How do I know if I hit a kick or flat serve?

[UW_Husky88]

Hi,

I know what a kick and flat serve are supposed to look like, but I somehow have difficulty telling which one I hit. My serve (as best as I can describe it) is done by tossing the ball a bit in front, but still less far out than a flat serve, I try to brush up, but the bounce doesn't seem to have the huge kick that federer hits (but of course I'm no federer lol). The thing is though that I'm hitting as hard, maybe even harder sometimes, and it still stays in the box, while my flat serve went all over the place (or at least when I try and hit flat, and not try and hit kick on purpose). It also makes a weird sound on my strings, like the pop sound you get when you hit hard, but different. Could it be that I am hitting the kick serve and that I am putting little spin on it just so it can drop, or is my serve simply flat, but I'm tricking myself to think its kick? If it sounds like a flat serve, what more should I do, and how do I get it to kick high?

 

[cstephenson]

Hi,

I know what a kick and flat serve are supposed to look like, but I somehow have difficulty telling which one I hit. My serve (as best as I can describe it) is done by tossing the ball a bit in front, but still less far out than a flat serve, I try to brush up, but the bounce doesn't seem to have the huge kick that federer hits (but of course I'm no federer lol). The thing is though that I'm hitting as hard, maybe even harder sometimes, and it still stays in the box, while my flat serve went all over the place (or at least when I try and hit flat, and not try and hit kick on purpose). It also makes a weird sound on my strings, like the pop sound you get when you hit hard, but different. Could it be that I am hitting the kick serve and that I am putting little spin on it just so it can drop, or is my serve simply flat, but I'm tricking myself to think its kick? If it sounds like a flat serve, what more should I do, and how do I get it to kick high?

Bounce the ball three times, blow on it and toss it two feet to the left of your original toss but still in front of you towards the net. Then bend your knees and use your stomach to propel your body upward and forward like a catapult using your body to generate as much upward and outward racket head motion as possible at the point of contact. Then watch that puppy hop skip and jump from left to right and befuddle your opponent like a moose hitting on a rabbit. BAM!!!!


Clint was here

 

[dave333]

Flat serves goes straight. Kicker goes right, bounces, goes left.

 

[MooreTennis]

Flat serves goes straight. Kicker goes right, bounces, goes left.

Kicker goes right and then bounces left? Maybe we have different terminology here down-under.

But for us, a kicker goes right, and then bounces right off the court again. To achieve this serve we work on hitting from the bottom left of the ball across to the top right of the ball.

The ball toss needs to be towards the 12 o'clock position to achieve this style of hitting.

Anthony

 

[thundaga]

and you dont want to try and belt the cover off the ball when ur going for a kicker.

 

[Lionheart]

Flat serves goes straight. Kicker goes right, bounces, goes left.

thats twist/topspinslice serve.

 

[mucat]

Assuming righthander,

Twist goes to your left in the air, bounce to the your right after.

Topspin-slice is just like a slice, goes to your left in the air, continue to bounce to your left after.

 

[Lionheart]

my bad, but was just reiforcing the point the a kicker doesnt go to the left after the bounce.