Serving stance

The tennis serve stance is one of the key components associated with hitting a great serve because it sets the foundation for the entire service motion.

When it comes to the serve stance, there are two primary types – the platform serve stance, and the pinpoint serve stance.

With the platform stance, your feet stay spread apart throughout the entire service motion. Similarly, with the pinpoint stance, you’ll start with your feet spread apart, but instead of keeping them apart, you’ll bring your feet together as you form your trophy pose.

Platform stance advantages:

1. Better Balance. With the platform stance, you set your feet, and their position remains relatively unchanged throughout the service motion, so many players (particularly beginners) will find it easier to balance with this stance.
2. Fewer moving parts. As a whole, the serve is easily the most complex stroke in tennis, with many nuances. Since you keep your feet planted with the platform stance, you limit your overall movement, so one might argue that less can go wrong when hitting your serve. Another positive side effect is that you may be less likely to foot fault because your feet aren’t moving.
3. Consistency. Better balance and greater body control achieved through fewer moving parts may lead to a more consistent and accurate serve.

Platform stance disadvantages:

1. Weight transfer. As you rock slightly back and forth through your service motion, it can be challenging to take full advantage of your body weight moving forward with your legs shoulder-width apart. This fact may reduce the added power that you can achieve through the forward momentum of your body.
2. Fully engaged legs. Similar to weight transfer, it can be difficult for players to take full advantage of the power generated when pushing off through their legs because your legs are shoulder-width apart. Try jumping with your legs shoulder-width apart and then with your legs together.
3. Less power. Since it may be harder to move your body weight forward and fully engage your legs through the platform stance, one might argue that it’s harder to generate power on your serve.

Pinpoint stance advantages:

1. Weight transfer. When you hit your serve, part of how you generate power is through the forward weight transfer of your body that happens during your service motion. With the pinpoint stance, this weight transfer is made easier simply by the fact that you step your back foot forward during your service motion.
2. Fully engage both legs. Since you step forward and bring both legs together in the pinpoint stance, you can take full advantage of both legs as you push off the ground to hit your serve, which may result in more power.
3. More power. Easier forward weight transfer and your ability to fully engage your legs may make it easier to generate power and hit a fast serve through the pinpoint stance.

Pinpoint stance disadvantages:

1. Balance. Balance is essential when hitting a serve – or, for that matter, any stroke in tennis. Since you step your back foot forward with the pinpoint stance, it can be more challenging to maintain balance through the service motion, particularly for beginners.
2. More moving parts. With the pinpoint stance, there is more overall motion than with the platform stance. As a result, there is more to think about, more things to time well, and ultimately more that can go wrong. Also, since you step forward with the pinpoint stance, some players may find they’re more likely to foot fault.
3. Consistency. If you can’t balance as easily or control your body through the service motion, you may suffer from a lack of consistency and accuracy.

It’s important to note that these are general advantages and disadvantages, and it’s possible to have a powerful and consistent serve using both stances.