Sore quads -- from serving?

[rlee7777]

I have developed a sore left quad that seems directly related to serving. Lately I have been working on my kick serve and the constant pushoff upwards (right-handed serve) has given me a very sore left quad. Took a week off of tennis and it felt fine at first, but after a set, the left quad is sore again. So much so that I have to adjust my serve -- which unfortunately means that I lose much of the upward motion and power.

After ice and rest, the pain goes away until I play again. Will this go away or do I need to take more time off of tennis?

[charliefedererer]

Like many overuse injuries, you need to be sure that there is not a problem with your technique.

You should be pushing off equally with both legs in the leg thrust portion of your serve.

The key in loading your legs is getting your left hip out so that you form a "bow shape", with your weight equally balanced on your bent legs before you begin that leg thrust. http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/vide...-when-serving/

Now it is possible that your left quad is sore from the landing if you are doing a proper leg kick: http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/vide...kick-on-serve/
But that would mean your legs are somewhat out of shape, and you need to be building up your quad strength with squats (or even leg presses): http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com...-training.html

Originally Posted by rlee7777

After ice and rest, the pain goes away until I play again. Will this go away or do I need to take more time off of tennis?

So to answer your question, you have to be sure your technique is correct before going back to practicing your serve a lot, and if the technique is correct, you may still have to build up those leg muscles for both the push off and the landing.
And if you plan on practicing your serve a lot and not running into arm problems, work on the thrower's ten: www.asmi.org/SportsMed/media/thrower10.swf