Kick Serve+

[HappyMilk]

How can you add more PACE to your kick without sacrificing KICK?

Is it in the toss? The head speed?

I've watched the majority of the videos on youtube for kick serves..
& expect most replies to be "practice, practice, practice".

^ any tips on how to practice/workout for more pace?

[Head Pegger]

I had the same problem. I used to use an eastern grip for my kicker and sometimes I would get a lot of spin but not much pace
So I switched to a "trigger finger" way of holding the racket when serving and changed to just reg. continental. Now im able to add way more spin than before and still add way more pace so that it is almost as fast as my first, flat serve. So maybe you can try that out

[TennisNinja]

Do you have a video of your kick serve?

Otherwise it's all going to be general stuff like: full body coil, knee bend, land inside the court, etc.

[OHBH]

Racket Head Speed is definitely the number one factor in an effective kick serve. The pros swing just as fast or even faster for a kicker than they do on flatter serves.

Racket Head Speed = Energy
That energy can be translated into either spin or pace, one is going to cost you the other.

Granted this relationship is not linear and there is a point where your racket is merely glancing at the ball, which creates decent spin but wastes most of your energy. You need to find the right balance, otherwise you'll have to build up your swing speed.

[VeeSe]

Try throwing the ball into the court more so that your weight is going forward on contact. Still swing upwards at the ball and toss it so it's going a little over your head, exactly like you are doing (assuming you're getting good kick on the serve already), just with your weight going forward.

[HappyMilk]

Originally Posted by TennisNinja

Do you have a video of your kick serve?

Otherwise it's all going to be general stuff like: full body coil, knee bend, land inside the court, etc.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll try to get a recording once this rain stops.

Merry Christmas!

[Xizel]

Originally Posted by OHBH

Granted this relationship is not linear and there is a point where your racket is merely glancing at the ball, which creates decent spin but wastes most of your energy. You need to find the right balance, otherwise you'll have to build up your swing speed.

I think this notes a good point.

You want to hit the ball forward while still maintaining a sharp upward swing path with a tilted racquet face.

[normrose]

Have a look at this video HappMilk - it might help:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=ksdP_cocKWA

[LeeD]

As said, with your given swingspeed, you cannot add something..pace, without subtracting something...spin and bounce.
So increase your swingspeed, as said.

[martini1]

If you use your legs more, landing further into the court would give you some forward momentum on the ball.

But if you punch thru too much you will get more pace but less kick.

The right kick serve would have a different contact sound. You won't hear a clean pop but a nice swipe of strings.

[3fees]

Kick Serve swings come behind the left shoulder blade and meets the ball over your left shoulder or a little further behind, back bending is a must,,its really a study in scarlet, like any serve many details to do, vary in a few and its a mishit.

[TomT]

Originally Posted by normrose

Have a look at this video HappMilk - it might help:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=ksdP_cocKWA

I think this is going to be very helpful for me. I'm going to edit it into progressive slowmo. I hope I'm not just kidding myself, but I think I can learn to do this serve the way the guy in the video does it. The serve in the vid is much better, in certain important respects (ie., my current second serve is much faster than the twist serve in the vid, but I double fault too much, and the serve in the vid would solve that problem -- plus, at my level, that twist serve poses some unique problems for most returners), than my current second serve, which is basically just a slice first serve.

Thanks for posting this.

[HappyMilk]

Originally Posted by normrose

Have a look at this video HappMilk - it might help:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=ksdP_cocKWA

Yo, thanks for this resource.

[HappyMilk]

Originally Posted by TomT

I think this is going to be very helpful for me. I'm going to edit it into progressive slowmo. I hope I'm not just kidding myself, but I think I can learn to do this serve the way the guy in the video does it. The serve in the vid is much better, in certain important respects (ie., my current second serve is much faster than the twist serve in the vid, but I double fault too much, and the serve in the vid would solve that problem -- plus, at my level, that twist serve poses some unique problems for most returners), than my current second serve, which is basically just a slice first serve.

Thanks for posting this.

i think i will check out his serve frame by frame also. it's ridiculous. i want that weapon.

[Tennis Dunce]

slow down your delivery to the ball...thus creating a larger disparity in your swing speed. So many players hurry and rush the first half of their serve only to have to overcompensate with absurd rh speed just to "break even." I have a very deliberate and non-hurried attack leading up to the ball...slow down your tossing arm.

[morandi]

Originally Posted by Tennis Dunce

slow down your delivery to the ball...thus creating a larger disparity in your swing speed. So many players hurry and rush the first half of their serve only to have to overcompensate with absurd rh speed just to "break even." I have a very deliberate and non-hurried attack leading up to the ball...slow down your tossing arm.

This is great advice. Something I learned by a lot of trial and error.

[tendat]

This was a REALLY good vid. Its by tour Vetran Lindsay Lee Waters in conjunction with her coach/husband. I've seen her play n she can really smack the ball. Also great kicker in this vid series. Biggest tip: Keep shoulders parallel to the baseline. Almost like ur cartweeling. Man, did that make my kick jump and nail it in the corners. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH8W3eLBEJw
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxQN2Pmw3q8

[Xizel]

Originally Posted by tendat

This was a REALLY good vid. Its by tour Vetran Lindsay Lee Waters in conjunction with her coach/husband. I've seen her play n she can really smack the ball. Also great kicker in this vid series. Biggest tip: Keep shoulders parallel to the baseline. Almost like ur cartweeling. Man, did that make my kick jump and nail it in the corners. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH8W3eLBEJw
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxQN2Pmw3q8

Wow. I like.

[TennisCJC]

Originally Posted by tendat

This was a REALLY good vid. Its by tour Vetran Lindsay Lee Waters in conjunction with her coach/husband. I've seen her play n she can really smack the ball. Also great kicker in this vid series. Biggest tip: Keep shoulders parallel to the baseline. Almost like ur cartweeling. Man, did that make my kick jump and nail it in the corners. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH8W3eLBEJw
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxQN2Pmw3q8

Yes, this is one of the better instructional videos I have seen. The instruction is solid and he explains things in a simple manner. Great kick serve instruction.

[Nellie]

You generally cannot get your kick serve faster by swinging harder at it - your arm and shoulder energy are being used for brushing up at the ball. If you try to put more forward energy using your arms/shoulder, you are just going to get a flatter serve. So the trick is tossing the ball further into the court, but then pushing up and out with your legs so your body weight is being pushed through the serve (without foot faulting). Per the video above you should still be swing sideways (with your body going forward).