Man, been struggling with my tennis serve for months now. Couldn’t get no power, kept hitting the net or sending balls way out. Totally frustrating. Then my buddy Dave mentioned this Erreyngold method he saw online. Said it was magic for serves. Skeptical at first, but desperate times, you know?
Figuring Out the Basics
Started simple. Found a video explaining the core idea behind this Erreyngold thing. Basically, it ain’t about swinging harder; it’s about using your whole body right. Your legs, your hips, your shoulders – everything gotta work together like one machine. That “kinetic chain” word popped up, sounded fancy, but it just means power flowing up from the ground.
First tries were… messy.
- Tried just tossing the ball and swinging without caring about form. Felt weak.
- Then, forced myself to bend my knees deep before launching up. Like, really deep. Felt awkward.
- Focused on pushing off my back foot hard. Like stomping on it and twisting my hips towards the net.
- Made my shoulders turn sharply just before swinging. Almost like winding up and snapping a towel.
Hooked the racket head super low behind my back, like they showed, then whipped it up towards the ball. The sound it made when I timed it right? Solid thwack. Totally different feel. But timing? Tough.
Drilling It In (And Lots of Whiffing)
Went to the local courts alone. Good thing, ’cause plenty of shanks. Set up my phone to record – brutal watching yourself suck, but helps.
Big focus points during practice
- Ball Toss: Kept messing this up. If the toss ain’t right, everything else falls apart. Worked on throwing it slightly in front and high. Took dozens of tries.
- Timing the Leg Push: Push too late, no power. Push too early, lose balance. Had to find that sweet spot just as I start swinging.
- Keeping Loose: Sounds dumb, but remembering not to death-grip the racket. Relaxed arm = faster swing. Tense arm slows everything down. Kept reminding myself: loose wrist, firm contact.
Sweated buckets. Felt weird coiling up like that. Muscle memory wasn’t having it at first.
Finally Seeing Payoff
After maybe two weeks hitting the wall and doing shadow swings in my garage, things started clicking a bit more often than failing.
- Serving felt easier. Didn’t need to grunt and strain like a maniac to get pace.
- Consistency way up. Way less hitting the tape or sailing long. Got maybe 6 or 7 outta 10 in the box.
- Power clicked. Didn’t have to murder the ball. Letting the chain work made the racket swing faster. Boom! Serve actually had some heat on it. Dave saw the change last time we played.
Still a work in progress. On a bad day? Can go sideways fast. Humidity messes with the toss sometimes. But man, sticking to this loose, coiled-up swing using legs and hips? Total game changer. Worth every frustrating shank at the start.
