The contact point in the tennis serve: how high to hit
Checkpoint 7 of 9 Measured by Serve Scan
The serve contact point should be at full reach upward, with your hitting elbow above your head and your arm reaching up rather than out in front.
Hitting the ball at full reach upward gives you height over the net and more margin. Reaching forward instead lowers your contact point and flattens your serve into the net.
What good looks like
- Hitting elbow above your head at contact
- Arm reaching up, not out in front
- Body up behind your arm, not slouching
Common faults
- Contact out in front with the arm reaching forward
- Bent elbow at contact
- Leaning or slouching into the ball
Drills to fix your contact height
- 1
Reach the high point
Hold your racket up at full stretch and note the height. Shadow swing so the strings pass through that point with a straight arm.
3 sets of 8, then 10 serves hitting at that height
- 2
High catch
Toss a little higher than usual and catch the ball with your hitting hand at full stretch above your head. Freeze for a second.
3 sets of 10
- 3
Serve from your knees
Kneel on the baseline and serve over the net. From down there the only way over is to swing up, so you feel the upward reach.
3 sets of 6
What your body is doing
Triceps straightens the arm. Abs and obliques bring the trunk up and forward.
Watch Pavel explain it
Plays from YouTube.
How to practise it
- Watch the video first. Then copy the drills slowly, without a ball.
- Practise little and often. Five to ten minutes before each session, for two weeks.
- Add the ball at half pace. Keep the feeling for 10 to 20 serves before you build up speed.
- Check your progress. After two weeks, film one serve side-on and scan it again to compare.
Is your contact height right?
Film one serve on your phone. Serve Scan tracks your body, scores your contact height and the rest of your serve out of 100, and shows where it leaks power. Free, and your video stays on your phone.
Questions
What is the contact height in a tennis serve?
The serve contact point should be at full reach upward, with your hitting elbow above your head and your arm reaching up rather than out in front.
What are the most common contact height mistakes?
Contact out in front with the arm reaching forward. Bent elbow at contact. Leaning or slouching into the ball.
How can I check my contact height?
Film one serve side-on with your phone at hip height and your whole body in frame, then run it through Serve Scan. It measures your contact height with body tracking and scores it, free.
How long does it take to improve?
Practise little and often. Five to ten minutes before each session, for two weeks. Check your progress. After two weeks, film one serve side-on and scan it again to compare.