Intermediate
Trophy Position
The trophy position is the peak of the service motion — hitting arm raised, body arched, tossing arm extended — resembling a trophy. It loads the kinetic chain for the serve.
Reaching a balanced trophy position sequences the legs, hips, and shoulders so energy flows up into the racquet. Rushing through it or never reaching it typically produces flat, inconsistent serves with little power. Coaches use it as a checkpoint because so much of serve quality is set before the racquet ever accelerates.
Example
At the top of the toss, the server is balanced in the trophy position — racquet up, front leg loaded — before driving up to the ball.
Related terms
- AceAn ace is a legal serve the receiver fails to touch with the racquet, winning the point outright. The headword "ace" is used as-is across languages.
- Kick ServeA kick serve is a serve hit with heavy topspin and side spin so it clears the net with margin and then bounces high and to the side, making it a reliable second serve.
Related guides & benchmarks
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