Upright vs. crouched serving stance

Carlton W. Asked 3 years ago

Hi Alois,

I have been back in the game for about eight months after not playing for over thirty years. I am using a serving stance in which my knees are quite bent and my left forearm is almost touching the table to start. This allows me to toss the ball lower and make contact lower without worrying about the ball bouncing too high. The problem is that my 55-year-old knees really protest this crouched stance after I have hit a fair number of serves. If I use a more upright, comfortable stance, am I limiting how effective my serves can become?

Thanks,

Carlton Welch

Alois Rosario Answered 3 years ago

Hi Carlton,

Those poor knees... I think you can compromise with your serving stance but really focus on contacting the ball closer to the table height.

I guess the other thing to consider is if you are serving in a match situation there is a lot of other movement in between your serves which may make it easier.  If that is the case, when you are practising your serve take a break between serves to allow yourself to walk around and ease the stress on the knees.