[Video] Advice For My Kick Serve

[davidrodin]

Like the title says, I'd like some input on my kick serve. I think my biggest issues right now are toss consistency and getting my legs more involved but I'd like to hear what you all have to say.

Also, can anyone tell me why my back leg kicks so far out during my follow-through? I don't see pros doing this but I'm not sure how to fix it.


Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCwNnhx3KPg

 

[movdqa]

Tuck your left arm into your body and hold it there longer.

Practice your toss off the tennis court. You can sit in your living room and practice your toss while watching TV or listening to the radio.

 

[movdqa]

Duplicate post.

 

[davidrodin]

Tuck your left arm into your body and hold it there longer.

Thanks!

Can you (or anyone) explain what this will improve about my serve?

 

[dct693]

We can't see the resulting serves, but tell us, do they "kick" or dive into the court? The first few you hit don't seem to have a lot of racquet head speed on them. The path of your racquet swing also doesn't look "left to right" enough to me. You also need a more consistently deep racquet head drop. You seem to have it in some serves, others not so much. This helps you get the racquet head speed you need.

You look like you're "palming" your ball toss. If you are, best to use the finger tips for the toss.

When I hit good kick serves in practice, I know it from three things: (1) after the ball crosses the net it dives into the service box, (2) the bounce kicks to the right after the bounce, (3) if the backcourt is short, it will hit the back wall easily on one bounce and will "ricochet around" due to all the top/side spin on it.

 

[movdqa]

Thanks!

Can you (or anyone) explain what this will improve about my serve?

It's an anchor that your other body parts are pushing against. When you let your left-hand go, it's like pushing a lever without a fulcrum.

 

[LeeD]

Kick serves need a lot of arc, so net clearance should be over 2', even 3" if you have the spin to keep it in. That means, the highest part of the arc would be around 12' or so, your strikepoint around 9'.
Your swing doesn't seem explosive or fast, nor is your kinetic chain, but that doesn't mean you can't hit effective kick serves at the 4.0 level. You just have to aim higher over the net, allow the higher arc to bounce up to nose levels at the baseline, and mix up the serves once the returners are able to handle the kick serves.

 

[Topspin Shot]

Your back leg kicks out because your ball toss is too far back. Even on a kick serve, the toss should be out in front of your body, just not quite as far out in front and a little more to the left. Also, your racket at contact should be tilted to the left. So basically think toss in front, stay sideways, and hit up the left side of the ball.

 

[ATP100]

Easy Answer: Throw toss higher.

 

[Chas Tennis]

Video in bright sunlight and the camera's automatic exposure control will select a faster shutter speed, there will be less motion blur.

This looks possibly stressful to your back. ? Compare to videos of high level servers.

There does not appear to be an angle between the forearm and racket at impact. The wrist looks to be at a very stressful angle. Stop experimenting until you understand the safety issues. You give the impression that you are trying to impact the ball as high as possible. ? That is not true for high level servers, look for the angles of their body and arm at impact, they are not vertical.

I look at high level serves based on internal shoulder rotation and point out differences.

I don't see the racket rising when it impacts the ball but the frame rate and motion blur make that difficult to see. ?

I don't see an angle between your forearm and racket leading to impact. Your hand probably tracks in the direction of the ball, but the hand of a high level player tracks to the side at considerable angle.

Your back and your wrist at impact look stressed, possible injury risk. ? Compare to wrists in high level serves.

Club player kick serve impact showing wrist and angle of forearm and racket at impact. With your wrist angle how can the racket strings rise at impact?

https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/472939059

Another video showing a high level kick serve.
https://vimeo.com/27528701

 

[Tight Lines]

I have two comments. First, you need some serious RHS. There is virtually none. From trophy, try to swing as fast as you can without worrying about where the ball lands to get a feel for the speed. I am sure you can swing at least 3 times as fast.

Make sure you have a "2-1" pro's continental grip like in this video when you do that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bsYFra60Q0

Second, if you hit the kick serve correctly, you shouldn't hear any popping sound coming from your racket like you are hearing. That means your elbow is coming around too fast. Stay sideways and try to brush the ball up, not hit it head on. Remember, no popping sound from the racket.

The best video I know of is this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs-Zbi1n8VA

Good luck.

Harry

 

[dct693]

One of the most difficult aspects of the kick serve, for me at least, is keeping my torso (and head) sideways until after contact. Emotionally, I really want to see where the ball is going. Yet if you turn your head even a fraction of a second before you make contact, your torso usually follows, and then so does your arm. Your swing path then goes more forward than left to right.

When everyone (including I) speak of racquet head speed for the kick serve we are not joking. it's not that you need to swing fast. It's that you need to swing f****ing fast. I hit some ridiculous kick serves the other day in practice where I launched a few super high and yet they hit the service line because I hit them with so much spin. It's a thing of beauty when it works.

 

[mikeler]

As said above, racket head speed is key. Think of turning your back to the opponent to get the twist aspect of the kick serve.

 

[LGQ7]

Playing tennis recreationally for 20+ years, the best serves comes from a guy with a baseball background. Think outside of the box, learn pitching from a baseball player.

The hardest serves comes from a guy with a volleyball background.

 

[Nellie]

Stay sideways longer - You are opening your shoulder too early. There is no way to swing the racquet up the back of the ball if you are turned and facing the opponent. I suggest staying sideways (finishing in the direction of back right corner of the baseline) until you the feeling of swinging up and past the ball so you can brush the ball.