Tennis, I like it!

I always have something in life that I am fanatical about. Usually a few things at at time, but eventually I will burn out and start something else.

Examples

- NBA card collecting
- Racquetball
- Playing PS2 non-stop
- And currently, tennis - I am hoping to keep liking this one for a while.

Neil at work asked if I played tennis, and I do and my sister Jill and I played a few times the past few months, but I have always struggled with my serve. I didn't know any fundamentals, nor did I practice enough to actually improve.

But, Neil asked me and I told that I would love to play. I got the fever! I just got a new racquet for Father's Day, CoCo let me get it early so I could enjoy it for the whole summer, thanks CoCo! I bought a Wilson Ncode N5, oversize, 4 3/8" grip. It is a really nice racquet and I got it for a bargain because they have a new model out now, so it only cost me $50 shipped brand new on Ebay. There were some broken strings, so I just had it restrung at Sports Authority and now it is good as new. It is a 110" head size, plenty big, but way light.

Neil and I played yesterday and I got some good consistency going with my serve. I am now starting to a more power, but making sure to stay consistent with my body movements, etc.

When I serve I try to be consistent with my toss, keep my arm straight, don't ben my wrist, just bring my shoulder up, arm straight and release. I want the ball just above where my racquet would be fully extended over my head. The throw should be at about 1 o'clock and slightly in towards the court. I shift my weight back, throw it up, then shift my weight forward as I bring my back leg up to the line. The big thing that helped me was to bend my knees and jump up, this helps improve the angle I am hitting the ball towards the net, so I have less chance of hitting into the net.

Any one with some advice on serving, good links, etc. please comment. And Neil, thanks for getting me into it.