Body Serve

Unlike the wide serve or T-serve, which attack open space to either side of the returner, the body serve attacks the returner's stance directly. By forcing the ball into the hip or ribcage, the server takes away the returner's ability to fully extend the arms and turn the shoulders, which is exactly what a clean return requires. The returner has to decide in a split second whether to take the ball on the forehand or backhand side, and that indecision alone produces many weak returns even against players who read the serve's direction and spin correctly.

The body serve is especially effective against players with a preferred return side or a grip that is slow to change, since it removes the choice of which wing to use before the returner has time to adjust. It is also a common release-valve serve when a match has become predictable — mixing in body serves after a sequence of wide and T-serves keeps the returner's weight distribution honest and prevents them from anticipating a side. Because it doesn't rely on placing the ball near the lines, the body serve also tends to carry a slightly higher first-serve percentage than wide or T targets.