The “Jorge Progression” for Teaching the Serve
By Jorge Capestany, RSPA Master Professional, and PTR International Master Professional
One of my favorite ways to teach the serve is what I call the “Jorge Progression.”
To be honest, it’s not something I invented from scratch; I’ve pulled great ideas from many smart coaches over the years and blended them into a progression that works.
There’s one thing I’ve learned for sure from teaching over four decades: it’s that…
Teaching new players the entire serve from the start is not nearly as effective as using progressions.
Why use progressions?
👉 They organize the arm motion early, keep things simple, and build the serve step by step.
Step 1: The “Conductor” (Mini Motion)
We start super close to a partner with a miniature motion, not a full serve.
They make the “conductor” move a couple of times, then toss the ball up and over the net to their partner.
I call it the conductor because the arms move in a way that naturally organizes the motion.
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Stay close
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Get slightly sideways (like a throwing motion)
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Use a small, controlled movement.
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Partner gives a pop-up → bounce and catch
It may look a little silly, but it:
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Gets the hands working together
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Builds coordination
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Removes the complexity of a full serve
Step 2: “Hand Serve Over the Net”
Now we move even closer to the net.
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Same small motion
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Toss → tap the ball over with the hand.
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Partner catches
At this stage, I’m not worried about power at all.
I’m checking:
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Are they sideways?
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Are their arms organized?
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Does the motion look athletic and natural?
Step 3: “Tap the Head” to Fix the Arm Position
This is one of my favorite little tricks.
Before the toss, players:
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Tap their head twice.
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Then toss and tap the ball over
Why?
Because it automatically:
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Eliminates the “waiter tray.”
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Promotes a better arm position (more like a salute)
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Gets the palm in a stronger, more functional position
It’s simple, but incredibly effective.
Step 4: “Grips the Edge of Racket” Holding on to the Strings
This is a sneaky way to get players to use the continental grip without having to tell them.
If they grab the racket correctly, they will automatically start to pronate their forearm when they serve
I’m looking for:
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The players are close to the net and turned sideways.
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The players use their strings to tap the ball “up” in the air to their partner.
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This is perhaps the most important step because it puts them into the optimal (continental) grip.
Step 5: “Back Up and Choke Down”
Now the players back up to the service line and choke halfway down on the racket throat.
Players are focused on:
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Keeping a compact, but synchronized swing motion.
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Serving the Ball over the net to their opponent
By easing the players towards this stage, they have gotten very close to what a good serve should look like.
Step 6: “Back Up to Blue Line and Choke Down”
Now the players go back to the blue line (no-man’s land) and choke all the way down the racket to the normal grip position.
What I’m looking for:
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The grip is still close to the continental.
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The swing size has become fuller.
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The players are aiming high over the net for plenty of net clearance.
We’re now almost at the finished product, and the players should be experiencing more success than if they had started at the end.
Step 7: “The Final Product”
The players now back up all the way to the baseline and serve from the normal position.
Players focus on:
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Maintaining the continental grip.
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Make the swing size larger, but still fluid and controlled.
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At this stage, the returning player can catch the ball or return it to the server.
This is the final step, and as soon as I feel the players are comfortable with serving from the baseline…
I would start by teaching them to direct the ball to the different corners of the serve box so they can begin targeting their opponent’s weaker side.
The video below comes from one of the 145 courses we have on Tennis Drills TV.
It comes from a course titled Serve Technique and Corrections, and details the seven steps I use in this progression.
Final Thoughts…
Most players struggle with the serve because they try to learn all the steps at once.
This progression does the opposite:
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Start small
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Build the motion
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Layer in complexity