Backhand serve - off arm

Coach, I notice in the Backhand serve video, sometimes Jeff lifts his off arm and takes the backswing under it, and sometimes he tucks it behind him.

I have trouble keeping my Backhand serve flat - I mostly hit down on the ball causing it to pop higher than I want.  It seems that keeping the swing flat by lifting the off arm and taking the backswing under the armpit is the way to go, but this is an awkward motion for me.  Is this the best way to do it?

Another option would be to devote that time to switching to the reverse pendulum.

Hi D D,

The main thing to keep the ball low is to hit the ball slightly later when it comes lower.  You can do this when you have your left hand above or below the right arm.

Give it a try, it will take a while to get the timing right.