Serve plan and rushing

Nathan Wu Asked 3 days ago

Hi Pingskills,

I have this issue where I rush my serves when I get in a high pressure situation. I also need help with where to serve. I take a lot of risks when serving like serving my favourite serve but then it gets smashed. I got told to have a plan but I don't know what to do and get confused. I do serves depending on the player's position but when they seem to be in a normal good position I get confused. Any tips for this and coming up with a plan? Also what serve combos are the best?

Alois Rosario Answered 2 days ago

Hi Nathan,

Thanks for your question — you've touched on something that affects a lot of players, even at a high level. Serving under pressure and knowing what to serve when are both key parts of improving your match play.

When we’re feeling nervous or under pressure, our instinct is to speed things up — but that often leads to rushed, less effective serves.

Try this simple approach: pause before each serve. Build a short pre point routine such as bouncing the ball once, deep breath, focus on the ball and then serve. This helps settle your nerves and gives your brain a familiar pattern to follow. Practise this routine in training, not just in matches. Make it part of your regular practice.

You mentioned you serve based on where your opponent is standing. That’s a good starting point, but sometimes players stand in a neutral position and still have clear strengths and weaknesses.

Here’s how to build your plan. Early in the match, test your opponent with different spins, placements, and speeds. Watch their return — did they struggle with heavy backspin? Were they late on a fast serve to their backhand? That tells you what to use again.

When the opponent is in a good ready position, your job is to create uncertainty. That’s where variety becomes your best weapon.

The key is not just the individual serve, but the way they work together to confuse your opponent.

If your favourite serve keeps getting smashed, it might be time to use it more selectively. Try using it only once your opponent is slightly off balance or as part of a pattern rather than leading with it when they’re fresh and ready.

So stick to your serve routine to slow things down under pressure. Use the first few points to read your opponent. Build 2–3 reliable serve and third-ball patterns that work for you. Practise disguising spin and mixing up length and placement.

And remember: the goal of the serve is to set you up not to win the point outright every time.