Tennis coaches know it well: the second serve is more important than the first. Why do they say this? It’s simple because it allows you to push the first serve to its limits. If you have a solid kick or slice second serve, you can afford to miss the first one. Otherwise, things get complicated.
What to Do If Your Second Serve Is Weak?
The best thing to do is to get the first serve in at all costs. You must not miss it. How can you achieve this? Don’t push the first serve, but reduce (roughly) about 20% of the power you would normally use. Essentially, you must do everything possible to control the shot and not let it fly away. Remember, if you don’t get the first serve in, you’re in serious trouble.
Change Direction
What should you do if your second serve is weak? Another step to implement is to frequently change the direction of your first serve. Now that your serve is less powerful, you need to be less predictable than usual. If your opponent anticipates where you are serving, they will have no trouble returning well since your ball is now traveling slower than usual.
Try to serve in all possible ways: wide, down the middle, and at the body. If you’re right-handed, try moving to the left when serving from the deuce side; this allows you to widen the angle and have more options at your disposal, which is a nice advantage. If you have a weak second serve, don’t despair; it’s very common at the club level. To compensate, follow these tips, but at the same time, work on improving it. Keep a firm grip, avoid foot faults, refine your ball toss, and improve the spin. And, most importantly, add a bit more courage to your game!