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Same Toss, Three Serves

Hit a flat, slice and spin serve from one toss so a returner cannot read your serve early.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Toss to the same spot every time.

Core: Medium. Beat your own best out of 10.

Ages
14 and up
Time
15 min
Players
Just you
Space
Gym or court
Bring
Racket, balls, court, targets
Level · skill
Advanced · Serve

The steps

How it works

  1. Toss to the same spot every time.
  2. Change only the racket angle and swing path.
  3. Hit 6 of each serve type.
  4. Count the serves that land in and go where you planned.

Coaching point

One toss, three swings.

Safety: The spin (kick) serve is for ages 13 and up; younger players hit flat and slice only. Warm up your arm first. Stop if your shoulder, elbow or low back hurts, and keep serve sets short.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Target-box serving: two teams of two take turns serving into target boxes. Each team counts only its own boxes hit.

Challenge

Pick a box: Less (big), Core (medium), More (small). Beat your own best out of 10.

Story

You are opening the match with a serve that lands exactly on the line.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own best out of 10. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

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