Tennis Serve Pronation

[KnightMD]

Pronation adds spin, but the fact you've moved you're racquet sideways from the beginning (i.e. less air resistance, faster swing) is what adds power.

[winxknight]

I find it really hard to pronate when I'm doing spin serves like slice serves and top spin serves, I feel like it would hurt my wrist... I have no problems pronating when doing flat serves because of the motion. What can you suggest?

[WuIzMe]

i think this pronation motion is totally wrong.... pronation occurs with the racquet closer to a perpendicular angle to the forhand rather than parallel

[thorie79]

On my serve, I swing at the ball like flapping a wing and I think I injured my shoulder. When I watch these videos, the arm motion looks more like hammering a nail into a wall. Does that sound right? Would switching to a hammering motion rather than a sideways slapping motion be better for my shoulder?

[cristdinho]

Ifs really good vid Man. Thanks and those examples though they might look silly they are very helpful. Keep posting tank u

[morpher1978]

Nice explanation of the importance of pronation regarding a good serve :)

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[thejym]

Great video! I find it very interesting that we had very similar things to say regarding pronating the forearm even though we play different sports (see my video in question here: youtube.com/watch?v=HNVC5PVJyP­Q

I'll refer some of my viewers to this video since you have some nice angles from the back and from above.

[nengstro]

Thanks for this, and your other vids, really helpful ;-)

[caloyjp]

do you snap your wrist while you pronate?

[TheLeilisa]

how tall are you ?

is 5'10 good for Tennis?

[rox1317]

is that a hidden advertisement you put at 1:09???

[aungchye]

pronation is for the lefties only!? it doent work with me!

[eyetooob]

Yes, I agree. Demonstration from a leftie is indeed mind boggling for righties. Hard to follow. But, we can watch the video in the mirror. ;)

[bicbicbicbickle]

pick a left hander as an example , yeh make it simpler for the majority.not

[odjiepascual]

FYB, is it okay if upload my serve and strokes here in youtube and could you look into it? i think i have a problem with my serve form and execution though its consistent my problem is how my racquet falls and my back foot kinda shoots sideward when i serve. thanks hoping to hear from you.

[ErnneXPinoY]

My elbow/arm begin to hurt after a few serves with pronation... It affects me, my power, and I can't concentrate properly... Is there a way to avoid those kinds of stuff?

[myshemay]

Hi @ErnneXPinoY, do some tennis conditioning/arm exercise. one example is holding a light dumbell or small bottled water with your hitting arm in a position slightly like the "racket drop" taught by Will. then from that position, support the back of your arm just below the elbow with your non-hitting arm. then slowly move your hitting arm in a "up & down" motion. it's hard to explain hehe but i found a sample video here before, it might help you: search Tennis conditioning by Lifestyleservices

[ThePrimaryColours]

great video!

[coffeeblack7]

my serve is terrible. can anyone give me any tips on how to get it better?

[aonutube]

Can you give explanation on how to hit between the legs ?

[UpTownSniper]

fuzzy yellow balls? lol

[10brownblair]

Do you have shoulder problems serving this way? I have changed my serve to the one in the video; I now get pain.

[terryschutte]

i hate your viedos, there so fricken tecnical, and not every player uses pronation loser

[DBF1957]

You really need decaf

[ultima57]

uhh sorry but not every high level player uses that, mostly due to kick serves and twist serves which involve very specific swing styles

[espegarcivelasco]

Great!!!

[Charusho]

Great video mate

[tennismaster321]

nice shades

[fhgmail]

I think "pronation" is a necessary mechanical movement to increase arm speed and hit the ball with the face of the racquet. But, since you normally hit the ball in the exact vertical middle of the racquet, where "pronation"-forces are 0, i am not sure how it can add energy to the ball....

[assailant85]

that's exactly what I thought. It could even be a negative force, if you hit the ball a bit to the side which is going to the back!

[FedExSecret]

Pronation occurs naturally.

[tennismaster321]

@FedExSecret

not really. Some people tend to just hit flat with out pronating.

[ARTZY64]

@tennismaster321 If you are using the proper backhand grip on the serve, your racquet will come up on edge... you have to pronate to get the racquet face on the ball.

[tiochaota]

i have a text message which i havent looked at lol

[Tsetycoon13]

TWIST SERVE!

[Jacdagirl94414]

lol prince of tennis

[panfriedeggs]

i like his shirt XD

[Kbrlite]

im a beginner an i can serve into the box, although not with power..shud i learn how to serve with pronation or should i first be able to consistently get the ball in? is there an element of UNLEARNING once i continue learning to serve 'amateurly'?

[Anon1352]

yes you can retrain your body it is hard to do though but i would suggest focus on a high contact point, toss,and once comfortable with that adding a knee bend before worrying about pronation, wrist snap,and grips i hope this helps

[panfriedeggs]

i think you should learn to pronate after you develop a second serve. pronation is more of a first serve

[ElectricalCloud]

go for consitency first then when you have a lot of consitency go for the hard serves

[ARTZY64]

@Kbrlite I see a lot of hackers using a forehand grip to serve... they don't pronate at all, just push. Make sure you use a backhand grip to serve. It helps if you know how to throw properly... it's the same motion. If you are relaxed it should happen naturally

[shineris9er]

I just realized how big your head is compared to your body.

[jembals]

he's like richard gasquet!

[yxyana]

haha, FYB isn't as 'pear-shaped' as Gasquet, I would say... lol

[jonno9208]

it looks like he is 'pronating' too soon, if he hit the ball in that position the it would have gone too high, (even tho my profile doesnt make me look like a tennis player, i do play competative league tennis :P)

[7yadig]

he has a txt msg hah

[samm11ful]

That comes natural to me. And this guy took way to long getting his point across. Good info in it though.

[vitaliyiscool]

agreed

[fastdunn]

actually not many people understand the pronation to its full potential.

even many of world class pros do not use the full potential of pronation.

it is not easy to fully master this for both spin and power. it is really for advanced players IMHO.

[bigbtripathi]

Learning tennis newly..Cannot get the server right. It goes out of park when I try to hit hard..

Is pronation mandatory for serving? When you serve the power comes from your wrist or arm or little bit of both?

[robbyperez]

Stand on your toes, extend the racket high up in the air... that' the spot you want to hit the ball...just infront of you never behind you... that's what sends the ball up up and away... hold your racket loosely, start your swing... just before racket makes contact with the ball... GRIP IT... that will give you a 100mph serve... its more complicated but try it... pronation is an unconscious act... later you want to control it to serve different stuff... kicks, slice, flat,... remember 2 warm up

[bigbtripathi]

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation. This will definitely help me.

[edh4987]

i caint get it right either

[supermaz2002]

I just cant seem to get it right :(

Am i suppose to turn the racquet or does it come naturally? Maybe its my grip i dont know.

[ellis3210]

so this will get you more power in your serve?

[roxasnriku1]

LOL I love the cellphone bit

[tracerit]

excellent videos. ii wish there was something that would reverse the video, since you're a lefty and i'm a righty haha.

[trewsuckf]

can someone clear this up i write with my left hand but play with my right i cant serve with my left but can change over in a game would i have more power in my left

[pgs0000]

yeah its intresting sevice i can plaied but i do not know it called that

[Grieverer]

l don't get what's the big deal with the whole pronation thing. lt happens naturally anyways, if you have the correct grip, correct technique and a decent serve that is.

l have a very good serve and l have never even bothered nor ever thought about "pronation" or "pronating" when l serve.

Some people say that it is even counter-productive to teach someone to deliberately pronate and think about pronating, because, since it is something that happens naturally anyways, it tends to mess you.

[cougher989]

well, one logical thing i can think of is that when you swing your racquet this way, there is less friction so you can technically swing faster and get more power that way.

but i've never heard of this (i'm pretty noob at tennis), so I still have to try it. sounds interesting lol.

[MizzleHizzle]

Cougher, there's no friction when you swing a tennis racquet... If you mean air resistance (which I assume you do), pronation doesn't decrease the amount of resistance. Basically, you're adding racquet-head acceleration using the rotational energy you're creating with your forearm and wrist. I'm not sure if that made any sense to you, but it sounded good in my head. :P

[cougher989]

well whatever the proper term is, it would seem that it's possible to swing faster if your racquet is on its side. at least it seems that way when i swing both ways in comparison. but yeah i understand that the pronation is just the end motion adding a bit of power.

[colinofedinburgh]

I'm a tennis n00b also but what you're saying does make sense. Swinging the racquet edge rather than face on is faster due to the reduced air resistance (and it's blatantly obvious you can feel it!)

I know nothing about physiology either but it strikes me that pronating might add extra power to the serve due to the body's natural mechanics/muscles. That and the spin imparted due to drawing across your body.

We need someone who knows physiology and physics I suspect!

[v205]

FYB, is pronation also used for topspin / slice / twist serves too? I feel that pronation is more so for flat serves?

[FYB2007]

it's used for all serves

[v205]

Thanks, I checked out more videos and saw that the pronation is delayed for kick/slice serves compared to flat serves.

However, what is the detriment of not pronating after a spin serve as that action is AFTER contact with the ball? Lost of pace?

[v205]

Just to clarify, what I meant was the leading edge of the racquet doesn't change after contact.

[sfrank2886]

Pronation occurs on all serves. Although it should not be taught as it leads to arm problems and generally occurs naturally. Players who try and generate pronation will hit the ball on the wrong side of the ball and not generate the proper spin, ie (right to left for righties) which is necessary for more control on explosive serves. I have been teaching for 30 years and have never been an advocate of teaching pronation period.

[crisdel10]

porfavor no lea esto porfaaaaaa no lo leais

el 13 de octubre de 1991

un niño llamado nick se tiro de un puente devido a problemas familiares

si ya leiste esto deves copiar y pegar

en otros 5 videos mas o si no

nick vendra por toda tu familia

haslo o moriran porfavor hasme caso

jeje yo lo e echo por si acaso si lo aveis leido ke putada

[gewooneerlijk]

FyB2007

hit the ball little bit lower you mean when you come up with racket you hit low and come across.?

[FYB2007]

just lower your contact point slightly... don't hit it as high as you can.

[a7x836]

will do you think you can make a video on how to place your serves? (inside, outside, middle) usually i serve with spin as hard as i can hoping it will go in. now i want to enhance my game with placement.

[FYB2007]

ya we can probably come up w/something

[a7x836]

thank you so much. also, maybe one on how to hit shots with more pace? i've seen guys swinging with no effort at all but still have them shoot right to me. how is this possible? i like to kill the ball all the time but get the same result. man, i wish i could pay you to become my coach. you're the best! i've learned a lot from these videos alone.

[gewooneerlijk]

hi FYB2007

How you can get serve to 170 or 180 km

my server speed is 140 km

I throw the ball high and hit the ball highest point but can,t generate more power

[FYB2007]

move your toss further out in front of you and hit the ball a little bit lower. make your contact point more similar to where you would release a baseball if you were throwing one.  experiment with that -- it should work.

[gewooneerlijk]

hi FYB2007

you mean first the toss arm goes in front

how you mean hit the ball lower but the tennis arm must come up if you hit the ball is coming to the net, i am sorry i don,t understand this one

[metallica1694]

haha great shirt!

thanxs

[darkaznb4]

do i practice with a ball first or without

[sp8211a]

Dude, you are nothing short of awesome...thanks a lot, I have an accurate serve but not a powerful one. My strokes are 4.0 to 4.5 but my serve has always been 3.0 to 3.5. I can't wait to try it, I will get back to you.

Thanks!

[FYB2007]

thx looking forward to it!

[vmntmn]

hey, after you pronate, do you just turn your wrist down? also, when you pronate and make contact, is your elbow straight/extended too?

[SeekHeart]

Will could you do a pronation vid on the 3 types of serves?

[messiah723]

amazing videos,

thanks

[paki11]

ur supposed to use a continental grip right?

[FYB2007]

yep!

[smithcm14]

I personally wouldn't be too conscious about pronation, it might injure your wrist if you exaggerate the motion. Beginners should be aware that pronation should naturally occur when swinging from the "back scratch" position .

[Level7even]

but high level players don't use back scratch or from what I've seen at the college level, I suck at serving though so I wouldn't necessarily know, my game is returns

[jcpkbo]

super !!!!! thanks from spain

I will be a winner ....

[AceGuitarR7]

how hard is it to understand pronation? lol

[icficf9]

If you are a right-hander, when you pronate the direction of rotation of the racquet head is clockwise (looking from above), but the direction of spin is anticlockwise (i.e. spinning out wide in the deuce court). So how can you have a clockwise pronation (left to right), but brush up against the ball counterclockwise (right to left)?

[Clayton28]

This is all just a set up in order to show off your new smart phone isnt it. no just razzin thanks for the tips

[FYB2007]

Haha ya except I just upgraded to a Blackberry!

[vmntmn]

do u make contact then pronate or pronate then make contact?

[FYB2007]

You pronate and then make contact

[sebusimon]

But isn't it so that you pronate, then make contact and then continue pronation after contact??

[FYB2007]

Ya you continue to pronate after contact

[animaanimaanima]

no, after contact is pretty musch a follow through of the pronation.

pronation -> you have to achieve max acceleration of racket head b4 contact.

(F=ma, more force = more a. more a helps achieve high s, which creates more momentum. plus the rotational momentum from the pronation -> add all of those to the ball with light weight. remember M=mv -> so speed is inversely proportional to mass)

[Tony07UK]

Pronation has to start before contact - it can't suddenly start at impact point. The movement is continuous after the ball has been struck. Same as with brushing the ball for topspin ~ there's the approach, the contact .. and the follow through.

[kbjessm]

phone example is so cool and easy to understand thank you~

[FYB2007]

faiz -- you pronate on a kick serve as well. timing is just a little different.

cag -- you pronate on both a first and second serve. you need a lot of racket head speed (which pronation helps provide) to generate spin, which makes a second serve more consistent than a first serve.

[ProfessaBojangles1]

Do you have to "snap" on kick serves like you do on flat?

[FYB2007]

You don't "snap" per say. You pronate... which is sometimes confused with snapping your wrist. However, you do pronate on all serves.

[xuefen14]

are you lefthanded?

[FaiziaJ]

say if you wanted to do a kick serve, wouldn't pronation make you hit the ball up rather than down, since you're trying to brush up against the ball and the racquet face will be facing/going up a bit. So wouldn't that mess up a second serve? Or is it still better but a bit harder. This might help a lot with the twist serve though. Great vid.

[cagrisaner]

you only pronate on first serve

[vishnufury]

good..easy to understand..

should have been a righty...

thanks!!

[ProfessaBojangles1]

Once you talked about the phone example, I now totally learned the idea of pronating. Well done.

[stickexjr]

lol i'll remember to hit the right ball

[nidodeurraca]

This is the best explanation of pronation that I've seen. Thanks for creating it. The different views and the slow-motion are superb.

[jwc0828]

This is a great tip on pronation. Thanks!

[buybuylove]

very informative. thanks.

[lilbitch90]

omg!! it's high skool kinesiology!! been so long!!

[xxode315]

Very nice

[nachoexpresso]

Excelent video really help me alot!, thanks!!