to the compact swing motion. Although the jump smash is a more explosive shot than a tennis serve, requiring higher power draw from the ground with the legs, but the badminton racket, being much lighter in weight than the tennis racket is easier on the shoulders. Some prefer the full swing but I have seen most pros use the compact swing giving them more accuracy and power in the jump smash.
Interesting comparison 👍
czcams.com/video/hLwaHfjlojU/video.html these are clips of pros using both compact and full swings
- Интересный урок. - Спасибо!
For newbies, would you recommend learning to serve without the leg drive and just trying to get it into the serve box, or should I leg drive from the start to build good habits?
I would recommend leaving the legs until you get the basics for sure
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Thank you!!
Modified my serve after 40 years of playing Tennis to that Roddick stuff. And fuck, it works!
such cool videos! Think of any cool tennis player and stroke and Simon and TTT guys have it covered :)
Thank you for the support
All the best
Simon
Beautiful
Thank you for watching
Happy holidays and all the best
Simon
Love to see the inner workings of one of the greatest servers of all time (IMO the GOAT server haha). Novak wasn't too far off with his impersonations lmao
Thanks for your support! Sam Groth also had a similar one
thanks a lot
Thanks for watching
But Roddick doesn't do a quick down and up with his legs, the video shows him bending his legs to his modified trophy pose, then coming up with his whole body as he initiates his forward swing. I think his power comes from his lean-back so his chest is pointing at the ball, and then hitting the ball more in front of him than over him to give him more leverage and also a longer swing ramp.
When I say he goes down and up quickly with his legs, I don't mean only his legs, I mean they drive the entire body down and up quickly. It's pretty clear he does have a fast knee bend, he doesn't pause in the knee bend for 5 seconds does he?
Top Tennis Training - Learn Tennis Online hi Simon, sorry, I don't mean to be oppositional, I just notice that when the ball goes up, he bends his knees, and when he is ready to strike he launches up into the ball. Certainly not 5 seconds, but longer than, for example, when jumping up to touch a basketball ring. Love your videos by the way.
hi friends, can we use only left hand for backhand. or do we need two handed backhand.
First, you need to specify if you're right or left-handed. Second, you can use one or two hands for the backhand, but if you're unsure, I'd say start with two.
Nicely put!
See older players when they exercise squats, calf raises etc and use legs in serve they get much more power..Always!
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Thank
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Very informative, Simon, as your videos often do, thank you. One question: do the legs mainly help to reach the height or it is also used to push forward and help hip rotation?
The leg drive does three main things:
1. Starts the kinetic chain from the ground up, explosive power starts the upwards phase of the motion.
2. Increases the power due to this chain
3. Helps you to reach up to make contact at the highest possible spot
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Thank you very much for your detailed reply. Sorry for the late reply. Read your reply just now
How did you guys repainted the rackets? pls share the method.
This is a prototype racket, unavailable on the market yet, stay tuned.
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
That is a $30 Million Serve - about what Roddick made with that serve on the ATP Tour.
Double that for endorsements, the $60 million serve 🤣
Did you say another main thing, that he's hitting the ball exact in time, when the ball stops in the air? While you hit ball with 0 speed of drop its another bonus into power.
🎯🎯🎯 10 points for that 👍
Great. How about an analysis of his legendary backhand?
Is that a joke 209?
No way is that a joke. That dude probably holds the record for most slices by a two-handed top 10 player!
And what level of tennis did you play? You fucking hacker😂😂😂
well....he made a lot more money than you did with your BAD jokes
How about a Borris Becker serve analysis? Many of the modern players share many features of their serves making his look so unique and hard to grsp in terms of dynamics
I would say yes, however, I'm not sure many of our viewers would be interested in that.
I can see it getting maybe 10-15k views and then getting lost online.
If you want to see it, give the comment above a like and lets get 100 likes
Is the all white color to conceal the shape like prototype cars
Yes exactly, it gives nothing away.
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
The legs add to the power for sure, but most of the power still comes from the upper body's rotation. Wheel chair players can serve at around 80 mph. A 120 mph can be considered a fast serve on the ATP, so the legs add significant power, but to say most of the power comes from the leg is not right. Obviously less than 50% of the speed comes from the leg. Roddick himself said you can add 10, 15 mph from the legs, which means without jumping, Roddick can already serve well past 100 mph.
I should have clarified I meant the power starts in the legs with the drive up. Kinetic chain
what racket do you have it’s incredibly beautiful
Thank you, it's a prototype racket, unavailable on the market yet.
What an incredible CZcams name you have hahaha
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Yonex EZ 98 Limited Edition, I have this stick!
I seem to recall that Roddick developed a shoulder injury. Could it be due to his technique?
Cool racket
Thank you, it's a prototype racket, unavailable on the market yet
Analyse Becker Serve plz!
Boris Becker?
What racket do you have here?
The all white racket is a prototype, not available right now.
Thanks for watching.
All the best
Simon
Best service of all times.He would be invincible if he could dominate all other fundaments.
But that's Utopy.
Thanks for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Simon,your videos are splendid.Thanks.I'm a beginner at tennis,again.
I had a shoulder trauma in a accident,with took me 10 years without playing.
Came back playing one week ago.I still have a partially ruptured tendon,but getting better each day with Physiotherapy.
I'd appreciate having video lessons on volley,which is weakest fundament,if possible with slow motion footages.
I'm from Brazil,by the way and just found your channel few days ago.
Thanks for your kindness and charisma.
Best wishes.
Talking about how powerful the legs are doesn't explain how they power the serve; leg power going up doesn't translate into power going forward, which is what you need to explain a powerful serve.
Power from the legs drives the body upwards and forwards into the ball, creating more RHS and therefore more power. Pretty simple concept. Unless you’ve never used your legs on your serve before…
Where did the footage of Roddick talking about his serve come from? thanks.
Somewhere online, I can't remember exactly though, sorry
I saw him in person at US Open in 2005 I think it was, serve 151, 148, 149, 146 in a row when he got pissed off at a line judge lmao 😯
Amazing power
He was monster
A tank!
what racket are you using
The white frame is a prototype
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial alright thank you
Watching this videos, I think I can become a tennis coach myself,
Eventhough I never played tennis,
Accept the airshot I do in my room, using a 20 year old racket
What exactly are you trying to say?
What racket is that?
It's a prototype racket, unavailable on the market yet
Top Tennis Training - Learn Tennis Online cool!
what kind of racket is that white one
It's a prototype racket, unavailable on the market yet.
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
I thought that racket looked like a bajillion strings, so once I read this comment I decided to count. 18x19? What the bloody hell is going on? lol