The Answer
There are several biomechanical principles that can be applied to increasing the power and ball speed of a tennis serve.
The faster the racquet head accelerates and the more time it is given to accelerate, the greater the force and impulse is on the ball. This will increase ball speed. In my own serving technique, my racquet head acceleration could be improved. This is reliant on several factors.
The first is due to my centre of gravity transfer in the wind up phase. In the tennis serve wind up the centre of gravity should be shifted towards the back leg to increase the distance of the moment arm and distance of the racquet swing. It can also help with the build-up of elastic potential energy as it forces the leg and back muscles to contract and store energy. A good server will utilise this to increase power output on the ball, due to transfer of energy and more time to accelerate the racquet. In my serve my body mass does not shift backwards very far and this may be due to my ball toss being too far forward.
Secondly racquet head acceleration can be improved through the kinetic chain and the storage and release of strain energy in the wind up and connection phase. The smoother the kinetic chain, the more power and control is generated. The kinetic chain of movements in my windup phase, are very staggered. It can be seen that I often hesitate when different joints move when moving the racquet from the start of the ball toss to behind my back. This affects the transfer of energy, which affects the build-up of strain energy and the overall acceleration of the racquet.
This hesitation in the kinetic chain effects the build up of strain energy. This causes my racquet stop in a 10 o’clock position rather than behind my back. This stops my arms from contracting and storing strain energy as the muscles are not coiled in this position for an extended period of time like they should be. Instead the kinetic chain is disrupted, as the racquet must stop again as it comes behind the back, which all contribute to a great loss in force and momentum as well as racquet acceleration which is vital for power.
However, there are also some good points about my serve in regards to my serving action in regards to torque, the shift in my centre of gravity and the snapping of the wrist.
The rotation of my racquet arm, torso and legs is quite significant to my power. In my serve you can see my arm legs and torso rotate as I connect with the ball which produces a greater torque force and increases the angular acceleration and momentum of the racquet which increases power.
Because of my ball toss being further in front of the body, the shifting of my centre of gravity forward in the follow through is effective. This allows the server to transfer energy and momentum from their body mass into the serve which ultimately increases ball speed.
Finally the end phase of my kinetic chain is also quite effective. This is done through the wrist flick at the connection point with the ball. The wrist flick is the release of strain energy, and due to this flick it creates more power and velocity on the ball.
Focusing on these improvements and ensuring these positive factors are retained will greatly improve the power of my serve, which is important for my performance in tennis.
The faster the racquet head accelerates and the more time it is given to accelerate, the greater the force and impulse is on the ball. This will increase ball speed. In my own serving technique, my racquet head acceleration could be improved. This is reliant on several factors.
The first is due to my centre of gravity transfer in the wind up phase. In the tennis serve wind up the centre of gravity should be shifted towards the back leg to increase the distance of the moment arm and distance of the racquet swing. It can also help with the build-up of elastic potential energy as it forces the leg and back muscles to contract and store energy. A good server will utilise this to increase power output on the ball, due to transfer of energy and more time to accelerate the racquet. In my serve my body mass does not shift backwards very far and this may be due to my ball toss being too far forward.
Secondly racquet head acceleration can be improved through the kinetic chain and the storage and release of strain energy in the wind up and connection phase. The smoother the kinetic chain, the more power and control is generated. The kinetic chain of movements in my windup phase, are very staggered. It can be seen that I often hesitate when different joints move when moving the racquet from the start of the ball toss to behind my back. This affects the transfer of energy, which affects the build-up of strain energy and the overall acceleration of the racquet.
This hesitation in the kinetic chain effects the build up of strain energy. This causes my racquet stop in a 10 o’clock position rather than behind my back. This stops my arms from contracting and storing strain energy as the muscles are not coiled in this position for an extended period of time like they should be. Instead the kinetic chain is disrupted, as the racquet must stop again as it comes behind the back, which all contribute to a great loss in force and momentum as well as racquet acceleration which is vital for power.
However, there are also some good points about my serve in regards to my serving action in regards to torque, the shift in my centre of gravity and the snapping of the wrist.
The rotation of my racquet arm, torso and legs is quite significant to my power. In my serve you can see my arm legs and torso rotate as I connect with the ball which produces a greater torque force and increases the angular acceleration and momentum of the racquet which increases power.
Because of my ball toss being further in front of the body, the shifting of my centre of gravity forward in the follow through is effective. This allows the server to transfer energy and momentum from their body mass into the serve which ultimately increases ball speed.
Finally the end phase of my kinetic chain is also quite effective. This is done through the wrist flick at the connection point with the ball. The wrist flick is the release of strain energy, and due to this flick it creates more power and velocity on the ball.
Focusing on these improvements and ensuring these positive factors are retained will greatly improve the power of my serve, which is important for my performance in tennis.
This video shows my serve in slow motion. Links can be made to the answer with the pros and cons of my serving technique.