How to Return a Soft Second Serve (Step by Step)

Why is it Important to Learn How to Return a Soft Second Serve?

Learning how to be aggressive but still consistent on the court is one of the best ways to rapidly improve your tennis game. It is great being able to hit the ball hard, but if you can’t consistently get it in the court you won’t be able to win many matches.

Equally, if you can hit the ball in the court consistently, but only at a slow pace without being able to move your opponent around or put them under pressure, it will be difficult to impose your game on other players and they will end up bossing you around.

It is particularly important to know how to return a soft second serve well, because this is a commonly hit shot at club level. There is a lot to be said for the knock on effect of being able to hit an aggressive second serve return, rush your opponent and take the upper hand in the point from the off.

5 Steps to Return a Soft Second Serve

As you might expect, adding more power to your return of serve won’t happen overnight. But, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen quickly if you follow a few simple steps and execute them correctly on the court!

Step 1: Look at TheTennisBros.com’s Secrets of the Serve Course

Whilst there is no substitute for hard graft on the tennis court, it can be difficult to improve your game without the proper guidance and instruction. That is why we have put together an entire course specifically designed to help improve your second serve return.

This will particularly help when the ball is coming to you slowly, as you will be able to master the fundamentals of the return and crush that slow second serve once and for all!

Armed with this information, you’ll be able to put it into practice on the court and start dominating your opponent’s second serve in no time! This is a great way to accelerate your learning and take your tennis game to the next level.

So, if you are interested in learning from the experts on crushing returns, check out our Return of Serve Course today!

Step 2: Anticipate the Ball

Once you have taken note of the important points in our online course, the next step to improving your ability to return soft second serves, is to start anticipating the ball more effectively. Remember, even when the ball is coming slowly, it will still most likely have some spin on it.

When returning a kick serve, the ball will always jump up and to the side, so understanding and anticipating where the ball will hit its peak will help you prepare your racket early and improve your timing.

Step 3: Quick Feet

Next, remember that in order to get inside the court and stay aggressive when returning a slow second serve, footwork is your friend. Even though the ball is coming slowly towards you, does not mean this is a good time to be slow with your feet.

In fact, it is even more important to get your feet into position early and create space for you to hit the ball with more power, because the serve itself won’t have any significant pace for you to use. Therefore, getting your feet into position early, making little adjustment steps and using your body to create power rather than the oncoming serve, will all help to improve your second serve return.

Step 4: Take the Ball Early

In order to add power to your second serve return and rush your opponent, it is not always a matter of smacking the ball really hard. In fact, taking the ball early and using a normal, comfortable swing speed can still put your opponent under pressure whilst also maintaining your consistency.

To take the ball early, you’ll need to follow the steps above to get into the perfect position to take the ball at the top of the bounce. This means hitting it at its peak and using a little bit of the serve’s pace to your advantage. You can redirect the serve away from your opponent and use your advantageous court position to move into the net and finish the point on your terms.

Step 5: Look for Angles

Finally, once you have used your anticipation, footwork and ability to take the ball early to your advantage, the final thing to do when returning a slow second serve is to look to use angles on the court.

Since you are already inside the court, it would make sense to move your opponent around and bring them out of position, so you can then play into the space you have created.

This is a great tactic to use in any situation, but especially when your opponent is hitting a slow second serve. You will have plenty of time to move into position and take the next ball early again, continually taking time away from your opponent.

Simple Guide to Return Soft Second Serves

Overall, there are a number of steps to take if you want to take your ability to return soft second serves to the next level. We want to help you do this, as being beaten by a slow second serve is one of the most frustrating places to be on a tennis court!

If you can confidently step inside the court, take the ball early and use this lack of pace to your advantage, not only will it improve your own confidence but it will also keep your opponent guessing. What’s more, they will also most likely feel the pressure of your presence and try to add more power to their own second serve, which will undoubtedly force more errors.

Improving your ability to return soft second serves effectively is a great way to improve your game. It builds your confidence and means you can dominate on the court in both your serving and returning games.

Again, if you want to take your return game to the next level, be sure to check out our Return of Serve online course today!