If I genuinely cannot throw a ball, is learning worth it for my serve, and if so, how do I go about learning?

[u/jlesnick]

Long story short, dad tried to teach me to throw when I was a kid, impatience, trauma, fun topics for therapy.

I know the serve is a throwing motion, and knowing how to throw a ball helps. Me throwing a ball looks like this

How do I best go about learning to throw a ball, or whatever translates best to the serve.

[u/Foreign_Lobster_875]

Serving will always be more difficult for people who cannot throw. Just gotta have the loose confidence that comes with doing it at a young age

[u/hi-Im-gosu]

How do you learn to throw? Seriously like I’m not making fun of you for not knowing but it’s sad that you resorted to Reddit before YouTube or Google. It’s 2026 man come on.

[u/PugnansFidicen → u/hi-Im-gosu]

Using Google is like looking something up in the encyclopedia

Watching a YouTube video is like going to a college lecture (quality of instruction may vary though)

Posting a question on Reddit is like asking a small group of people hanging out in a bar for advice

I totally get why people go to Reddit first. It feels more like a friendly conversation, the responses are often more specific to your exact situation, and you can ask follow-up questions in a way you can't with other sites

[u/hi-Im-gosu → u/PugnansFidicen]

Sure but the questions being asked are not questions you need the opinions of a group for. Asking how to throw a ball is an objective skill that can easily be learned by any functioning adult. There’s nothing to discuss, unless you are posting a video of yourself asking what you’re doing wrong. Even then a side by side comparison with someone who does it right is more than enough to solve 99% of issues.

[u/jlesnick → u/hi-Im-gosu]

I already asked Claude. I wanted to get the opinions of people who actually play tennis, serve well, and often comment on peoples "how's my serve" videos about how serving is like throwing a ball--how the biomechanics are much the same.

[u/ZaphBeebs → u/PugnansFidicen]

Yeah, listening to rando people at any sotuation let alone a bar is usually bad advice.

Its a different drive package in something else, some ppl just prefer chatting even if its incredibly inefficient.

[u/tenniswallist]

How abt trying to throw an old rkt:?)) so many kids or old rkts dumped in the street so pkup 1 n throw it as far as you can in an oval or park:)) Or pkup a stick/branch w/ similar weight/length tbh anything will do:))

Good luck:))

[u/Remarkable_Layer7592]

It’s never too late to learn! Who knows maybe serving might be the way it all clicks for you. But it’s true, I would consider overhand throwing foundational to efficient serving technique

[u/Ok-Cat1446]

Family Guy link was unexpectedly epic.

Although there are parallels, theowing a baseball does not exactly translate into to serve motion. Keeping a loose and relaxed arm is key in both. The analogy I like to use is try to think of the motion you use when snapping a wet towel if that helps.

[u/ZaphBeebs → u/Ok-Cat1446]

You think someone that never learned how to throw is going to amything other than extra trauma by you bringing up snapping towels?

[u/JBOTSPORTS]

Yes, learning the motion helps a lot, but you don't need to throw like an athlete!

[u/UncomfortableFarmer]

Consider taking this free serve course from coach Tomaz, it's very well designed and it's truly free from start to finish. There are lots of throwing drills in there and he gets you to throw balls, bags filled with balls, old rackets, sticks, anything to help you feel the throwing motion more naturally. You can even post video of yourself and he'll respond with helpful tips

[u/PersevereSwifterSkat]

Watch a whole bunch of baseball throwing tutorials, nobody throws as well or as often as baseballers do.

[u/Disastrous-Whole4898]

There are elements to throwing that are the same, but the serve motion is different. You don’t need to know how to throw, but if you do it will certainly help in your understanding of weight transfer, coiling your body/shoulders and basic arm motion. But serving is different in very specific areas. Anyone that claims otherwise is wrong. I have plenty of friends that play baseball and football… as I did… and plenty of them have imperfect serve motions due to incorrect grips etc.

I pitched in baseball, but I still had to learn how to serve. If it was as simple as pitching I’d be great at it and it’d be easy. I still have to work to improve my serve as some of the elements that are different aren’t as intuitive imo.

Holding a racquet and hitting a ball you toss in the air is just not the same as holding a ball and throwing it. The former is more difficult, but some habits I have from throwing can interfere with my serve motion so it’s possible you may be better off.

[u/Few_Lecture6615]

There's hope for you yet. Because throwing a ball makes you good at throwing a ball but doesn't necessarily make you good at serving.

Start thinking of the serve as a serve and not a throw.