Is it possible to serve like you do in volleyball in tennis?

Question

It seems like a great idea to me.

Answer 1

ya there is a doubles team in pro tennis that serve like this and their serve is like 130 / 135 mph ...  

Answer 2

Yeah just the other night, someone I was hitting with stood at the fence, ran and jumped when he got to the base line and served. He did really good at it. He calls it the flying dragon. It is legal as long as you jump before you hit the line.

Answer 3

Do you like hearing the ref yell "Fault"?

Answer 4

It is possible with adjustments. I have an friend in volleyball, and their team usaully play with the same school we do. When we finish, he'll come over and play around with with my racket. He tried serving the first time and to went flying long and wide. Eventually, (like months because he not serious w/ tennis) he could make some serve in. So, I think it is possible just need practice.

Answer 5

As long as you make contact w/the ball before either foot touches the baseline, or inside the baseline, this technique is legal.  However, from experience, I can tell you, you're just asking for a lifetime of mechanical breakdowns on your serve by using such an extreme service motion.  Your timing would need to be absolutely perfect, and any type of wind/sun, etc would make this motion impractical to use in tennis.

Answer 6

Actually you are not allowed to run before you serve.  According to the rules of tennis, player may not change position by walking or running before the serve.  Nevertheless, an athletic player could still jump well in front of the line and serve volleyball style provided that he makes contact before landing.  Obviously the toss becomes more difficult as is getting a good rotation when hitting.  I've seen many top players attempt this at various times just for fun, and several have smacked themselves in the shins pretty good.  To really complete this type of serve effectively, I think you would need someone with the height and jumping ability of a Michael Jordan.  Even if it was tried and perfected, the stamina required to do this 100 or more times in a match may be too much for even a great athlete to handle.