Reverse Slice Serve
- Thread starter Dan R
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S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
I've never served this way but I have hit OHs.
I don't deliberately disguise it. I have an Eastern FH grip so switching from Continental to Eastern is not that noticeable, especially since I do it as I'm starting my forward motion.
I find that since the ball moves and tails off in the opposite direction that my opponent is expecting, the OH itself doesn't need to be well-struck.
Here's an example; my partner none other than the Jolly pirate himself.
That's a particularly well hit example.
Yes, I pull it out every now and then, but it's more a party trick than something I rely on.
This guy disguises it. When he sets up, his palm is up, much like it would be when hitting a slider. He changes his grip during the backswing, to me it looks so late that the racquet was behind his head in the trophy position, making it indiscernable to his opponent. I think ideally you do for sure.
Looks like Rosol changed his grip in the backswing as well, slightly earlier though.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
Dragy
Legend
FH grip from the start, just wrist twisted:
Yeah, definitely a SW fh grip.
That's a great shot!
I
I was talking to an instructor once about a guy that hit this serve but he didn't disguise it so it was obvious that he was going to hit since you could see the SW grip and he said that he'd would teach the guy to switch his grip after the toss.
I think Rosol's disguise is pretty good, and less risky than switching grips.
I might give this serve a try to just for the hell of it to see what happens.
FH grip from the start, just wrist twisted:
I was talking to an instructor once about a guy that hit this serve but he didn't disguise it so it was obvious that he was going to hit since you could see the SW grip and he said that he'd would teach the guy to switch his grip after the toss.
I think Rosol's disguise is pretty good, and less risky than switching grips.
I might give this serve a try to just for the hell of it to see what happens.
That's what it seems to be for most. But to me it could easily become a useful bread and butter serve.
He can always work on hitting the same serve down the T or into the body as well.
Dragy
Legend
I want him to develop “proper” serve, particularly to kick it over the heads on 2nds
Well, if his volleyball doesn’t devour him totally.
I want him to develop “proper” serve, particularly to kick it over the heads on 2nds
Well, if his volleyball doesn’t devour him totally.
Maybe he should go with the Battisone two handled spike serve to utilise his volleyball skills!?
Dragy
Legend
Well, some laughs on the court - never bad!
Simon Freund (low level pro) has been doing this recently:
For some reason he calls them a pancake serve, maybe due to the grip?
For some reason he calls them a pancake serve, maybe due to the grip?
Latest vid from the deuce side this time. The action on the ball is crazy!
www.instagram.com
Simon Freund on Instagram: "Guess the pancake- serve works on both sides! ♂️ #RoadToSC #tennis #serve #sport #tennisreels #tennisplayer #tennisserve #sports #tennisvideo #pancakes #tennis"
636 likes, 36 comments - simon.freund on March 28, 2021: "Guess the pancake- serve works on both sides! ♂️ #RoadToSC #tennis #serve #sport #tennisreels #tennisplayer #tennisserve #sports #tennisvideo #pancakes #tennis".
www.instagram.com
Latest vid from the deuce side this time. The action on the ball is crazy!
Simon Freund on Instagram: "Guess the pancake- serve works on both sides! ♂️ #RoadToSC #tennis #serve #sport #tennisreels #tennisplayer #tennisserve #sports #tennisvideo #pancakes #tennis"
636 likes, 36 comments - simon.freund on March 28, 2021: "Guess the pancake- serve works on both sides! ♂️ #RoadToSC #tennis #serve #sport #tennisreels #tennisplayer #tennisserve #sports #tennisvideo #pancakes #tennis".
Yeah, he's hitting the back fence a foot and a half over to the ad court and he's contacting it a few feet to the deuce court side of the centre tag, so that's some serious break, especially considering he changes the grip in the backswing from a palm up continental at address. I actually find his grip change on this one indiscernable in real time.
I want to see how much break he gets on his slider with the same preparation.
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J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
I tried this out in doubles a few weeks ago.
"Hey guys, check out this reverse serve"
... proceeds to serve the ball directly over the back fence and into the bushes...
... bewildered glances ...
I shanked it into the adjacent court to my right the first half a dozen times.
J
This was one of the first serves I learned actually that I could get in the box. It's fine for hitting against people that aren't good at all. Without the pace, I would think it could only be a trick shot against greater competition.
I didn't disguise. Just used a western grip and swung right to left.
I didn't disguise. Just used a western grip and swung right to left.
I reckon it could be used as a second serve, the mirror image of a slice topspin. I think the grip change at the back of the backswing, (when it's behind your head) Is a principle that can be transfered, eg shape to hit a flat serve at address, then slip the grip in the backswing to facilitate a kicker etc. Can anyone think of any others?
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
i know some idiot amateurs try this serve but i will tell you that it will cause some serious arm injury at some point
S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
Why? I did the same motion during a spike frequently in volleyball with no injuries.
MoxMonkey
Semi-Pro
I thought of this concept about a week ago as a fun strategy to keep people "honest" on body serves. The thought I had was if I hit a slice serve with a sw grip the angle of the racquet might be around the neighborhood of a reverse slice at impact.
The problem I had was I had to setup almost facing the court dead on because the serve launched off to the left so much.(left handed)
FWIW though, when I got a good one it was spooky good, at least from my perspective.
The problem I had was I had to setup almost facing the court dead on because the serve launched off to the left so much.(left handed)
FWIW though, when I got a good one it was spooky good, at least from my perspective.
ByeByePoly
G.O.A.T.
Our #2 high school singles player s&v with this serve ... we called it weasel spin.
atatu
Legend
Some interesting trivia, the inventor of the widebody racket, Siegfried Kuebler, wrote a novel about a journeyman pro who could hit a reverse serve and wins the grand slam. Then Kuebler decided to invent a racket stiff enough to do it.
vault.si.com
The Man Who Reshaped Tennis
The widebody tennis racket may turn out to be the most revolutionary piece of equipment in all of sports, and its bizarre and bloodstained history is a tale
vault.si.com
Latest vid from the deuce side this time. The action on the ball is crazy!
Simon Freund on Instagram: "Guess the pancake- serve works on both sides! ♂️ #RoadToSC #tennis #serve #sport #tennisreels #tennisplayer #tennisserve #sports #tennisvideo #pancakes #tennis"
636 likes, 36 comments - simon.freund on March 28, 2021: "Guess the pancake- serve works on both sides! ♂️ #RoadToSC #tennis #serve #sport #tennisreels #tennisplayer #tennisserve #sports #tennisvideo #pancakes #tennis".
The grip change he does in the backswing got me thinking that maybe you could/should do this for other combinations of serve. Ie flat to kicker, reverse slice to kicker and vice versa for both, to name a couple of pairs! It's a matter of changing the swing path/grip as late as possible. The fact that you can change the grip when your racquet is behind your head Is an advantage of the serve. I'm trying to find drills that train a seamless grip change and swing path transition. I mean you slip the grip as late as possible for a drop shot, why not a serve? I find the grip changes need to be done before the racquet is in the maximum "backscratch position" as gravity seems to help make the grip change less obvious.
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SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
I have found the best way to hit an effective reverse slice, for me, is to serve with the opposite arm and employ a standard slice. You'd be surprised how many players have not realized that I had switched from serving left-handed to serving right-handed.
I played one guy who would serve right-handed and then switch the racquet to his left hand right after and play lefty for the rest of the point. Also, played a guy who would pull out the reverse serve often on the AD side as a righty and ace people, but his second serve was a 3.0 dink.
SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
Curious, which arm did guy #1 throw with? Wonder why he hadn't developed the Lefty serve. That could be more advantageous.
I naturally threw R but picked up ping pong, tennis & badminton left- handed. Easy to play PP with either hand. As a R-handed thrower, I was eventually able to hit a lot of R-handed in tennis & badm as well. The R serve was fairly easy for me (but I ever quite as versatile as my L serve).
