How many bounces?

[Yama]

Poll: How many times you bounce the ball before you serve?

For me, it's one. Just once. Sometimes, rarely, if my service motion is
somehow interrupted or I need to adjust my grip etc, I bounce the ball
second time, but never more than that. My regular playing mate does not
bounce the ball at all.

[Sawfish]

Post by Yama
Poll: How many times you bounce the ball before you serve?
For me, it's one. Just once. Sometimes, rarely, if my service motion is
somehow interrupted or I need to adjust my grip etc, I bounce the ball
second time, but never more than that. My regular playing mate does not
bounce the ball at all.

When I still played I bounced the ball with my racquet maybe three
times--whatever "felt" right.

I had a relatively low toss--Ivanesevich-like--and with a low toss you
almost never interrupt the service motion.

..or so it seemed to me.

[jdeluise]

Post by Sawfish

Post by Yama
Poll: How many times you bounce the ball before you serve?
For me, it's one. Just once. Sometimes, rarely, if my service
motion
is somehow interrupted or I need to adjust my grip etc, I
bounce the
ball second time, but never more than that. My regular playing
mate
does not bounce the ball at all.

When I still played I bounced the ball with my racquet maybe
three
times--whatever "felt" right.
I had a relatively low toss--Ivanesevich-like--and with a low
toss you
almost never interrupt the service motion.
..or so it seemed to me.

Two banks of two for me, sometimes I use the racket a couple
times too.

[Whisper]

Post by Yama
Poll: How many times you bounce the ball before you serve?
For me, it's one. Just once. Sometimes, rarely, if my service motion is
somehow interrupted or I need to adjust my grip etc, I bounce the ball
second time, but never more than that. My regular playing mate does not
bounce the ball at all.

1 or zero usually, but recently I've been forced to bounce it a few
times as my opponents often complain I'm quick serving. This annoys me
as you're supposed to play at the server's pace. I never hold up the
server, always make sure I'm ready to receive if they're ready to go.
So now I'm changing my patterns to bounce it about 6 times or so so I
don't have to deal with the 'I wasn't ready' crap.

[Yama]

Post by Whisper

Post by Yama
Poll: How many times you bounce the ball before you serve?
For me, it's one. Just once. Sometimes, rarely, if my service motion
is somehow interrupted or I need to adjust my grip etc, I bounce the
ball second time, but never more than that. My regular playing mate
does not bounce the ball at all.

1 or zero usually, but recently I've been forced to bounce it a few
times as my opponents often complain I'm quick serving.  This annoys me
as you're supposed to play at the server's pace.  I never hold up the
server, always make sure I'm ready to receive if they're ready to go. So
now I'm changing my patterns to bounce it about 6 times or so so I don't
have to deal with the 'I wasn't ready' crap.

Well it is server's REASONABLE pace =)

I don't have that problem, my service motion is not fast despite just 1
bounce, as I have other weird kinks there. Like I do this weird 'false
start' when I toss: I don't know why or how it began, nobody ever taught
me to serve and it shows, it's awful.

[Sawfish]

Post by Yama

Post by Whisper

Post by Yama
Poll: How many times you bounce the ball before you serve?
For me, it's one. Just once. Sometimes, rarely, if my service motion
is somehow interrupted or I need to adjust my grip etc, I bounce the
ball second time, but never more than that. My regular playing mate
does not bounce the ball at all.

1 or zero usually, but recently I've been forced to bounce it a few
times as my opponents often complain I'm quick serving.  This annoys
me as you're supposed to play at the server's pace.  I never hold up
the server, always make sure I'm ready to receive if they're ready to
go. So now I'm changing my patterns to bounce it about 6 times or so
so I don't have to deal with the 'I wasn't ready' crap.

Well it is server's REASONABLE pace =)
I don't have that problem, my service motion is not fast despite just 1
bounce, as I have other weird kinks there. Like I do this weird 'false
start' when I toss: I don't know why or how it began, nobody ever taught
me to serve and it shows, it's awful.

Yama, assuming you are right handed, do you drag your right foot up to
the baseline and pause and flex, even if only momentarily, or do you
simply flex your knees to coincide with the top of the toss without the
foot drag?

No right/wrong answer. I did the latter. I think it is required by a
relatively low toss.

Too lazy today to get good examples of either, but will get them if it
helps.

[Yama]

Post by Sawfish
Yama, assuming you are right handed, do you drag your right foot up to
the baseline and pause and flex, even if only momentarily, or do you
simply flex your knees to coincide with the top of the toss without the
foot drag?
No right/wrong answer. I did the latter. I think it is required by a
relatively low toss.
Too lazy today to get good examples of either, but will get them if it
helps.

I do drag my right feet a bit as you describe. Not much of a pause
though. My toss is low and inconsistent, never learned the proper way.

I once saw Emma Laine practise her toss during hitting session: it's
pretty cool how a Tour professional can get even that simple thing look
so different to us hacks. It went up and down straight as a ruler,
always to same height and landed at her fingers with millimetre
precision. Like it was molded in concrete if that makes sense.
I just hadn't paid attention to that so much before, when player does a
complete serve one tends to look at the racquet, and toss is just kinda
there.

[Whisper]

Post by Yama

Post by Sawfish
Yama, assuming you are right handed, do you drag your right foot up to
the baseline and pause and flex, even if only momentarily, or do you
simply flex your knees to coincide with the top of the toss without
the foot drag?
No right/wrong answer. I did the latter. I think it is required by a
relatively low toss.
Too lazy today to get good examples of either, but will get them if it
helps.

I do drag my right feet a bit as you describe. Not much of a pause
though. My toss is low and inconsistent, never learned the proper way.
I once saw Emma Laine practise her toss during hitting session: it's
pretty cool how a Tour professional can get even that simple thing look
so different to us hacks. It went up and down straight as a ruler,
always to same height and landed at her fingers with millimetre
precision. Like it was molded in concrete if that makes sense.
I just hadn't paid attention to that so much before, when player does a
complete serve one tends to look at the racquet, and toss is just kinda
there.

I've never caught a toss in my life. I have lots of friends who are
constantly catching it and trying again, much to my amusement. Just
throw the ball into your swing rather than swing at the ball. It's an
old Bill Tilden tip.

[Scall5]

Post by Yama

Post by Sawfish
Yama, assuming you are right handed, do you drag your right foot up
to the baseline and pause and flex, even if only momentarily, or do
you simply flex your knees to coincide with the top of the toss
without the foot drag?
No right/wrong answer. I did the latter. I think it is required by a
relatively low toss.
Too lazy today to get good examples of either, but will get them if
it helps.

I do drag my right feet a bit as you describe. Not much of a pause
though. My toss is low and inconsistent, never learned the proper way.
I once saw Emma Laine practise her toss during hitting session: it's
pretty cool how a Tour professional can get even that simple thing
look so different to us hacks. It went up and down straight as a
ruler, always to same height and landed at her fingers with millimetre
precision. Like it was molded in concrete if that makes sense.
I just hadn't paid attention to that so much before, when player does
a complete serve one tends to look at the racquet, and toss is just
kinda there.

I've never caught a toss in my life.  I have lots of friends who are
constantly catching it and trying again, much to my amusement.  Just
throw the ball into your swing rather than swing at the ball.  It's an
old Bill Tilden tip.

I recall *something* along the lines of Venus ending each practice with
50 ball tosses. If one landed too far away for her to catch it (I
think), she would start over until she got 50 correct ones. Anyone ever
hear of this?

[Sawfish]

Post by Scall5

Post by Yama

Post by Sawfish
Yama, assuming you are right handed, do you drag your right foot up
to the baseline and pause and flex, even if only momentarily, or do
you simply flex your knees to coincide with the top of the toss
without the foot drag?
No right/wrong answer. I did the latter. I think it is required by a
relatively low toss.
Too lazy today to get good examples of either, but will get them if
it helps.

I do drag my right feet a bit as you describe. Not much of a pause
though. My toss is low and inconsistent, never learned the proper way.
I once saw Emma Laine practise her toss during hitting session: it's
pretty cool how a Tour professional can get even that simple thing
look so different to us hacks. It went up and down straight as a
ruler, always to same height and landed at her fingers with
millimetre precision. Like it was molded in concrete if that makes
sense.
I just hadn't paid attention to that so much before, when player does
a complete serve one tends to look at the racquet, and toss is just
kinda there.

I've never caught a toss in my life.  I have lots of friends who are
constantly catching it and trying again, much to my amusement.  Just
throw the ball into your swing rather than swing at the ball.  It's an
old Bill Tilden tip.

I recall *something* along the lines of Venus ending each practice with
50 ball tosses. If one landed too far away for her to catch it (I
think), she would start over until she got 50 correct ones. Anyone ever
hear of this?

Here's a wrinkle: 16 minutess of various service motions. Its value is
limited because you don't get to to see the apex of the toss, but you do
get to see slide foot flexed vs fixed foot flex.

Some fearsome foot faults, too.

[Scall5]

Post by Yama
Poll: How many times you bounce the ball before you serve?
For me, it's one. Just once. Sometimes, rarely, if my service motion is
somehow interrupted or I need to adjust my grip etc, I bounce the ball
second time, but never more than that. My regular playing mate does not
bounce the ball at all.

Always has been four bounces for me. Four just felt right to me. If I
got distracted by my opponent(s) or a ball from another court, I would
go back to my four bounces.

[*skriptis]

Always has been four bounces for me. Four just felt right to me. If I got distracted by my opponent(s) or a ball from another court, I would go back to my four bounces.-- ---------------Scall5

That's the spirit. ;)