Kick Serve Going Long

[lordmanji]

okay sometimes my kick serve goes about a foot or two long. im wondering why this is happening since the spin is supposed to be bringing the ball inside the service box. anyone got any ideas?

[phoenicks]

okay sometimes my kick serve goes about a foot or two long. im wondering why this is happening since the spin is supposed to be bringing the ball inside the service box. anyone got any ideas?

not enough spin, that's what my pro says when my kick serve goes long.

[hellonewbie]

Has it been a while since you restrung? Could be tension loss that's causing it if you previously were getting enough spin. You could also string tighter if there's too much power.

[AlphaCDjkr]

okay sometimes my kick serve goes about a foot or two long. im wondering why this is happening since the spin is supposed to be bringing the ball inside the service box. anyone got any ideas?

The funny thing about almost all spin serves is, the harder you hit it the more consistent it becomes. Right now, if your kick serve is barely going a foot or so out, just swing upwards a little harder. Use your legs and drive your upward approach just a bit more, and it will be enough.

I have a lot of friends who decide to wuss out when they find their kick serves are being inconsistent; whenever one of my friend hits a kick serve too deep by about a foot, he thinks he should slacken both the pace and the topspin. The result is a serve that has not enough pace and the topspin merely makes everything worse; the serve often never clears the net with the first bounce. That, or if the serve DOES go in, its as weak as a dink serve; and extremely easy to put away.

The key is to hit even harder, put even more spin. If you find that you're suddenly hitting even further out, it means that you're putting too much pace on the ball; strike more vertically upward rather than forward.

Hope this helps.

[Failed]

Indeed, swing faster. Another thing is that are you tossing enough far back? Also remember that you're basically hitting the ball "up" and let it come down fast with the spin.

[Il Mostro]

Where is your toss?

[Nellie]

Of course the kick serve can go long if you are hitting the ball too deep - the top spin can only do so much. Some good suggestions above, but I particularly like the suggest to hit more up at the ball to impart less horizontal push.

[10s talk]

Where is your toss?

that is the right answer !!!

move your contact point back

[lordmanji]

that right answer !!!

move your contact point back

right now its about a foot in front of me. but yeah, ill try moving it about six inches back. all great advice thanks.

[some6uy008]

The funny thing about almost all spin serves is, the harder you hit it the more consistent it becomes. Right now, if your kick serve is barely going a foot or so out, just swing upwards a little harder. Use your legs and drive your upward approach just a bit more, and it will be enough.

I have a lot of friends who decide to wuss out when they find their kick serves are being inconsistent; whenever one of my friend hits a kick serve too deep by about a foot, he thinks he should slacken both the pace and the topspin. The result is a serve that has not enough pace and the topspin merely makes everything worse; the serve often never clears the net with the first bounce. That, or if the serve DOES go in, its as weak as a dink serve; and extremely easy to put away.

The key is to hit even harder, put even more spin. If you find that you're suddenly hitting even further out, it means that you're putting too much pace on the ball; strike more vertically upward rather than forward.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice; it was almost like you were describing me

[Mansewerz]

I have the same problem. Try not to hit through it as much and go more for spin, like tone the hitting through 5-10% until you've got a nice combo of both

[Il Mostro]

right now its about a foot in front of me. but yeah, ill try moving it about six inches back. all great advice thanks.

Yep. You have "self-corrected".

[AlphaCDjkr]

Thanks for the advice; it was almost like you were describing me

Haha, uh.. sorry. But yea, trying to weaken the kick serve for consistency often brings adverse effects...

[Virtua Tennis]

When you hit your kick serve it should sound like PPFFFFTT to have max spin.

[mikeler]

AlphaCDjkr summed up most of my opinions. I know this seems simple, but try and keep your eye on the ball for as long as possible. Most of my kick serves go out b/c I drop my head too quickly.

[Element54]

The funny thing about almost all spin serves is, the harder you hit it the more consistent it becomes. Right now, if your kick serve is barely going a foot or so out, just swing upwards a little harder. Use your legs and drive your upward approach just a bit more, and it will be enough.

I have a lot of friends who decide to wuss out when they find their kick serves are being inconsistent; whenever one of my friend hits a kick serve too deep by about a foot, he thinks he should slacken both the pace and the topspin. The result is a serve that has not enough pace and the topspin merely makes everything worse; the serve often never clears the net with the first bounce. That, or if the serve DOES go in, its as weak as a dink serve; and extremely easy to put away.

The key is to hit even harder, put even more spin. If you find that you're suddenly hitting even further out, it means that you're putting too much pace on the ball; strike more vertically upward rather than forward.

Hope this helps.

Thanks I'll try this, my kick serves goes long.

[toughshot]

swing faster.

[Element54]

swing faster.

I remember swinging wildly once, and the ball landed too close to the net, almost a drop shot rather than deep. Anybody know why??

[AlphaCDjkr]

I remember swinging wildly once, and the ball landed too close to the net, almost a drop shot rather than deep. Anybody know why??

You probably had a certain combination of either high spin and high angle, where the topspin would loop the flight path of the ball straight down just right at the net. Just a little more pace or a little less angle/spin would force the ball deeper, but I would prefer pace. More angle/spin is fun :) (and more effective in general.)

[matchmaker]

For a kick serve the toss shouldn't be too much in front, more or less following a trajectory that would almost make it land on your head. For a righty it is important not to throw it too much to the right, as that will make you hit slice serves but neither to much to the left, as that will make you hit in a completely unnatural way. So basically at 12 o' clock.

The leg movement and upward push are crucial. I was playing a match this week and my serves were going long as the OP described. I started bending my legs more and they all perfectly fell in. The leg bend gives you the upward push that will put kick on the ball together with the right pronation of the forearm.