I am not a very coordinated person. So, after my unfortunate attempt at kicking field goals, I thought for this week that I would try a sport that I thought required more upper body skills, which brought me to tennis.

In my sophomore year, I attended a few of the summer tennis clinics held by coach Renee Malcuit. However, the time commitment wasn’t something I was interested in, so I never ended up trying out for the team. Now, in my senior year, I ended up back on those e courts determined to learn how to serve a tennis ball. I chose this skill because it is often considered the most difficult and essential skill in the sport. However, I didn’t remember it being that difficult two years ago, and  I also secretly hoped I would find it more achievable than kicking a field goal.

This time I had Ava Khansari (11) with me. She has been playing tennis since she was 6 years old and has played on the varsity team since her freshman year.

As we walked to the courts that blazing Wednesday afternoon, I prefaced to Khansari the troublesome news: I am a lefty. Since she’s right-handed, I thought that this was going to make her job of teaching me more difficult, as she would be mirroring me. However, I was thoroughly impressed because all of her directions were so clear that you would think that she was also left-handed. 

To start, Khansari detailed the types of serves, noting that beginners typically start with a forehand grip. Then I had her demonstrate a serve, and when she got in position, I gained confidence that I would be able to be successful. That was until she threw the ball into the air and jumped to hit it. I definitely did not remember leaping into a serve all those summers ago, and if I did, I must’ve blocked it out.

Khansari told me what to do, how to angle my body, what my starting stance should be, how high to toss the ball, and to make sure the ball hits the center of the racket. I took a breath, threw the ball, jumped, and basically slammed the ball straight into the ground, definitely not over the net. I couldn’t help but laugh. Perhaps I just needed to feel more assured. So with a few words of encouragement from Khansari, I tried again. The second time, I was able to get the ball over the net, but then over the back line of the court. Not even close. From then on, I either went too close or too far and couldn’t seem to find the sweet spot. 

I asked Khansari how long it took her to perfect her serve, and she said it’s a skill that she is still constantly improving. She added the most important component of a serve is your legs and core, which allow you to bring the right amount of power. So unlike my first impression that trying a serve in tennis would be more of an upper-body skill, it is actually one that requires the entire body.  

“I honestly don’t think [my serve] will ever be good enough,” Khansari said. “Every single tennis player I know is constantly changing their serve because it’s the first shot, and because of that, it’s the most important.”