You’re only as good as your second serve

If you want to be a better player, spend more time on your second serve.  I play with many players that bang away at their first serve, missed it more than making it.  Then they push in a slow second serve or double fault because they don’t have confidence in the stroke.

Your service game is supposed to be an advantage to you.  It is your opponent that should be at the disadvantage.  You (hopefully) know where your going to hit it and what type of serve it will be.  They don’t.

There are several things to consider when you approach your service points.  If you get your first serve in, then you don’t have to worry about your second serve.  Take some of the speed off and increase your service percentage.  Then spend time working on your second serve.  If you would develop a dependable second serve that you can rely on, you can relax and put your opponent under pressure.

Since you typically hit a second serve with less speed than a first, you need to think of it as a control shot that has a lot of spin.  What type of spin can you hit?  Can you hit slice? Topspin?  If not, get a bucket of balls and get out on the court.  You’ll never develop a consistent serve without practice.  The number of serves you hit during a normal practice session with a partner is not enough.  You need time to slow things down and concentrate on each serve.  Set up targets.  Work on one type of spin at a time.

Remember, if you don’t get it in, you lose the point.  So, make sure that you work on control.  Out playing your opponent only happens if you can get the ball in consistently.  Focus on one facet at a time.  Presuming that you have a proper set up and motion, it comes down to the wrist snap. Concentrate on how the use of your wrist snap creates the spin. Practice hitting up and snapping down.  Watch how the ball spins.  Does it dip down fast enough into the court?  If not, don’t change anything, but add more snap.  This is a very simplified explanation.  But it should give you a start.

You should rarely miss a second serve.  Spend the hours necessary to learn to spin the ball and I promise your confidence and whole game will improve.