Kick Serve Deuce Side

[tennisguy2317]

I want to start by thanking all of you guys for your previous tips on my kick serve. I have officially mastered it on the ad side. One issue I am having is on the deuce side and it’s mostly because I am confused about the motion and contact. I know on the ad side it’s very natural to brush up on the back of the balm and left to right but it’s a lot more difficult to do so on the deuce side as a righty. Should I be contacting the ball more on the right side of the ball and then trying to brush or what should I do? Any advice or guideline on deuce kick serve would be great. Thank you!

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I want to start by thanking all of you guys for your previous tips on my kick serve. I have officially mastered it on the ad side. One issue I am having is on the deuce side and it’s mostly because I am confused about the motion and contact. I know on the ad side it’s very natural to brush up on the back of the balm and left to right but it’s a lot more difficult to do so on the deuce side as a righty. Should I be contacting the ball more on the right side of the ball and then trying to brush or what should I do? Any advice or guideline on deuce kick serve would be great. Thank you!

Initially you could try tossing a bit further behind you than you do for the Ad kicker, which will naturally make your racquet swing path more left to right. This isn't a good long-term solution, though, because it's a tell that your opponent will notice.

Also, do some experimentation with your stance: for example, if you're using the exact same stance on both sides, perhaps that's not optimal. Even if your stance on Deuce is different, try variations. Maybe you're not getting enough shoulder turn because your stance is too open?

 

[Topspin Shot]

The only thing you should change when you're serving to the deuce vs the ad court is your stance.

 

[Curious]

The same as the ad side.

 

[RetroSpin]

I know on the ad side it’s very natural to brush up on the back of the balm and left to right but it’s a lot more difficult to do so on the deuce side as a righty.

Why would it be more difficult? The shot itself may not be as effective because of the angles but the technique is the same.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

Why would it be more difficult? The shot itself may not be as effective because of the angles but the technique is the same.

i interpreted to mean you get less kick effect on the deuce side... without extra effort. at least that's my issue.
ideally, on the deuce side, i get it to land in the box, near the T, and have the bounce land on the other side of center hash (or on the fence behind, but on the ad side of the center hash).

 

[FiReFTW]

The only thing you should change when you're serving to the deuce vs the ad court is your stance.

Great post.

 

[RetroSpin]

i interpreted to mean you get less kick effect on the deuce side... without extra effort. at least that's my issue.
ideally, on the deuce side, i get it to land in the box, near the T, and have the bounce land on the other side of center hash (or on the fence behind, but on the ad side of the center hash).

Personally, I save the real kicker for the ad side for the most part. A driving kick or topspin serve is easy to get down the middle on the deuce side and is a good option.

 

[BulldogLouisiana]

The only thing you should change when you're serving to the deuce vs the ad court is your stance.

Does this go for all serves? I've only been playing a few months, but I use the one on the right on both sides. So far, I only use flat and slice serves.

 

[FiReFTW]

Does this go for all serves? I've only been playing a few months, but I use the one on the right on both sides. So far, I only use flat and slice serves.

Of course, why would you change your serve mechanics for each serve?

You line up so that ur oriented in the same way towards the service box that you are serving into on both sides, that means you use a different position on ad than on deuce, so nothing changes when you serve.

On ad side my feet are mostly parallel to the baseline, on deuce side they are rotated more into the court.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

Personally, I save the real kicker for the ad side for the most part. A driving kick or topspin serve is easy to get down the middle on the deuce side and is a good option.

i try to get the same kick on the deuce side... but because of the angle it doesn't kick much, but still gets the net clearance i want (much more so than slice).
and compared to a slice, that curves toward the returner, the kick to the deuce still forces the server to take a couple extra steps... alerternating can cause the returner to mistime...
but yeah, kicking on the ad side, gets the receiver flying into the side curtain

 

[FiReFTW]

i try to get the same kick on the deuce side... but because of the angle it doesn't kick much, but still gets the net clearance i want (much more so than slice).
and compared to a slice, that curves toward the returner, the kick to the deuce still forces the server to take a couple extra steps... alerternating can cause the returner to mistime...
but yeah, kicking on the ad side, gets the receiver flying into the side curtain

A good ad kick is probably one of the hardest serves to deal with, its extremely hard to return with interest and it pulls you so much out of the court that the other guy can casually place the return in the open court or even attack the net and do the same with a volley.

What do you think is the best thing the returner can do with a good ad kick?

 

[Deleted member 23235]

A good ad kick is probably one of the hardest serves to deal with, its extremely hard to return with interest and it pulls you so much out of the court that the other guy can casually place the return in the open court or even attack the net and do the same with a volley.

What do you think is the best thing the returner can do with a good ad kick?

take it early, drive on the rise...
chip and charge
drop back and take a full swing, aiming high and deep, knowing you'll have to scramble for a couple shots, to get back to a neutral rally
cheat to the side where you know the ball will kick