SERVE LIKE THE PROS
If you are a beginning to intermediate racquet ball player, you may look at the older advanced players in awe of their overpowering serves. Many people think it is the product of strength, but you will learn that strength has nothing to do with it. Anyone can have a good strong serve when applying the proper technique.
STANCE
The first thing to think about is your stance. Start towards the rear of the serving area and face the right wall with your feet at shoulder width. Take a half step forward with your left foot and a half step back with your right. The tips of the toes on your right foot should line up with the back of your left heel. You are now ready to hit the ball harder than you ever thought you could.
WEIGHT TRANSFER
A common attribute to weak serves is the initial step with the right foot. When you start your serve with an even stance you are forced to shuffle step. With this staggered stance you allow your right foot to step behind and through your left foot, creating more leverage and hence more power. As your right foot comes through you are positioning your weight over the left foot. As you plant your right foot to the left and behind the left foot, the left foot should now step through and end with your left foot positioned outside of your left shoulder. The weight of your body should have transferred to the right foot once the left started moving and ended solely on the left so that the right foot actually comes up off the ground. USE YOUR BODY WEIGHT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. This is where the power comes from. Here's a good way to achieve this desired fluid motion. Start from the proper stance. Position your weight on your left foot so much that you are falling over. Your right foot will naturally come through to catch you momentarily until your left foot comes back to balance you out. Practice this motion with your feet until you have a smooth weight transfer from start to finish. This is the most important and least understood part of the serve.
THE SWING
Now you are ready to add the arms. As your right foot makes the initial move, your racket arm should be moving straight back and up with your elbow at a 45 degree angle. Stop when your shoulder is fully extended and begin your downswing (just as you transfer your weight to the left foot). Your elbow should almost completely straighten at the point of impact and you should snap your wrist. Your racket should come down on a straight line parallel to your body. Completely follow through so that your right hand is next to your left ear and your torso has twisted to face the front wall. The wrist snap and straightening of the elbow is the exact same motion you would use to swing a baseball bat. As far as dropping the ball, experiment on where you like it positioned. The average player drops it just inside and out from the left foot, but it will vary depending on body type. You now have what it takes to produce that ear piercing serve that is so sought after.
TYPES OF SERVES
Now that your technique is straightened out, think about how to use it to fool your opponent. A hard low serve into the right rear corner is the most common and most effective serve. To change it up a little bit adjust your stance accordingly and put it in the left corner. BE SURE you don't just adjust your racket to hit it that direction or you will lose power. Your swing should always come through on a straight line parallel to your body. Another effective serve is the lob which when done properly can awkwardly position your opponent against the wall and unable to swing. You can also try the Z-serve by serving the ball so that it hits a side wall before hitting the floor in the back court. This will throw your opponent off balance when used sparingly.
MIND AND BODY
There are only two things that should go through your head when serving: location and velocity of the ball. Everything else should be programmed in your muscle memory so that your mind is not cluttered with thoughts. When your mind is too worried about what the body is doing, then the body will not perform to it's full potential. Do you think about every step you take and how you transfer your weight or do you just walk? When you go out and practice these techniques, don't try to incorporate them all at once. First work on the feet while taking your natural swing. Once the feet feel natural and are logged into your muscle memory then start working on the proper swing. Once the whole swing feels natural start trying different serves. Eventually you will have a serve that you are proud of.
