tennis, life and a few things in between

I’d a bad fall on 3.31. After getting over it, I decided to improve my game, starting from the serve, mainly to get rid of the waiter’s tray.

Serve has been my dependable stroke. But I want to get better at it. What I didn’t anticipate was how long it would take. Change is hard and long.

Along the way, I got many kind and valuable criticisms on FB:

• 2023: 5.16; 5.18; 11.19; 12.06; 12.30
• 2024: 2.22; 3.07; 3.30; 4.06; 4.16; 4.20; 6.22
• 2025: 4.29; 10.28; 11.05; 12.15
• 2026: 3.03

A few steps I follow:

1. Make a box
2. weight transfer: rocking from front leg to back
3. R arm pull away – salute pose
4. Toss high
5. Drop the racket low
6. NOoOo waiter’s tray … still working on it
7. Pronate
8. Step into the court

How the pros doing it

• FedEx & Jo-Wilfried Tsonga open up a bit
  • from edge to edge to edge
  • 2 fingers
  • use the fence: turning too early will hit the fence
• 3 finger serve & more
• Vic
• FB 摩擦 敬礼

Here is my progress:

• ^3.06 served well but lost
• ^3.04 served well: drop low!
• ^3.02 3 angles: drop low
• ^2.25 toss higher
• ^2.23 drop more
• ^2.21 a few serves
• ^2.09 tossing
• ^2.06 before the mixed double tourney
• ^1.24 bend the knees, per Jay
• ^1.18 feel good
• ^1.17 heavy duty
• ^1.13 underhand
• ^{1.10 Sat}  1 & 4 v Aaron & Rich
• ^2026.1.04 tossing & some volleys
• looks good w/o the ball
• motion looks right? birds
• tossing good, only in practice
• toss first @ Vintage
• 3 fingers & more
• 6-2, 1-6, 2-2 w/ Randy
• 2 serves 6-1, 6-0 Betty
• tray & 3 serves ace
• 9 serves – still tray!
• make the box & it works
• can’t serve!
• pronate, only in practice
• an orange sky
• morning moon & sandhill cranes
• a game: left arm isn’t up
• a blue day
• lesson #3: look up at the ball
• … continue
• feeling pretty good
• right wrist needs work
• elbows drop
• face the wall
• drop your arm
• lovey dovey #2
• 8-6, 3-2
• hair bang
• Gary and the no shows
• Brad, the new guy
• … very tired
• coach’s showing; his red & my blue sneakers
• waiter’s tray, still
• coach’s pointers
• left arm out
• feel good, Golfer
• no ball; dove IV
• practice & sets; dove III
• singles tourney doves II
• mourning doves, warm up
• feels good: grips
• 6-4, 6-0
• ace pic
• two herons
• a new visor, and blue tap
• many comments fm FB 2024.3.07
• my shoulder needs to turn
• Lesson #2: waiter’s tray!
• 3-6, 3-6 w/ golfer
• Overgrip all wrong
• 6-2, 6-2
• no double
• why fix it if it ain’t broke? 1 ace & 2 doubles
• the grip, per Cheri; waiter’s tray; 4 doubles
• leg work … Cheri
• David & Edwin
• Jay: Look up
• New motion is somewhat working
• evening session, arm up
• arm up

I practiced serve before the match today at VL, the match went

5-0
2-5
4-5

Served up a double that ultimately cost us the game. However, my forehand holds up just fine…

https://youtube.com/shorts/Y-6mx09v9Ac?feature=share

Most suggestions on my serve is grip (continental), toss (in more).  So I went out and tried two days later (Thursday). Have I changed anything?

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZXwElG6CWOk?feature=share

… and a few pix on Thursday, May 18.

A beautiful day playing at VL

2016.6.21 ⇓