Leg drive in the tennis serve
Checkpoint 6 of 9 Measured by Serve Scan
Leg drive is how you push up off the ground into the ball, sending the energy from your legs through your body and into the serve.
Pushing up off the ground at contact sends the energy from your legs through your body into the ball. Players who drive up hit harder with less effort from the arm.
What good looks like
- From the loaded trophy, legs extend up and slightly forward
- Both feet leave the ground around contact
- You land inside the baseline
Common faults
- No push: the feet stay on the ground
- Stepping through instead of driving up
- Jumping before the swing, so the drive is spent too early
Drills to fix your leg drive
- 1
Jump into the court
Put a marker just inside the baseline. Serve and let your legs carry you up and forward so you land past it.
3 sets of 6 serves
- 2
Shadow jump
From the trophy, explode up and touch the highest point you can with the racket. Land past the marker.
3 sets of 6
- 3
Squat and throw
Hold a ball in both hands, sink into a squat, then drive up and throw it as high as you can over your head. The power comes from the legs, not the arms.
3 sets of 6
What your body is doing
Glutes, quads and calves straighten hip, knee and ankle together and push you up.
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 leg drive right?
Film one serve on your phone. Serve Scan tracks your body, scores your leg drive 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 leg drive in a tennis serve?
Leg drive is how you push up off the ground into the ball, sending the energy from your legs through your body and into the serve.
What are the most common leg drive mistakes?
No push: the feet stay on the ground. Stepping through instead of driving up. Jumping before the swing, so the drive is spent too early.
How can I check my leg drive?
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 leg drive 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.