Hi ,

This week, a friend of mine asked me to check out his daughter’s serve.

She’s 17 and has been taking lessons with many coaches, but her serve was still all over the place. She’s a really good, aggressive player during the rallies, but serving has always been hard for her.

When I watched her serve, I noticed something I used to do when I was younger: her grip kept changing during the backswing.

Instead of telling her to avoid doing that, I asked her to try something simple: hold the racket more loosely and use what’s called an Eastern backhand grip (you can see how in this video).

She and her dad looked surprised - they didn’t know you could serve like that… with an eastern backhand grip!

In the beginning, she hit the ball with the frame, but after a few tries, she started hitting more serves in and with more spin.

Her wrist did feel a little sore after about 15 minutes, but that’s just because she was still holding the racket too tightly. I told her not to worry - it’ll feel easier as she practices and relaxes her grip.

If you want to learn or teach the flat, slice, and kick serves using creative progressions and drills, check out my serve course:

Ultimate Tennis Serve (technique, drills & tips)

Don’t settle for an okay serve; make it great starting today!

The course is just $47 - that’s less than the cost of one private lesson.

Here are some extra links you might like:

- My new favorite tennis bag

- Fun serve game for kids and beginners

Enjoy your tennis,

Cosmin Miholca