Serve
Deep serve
A reliable serve that pushes the returner towards the baseline and protects your third shot.
Technique
Start from a stable, relaxed stance.
Contact the ball in front of your body with a continuous swing.
Use your body to establish direction rather than a sudden wrist movement.
Common errors
Prioritising power over depth.
Making late contact and lifting the ball too high.
Always aiming at the baseline without a margin.
Tactics
Prioritise the returner’s backhand or the movement they find most awkward.
Combine depth with occasional serves at the body.
Observe where the opponent returns from before choosing direction.
Progression
Ten legal serves into a broad target area.
Alternate between two deep target areas.
Serve and make your first preparation movement.
Drills
Take it onto court
Deep target window
Build depth with a safe margin
Mark a strip in the last metre of the court. Score a point for each serve that lands inside it.
Two corners
Change direction without losing control
Alternate five serves to each half. Repeat the series only if at least eight serves are deep.
Educational reference · Rubric v1
What each score means
This rubric explains what to look for in a shot; reading it is not an individual assessment. Its descriptors do not certify your level and are not PPP Performance Assessment results, which retain each assessment’s source and results separately.
Technique
Cannot yet coordinate a flowing sequence of footwork, contact in front and follow-through; outcomes are unpredictable.
Can coordinate a flowing sequence of footwork, contact in front and follow-through occasionally, but cannot sustain it through a series.
Can coordinate a flowing sequence of footwork, contact in front and follow-through at moderate pace with predictable difficulty.
Can sustain the ability to coordinate a flowing sequence of footwork, contact in front and follow-through under pressure, with variation and small adjustments.
Can consistently coordinate a flowing sequence of footwork, contact in front and follow-through in real, competitive play.
Consistency
Cannot yet repeat a sequence of legal deep serves without errors; outcomes are unpredictable.
Can repeat a sequence of legal deep serves without errors occasionally, but cannot sustain it through a series.
Can repeat a sequence of legal deep serves without errors at moderate pace with predictable difficulty.
Can sustain the ability to repeat a sequence of legal deep serves without errors under pressure, with variation and small adjustments.
Can consistently repeat a sequence of legal deep serves without errors in real, competitive play.
Control
Cannot yet adjust height, speed and depth with a safe margin; outcomes are unpredictable.
Can adjust height, speed and depth with a safe margin occasionally, but cannot sustain it through a series.
Can adjust height, speed and depth with a safe margin at moderate pace with predictable difficulty.
Can sustain the ability to adjust height, speed and depth with a safe margin under pressure, with variation and small adjustments.
Can consistently adjust height, speed and depth with a safe margin in real, competitive play.
Placement
Cannot yet find the baseline area, body or weaker side to suit the target; outcomes are unpredictable.
Can find the baseline area, body or weaker side to suit the target occasionally, but cannot sustain it through a series.
Can find the baseline area, body or weaker side to suit the target at moderate pace with predictable difficulty.
Can sustain the ability to find the baseline area, body or weaker side to suit the target under pressure, with variation and small adjustments.
Can consistently find the baseline area, body or weaker side to suit the target in real, competitive play.
Decision-making
Cannot yet choose risk and direction to suit the returner’s position and pattern; outcomes are unpredictable.
Can choose risk and direction to suit the returner’s position and pattern occasionally, but cannot sustain it through a series.
Can choose risk and direction to suit the returner’s position and pattern at moderate pace with predictable difficulty.
Can sustain the ability to choose risk and direction to suit the returner’s position and pattern under pressure, with variation and small adjustments.
Can consistently choose risk and direction to suit the returner’s position and pattern in real, competitive play.
Player Development
Connect this shot to your development
Connect what you learn to your match play: choose a situation, try the practice suggestions and review what you notice afterwards.