FiReFTW
Legend
Why would u want clay courts, they suck hhahaha.
Jolly's Kick Serve Challenge
- Thread starter J011yroger
- Start date
Why would u want clay courts, they suck hhahaha.
Curious
G.O.A.T.
Yeah when you’re young and healthy with no injuries, they suck!
FiReFTW
Legend
Surely you must have clay courts in Australia, the land is almost made of sand.
Curious
G.O.A.T.
It’s mostly synthetic grass I think.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
D
Deleted member 23235
Guest
for the record,... while i'm almost positive i can do this....
but i am still trying to do your serve challenge from last year
well, my version of it anyway... particularly the deuce out wide slice serve the crosses the dubs alley before it crosses the baseline (or better if it hits the side fence)...
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Ok I spent half an hour on the court earlier trying to do this. I did what @Shroud did and placed the ball can a racquet away like in his video.
Conclusion - I don't know how to do kick serve. Instead of kicking out wide upon landing, most balls curve back in to the left of the can. I suppose that means I hit them with a bit more side spin?
Conclusion - I don't know how to do kick serve. Instead of kicking out wide upon landing, most balls curve back in to the left of the can. I suppose that means I hit them with a bit more side spin?
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
i am still trying to do your serve challenge from last year
Video or it didn't happen
Maybe in Feb when this kick serve challenge is over, we can revive the slice serve thread, since several of us are practicing our slice serves these days?
BounceHitBounceHit
Legend
You lead us to better tennis.....nay, better SELVES! I salute you Lord Jolly!!!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
D
Deleted member 23235
Guest
i find the slice serve much harder to do... occasionally i can, but not consistently.Video or it didn't happen
Maybe in Feb when this kick serve challenge is over, we can revive the slice serve thread, since several of us are practicing our slice serves these days?
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
Have you watched video to see if you are pronating on your slice serve? (some people supinate)
Or is just an issue that you have proper mechanics but just haven't practiced enough?
I've been working on my slice serve this past year (especially on the deuce side), and am amazed how it really opens up the court off the serve! Also really opens up that deuce T serve once the opponents start respecting the slice...
Curious
G.O.A.T.
You must have some tips to share that helped you.
Curious
G.O.A.T.
Shtt! I think I do that. Supinate I mean, trying to carve the ball.
onehandbh
G.O.A.T.
I really need to work on my slice. It has been MIA and AWOL.Video or it didn't happen
Maybe in Feb when this kick serve challenge is over, we can revive the slice serve thread, since several of us are practicing our slice serves these days?
D
Deleted member 23235
Guest
for me it was toss, and just getting used to where the contact is.
Shroud
G.O.A.T.
I recall Yandell describing a lesson with McEnroe and Mac saying something like "I don't want to think about how I do it" or something to that effect. Kick serve is like that for me. IIRC the first few serves I hit that day had the same left bounce. And then they started going right. Its hard to think about HOW it all comes together. contact the left side of the ball and follow through to the right. Anyhow thats why I do so great with it because half the time I dont know where the bounce will go. Had one opponent say that every kick bounced differently. I suppose that is what you want.!
Here is a vid that will probably help:
Shroud
G.O.A.T.
D
Deleted member 23235
Guest
just to elaborate... i can hit the slice serve but i can't:
a) consistently hit a short slice out wide (from deuce court as a righty), so that it lands near the sideline, ~5ft from the service line)...
b) control the difference between a "hard slice" and a "heavy slice"... i tend to hit "hard slice".. but i want a consistent heavy slicing 2nd serve that curves, and 100% confident i can get it in with direction... currently i rely 100% on my "american twist" as a 2nd serve - which is fine most times, but as i play better folks, especially tall ones, with good 2hbh returns, it becomes a sitter. i like the idea of hitting a heavier slice serve almost exclusively into the body, or as a jammer to their bh... it's also easier on my body, to hit a heavy slice, than to hit a kicker or topspin serve.
c) figure out the exact contact for a "topslice kicker"... occasionally i can hit a nasty kicking serve, but not from my usual, brushing-up-slightly-behind-the-back contact... but more from topslice contact (above or just to right of my head)...
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
Good details!
I don't want to derail Jolly's kick serve thread, so will look forward to discussing the slice serve more in February
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
I'm running out of stuff to give away!Good details!
I don't want to derail Jolly's kick serve thread, so will look forward to discussing the slice serve more in February
J
ByeByePoly
G.O.A.T.
You have been giving away used shirts, shorts and shoes haven't you ... that is kind of gross.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
ByeByePoly
G.O.A.T.
I don't know about that ... he has @IowaGuy serving on a wet court. The Jolly prize is going to end up being a knee brace.
ByeByePoly
G.O.A.T.
I think @Topspin Shot called this one early ... assumptions could bite you in the a $ $ on Jolly challenges.
ByeByePoly
G.O.A.T.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
DUH!!!
Ok, I still have two BBQ sauce packets left from my Mc'Nuggets last month if you want to take a shot at the challenge.
J
ByeByePoly
G.O.A.T.
Can't ... have a leaf raking wrist issue (and NO, not even making that up).
cluckcluck
Hall of Fame
Nice serve, sucks you're playing on wet courts. Where in Iowa you at?Hit a few kick serves this afternoon with a brief break in the weather. I didn't have a great setup for recording, but did my best. Video below.
First serve might need HawkEye to see the line call
Learning lessons: Jolly's challenge requires aiming higher up the sideline of the service box than what is normal for me, and incorporating a little more sidespin and little less pace than my normal topspin/kick 2nd serve. I also usually stand a couple more feet to the left on the ad side, in order to open up the serve to the BH a little more.
Will try to hit some more next time I get some indoor court time. Meanwhile, here's what trying Jolly's challenge in 50-degree weather looks like:
TwistAndShout
Rookie
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
Blame the wet courts on Jolly for having a kick serve challenge in winter
hahahaFrom Iowa but in Pittsburgh now...
Foot Fault! ;-)
Also, not sure there's any twist there, but that is a nice wide short angle serve there. Very effective I imagine.
onehandbh
G.O.A.T.
Nice serve, but...
Either you are only ~1.5 foot tall, or you were standing more than 1 foot from the center hash.
Which is it?
onehandbh
G.O.A.T.
I was afraid you might put the sock over something else...DUH!!!
TwistAndShout
Rookie
ex post facto
Video of my 13year-old son from a year ago so did not comply with 1’foot rule; he can hit that angle easy
We’re trying to hit 1/3 way in depth into the service box now
The Vitamin L
Semi-Pro
Late to the party. I believe I'm less than a foot away from the center hash mark and narrowly got it out wide enough. The cone I used is one of the larger ones so that + the racquet length made getting it wide enough a fun challenge. I put a pvc pipe in it to have a clearer target to pass.
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ByeByePoly
G.O.A.T.
Exactly why you don't want to "win" Jolly socks.
Good serve ... 2nd one definitely looked like it earned a Jolly prize.
cluckcluck
Hall of Fame
Nice. I have family in Iowa City. Some decent indoor facilities there.Blame the wet courts on Jolly for having a kick serve challenge in winter
From Iowa but in Pittsburgh now...
Shroud
G.O.A.T.
Nice serve dude
Shroud
G.O.A.T.
In the same boat. Slice would be a great add to my game. @J011yroger had a serial killer looking drawing where he shows how to hit slice off a kick serve toss. That serve seems to work well as a change up when you hit it.
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
You lefties have enough advantages already with your nasty slice serves to our BH, and now you throw a nice kicker on top of it?!?
StringSnapper
Hall of Fame
@FiReFTW I thought melbourne had a lot of clay? Seems to suit the weather. My friends club had this crushed brick style clay court.
BTW when I was in Melbs I had a hit at that club in the city, do you know the one? It was fake grass but played REALLY slowly... I thought fake grass was supposed to play like grass, fast and skiddy! It was weird.
In WA theres a lot of grass, the summer league here is mostly grass. A lot of hardcourts too which we use in winter.
They say eurpoe has better tennis players because of the clay though, forces you to come up with better stratergies etc... and also forces you to develop a backhad.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
StringSnapper
Hall of Fame
Interesting concept. I had a double take of that, because youre right. Maybe more for the 2hbh tho.
most of the rec guys around here on grass just slice their one hander. Im talking quality slices though, these guys are former state league players.
Whereas i started playing on hardcourt and i try to top my backhand whenever i can. Wawrinka, Thiem and Gasquet are other examples of 1hbh guys who do better on clay... slower surface more timing. But yes the slice works well on fast.
My thoughts were the 'typical American' player who has a massive 7.0 serve massive 7.0 forehand then a 4.0 backhand lol
Im telling you man we have a weird situation where i live, its mostly all grass in summer league, older guys who cant move that well anymore but have experience, the serve and the volley can chop up top juniors on grass and then get thumped by them on hard. The older guys just play summer league and skip winter trying to preseve their bodies (winter is all hard)
Its kind of like this:
Top junior/older guy: great serve (slight edge to older guy)
Top junior /older guy: great return
Older guy has better tactics
Older guy follows said return or serve into the net for a put away volley when appropriate more often than junior
On hard, there is less chance to volley
Top junior has infinite stamina and topspin to throw at top older guy, and wins most of the long rallies
Maybe not a huuuge differential but if the bulk of points are coming from serves and volleys on grass, but the bulk from topspin groundies... it has a bug differential to the outcome here
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
ByeByePoly
G.O.A.T.
Fast courts tend to teach slice, volley, s&v, overhead and shorter backswings.
We didn't have grass, but some hard courts were faster than others (even at same tennis center). I always wanted the fastest hard court as a s&v player.
The Vitamin L
Semi-Pro
Sent you the info. Thank you very much and another thanks for hosting the challenge @J011yroger ! It was fun!
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