An 8-Stage Model for Evaluating the Tennis Serve: Implications for Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention

BACKGROUND: The tennis serve is a complex stroke characterized by a series of segmental rotations involving the entire kinetic chain. Many overhead athletes use a basic 6-stage throwing model; however, the tennis serve does provide some differences. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: To support the present 8-stage descriptive model, data were gathered from PubMed and SPORTDiscus databases using keywords tennis and serve for publications between 1980 and 2010. RESULTS: An 8-stage model of analysis for the tennis serve that includes 3 distinct phases—preparation, acceleration, and follow-through—provides a more tennis-specific analysis than that previously presented in the clinical tennis literature. When a serve is evaluated, the total body perspective is just as important as the individual segments alone. CONCLUSION: The 8-stage model provides a more in-depth analysis that should be utilized in all tennis players to help better understand areas of weakness, potential areas of injury, as well as components that can be improved for greater performance.