What serves do you hit?

[gifted_shotmaker]

What kind of serve do you hit on your first and second serves?

I hit flat or topspin on my first try, and I hit slice on my second try.

Kick serve is the hardest to learn I hear, I would like to also add the kick serve to my repertoire.

 

[TwistServe]

Well I have many serves... and use them based on how the other opponent is returning and if i'm serving on the duece or ad side

First serves:
- flat down T or out wide
- slice serve to body or out wide
- hard kicker aggressively placed near the lines usually outwide

Second serves:
- kicktwistserve out wide or down the middle
- short angle kicktwistserve outwide
- topspin serve to the body
- slice serve conservatively placed

 

[Jonnyf]

first usually flat or lefty slice

2nd almost always (95%) kickserve

 

[eLterrible]

I kick it wide on deuce for both first and second (take a little mmph off the second <--what a pun ) and kick it down the center line on ad side. I'm 5'6 so a flat serve will almost always go out on me without a little kick.

 

[stc9357]

1st serve- slice, falt, or topspin

2nd serve- slice or topsin

I'm currently adding kick to the reportoire which means getting up 8 o'clock every morning and working on the serve for a hour to two hours.

 

[Grimjack]

My second serve is usually a topspin or kick to the backhand of a righty, or a slice or slice/topspin hybrid to the backhand of a lefty.

My first serve could be anything.

 

[kevhen]

1st serve,

hard heavy slice into the body 70% in usually forces many errors most of the first set into the net or outwide to my right from the spin,

hard flat up the T, 50% in and forces many long return errors too if not winners,

topspin change up usually out wide 70% in, sometimes forces errors usually into the net due to change of pace and spin but most players are more used to this kind of serve.

2nd serve

slow flat 95% in but not too effective against the strongest 4.0s,

slow heavy slice 80% in keeps opponent on the defense,

hard heavy slice 70% forces some errors,

topspin 75% in, best when serving in windy conditions.

 

[krnboijunsung]

Isn't the kick serve a harder version of the topspin serve or slice serve? It's basically brushing over the ball right? My friend knows how to do it consistently and I got killed in our doubles match.

 

[Grimjack]

Isn't the kick serve a harder version of the topspin serve or slice serve? It's basically brushing over the ball right? My friend knows how to do it consistently and I got killed in our doubles match.

The kick serve is a topspin serve where the angle at which you brush up causes the ball to leap not just up, but sideways as well. In terms of two right handers playing, it's a serve that will bounce high AND off to the backhand side of a returner.

Great fun if you're playing on an end court near a fence put up a little too close.

 

[Kaptain Karl]

I don't bother with topspin serves. I hit Kick, Slice and Flat ... mixing them up however I think will best suit that particular match. (I use the same toss for all my serves. I've been reminded this is unusual, but I think it is a BIG reason my serve is such a weapon.) I don't hit all that hard, but my opponents usually end up "guessing" what's coming. I love this...!

Oh yeah ... I only hit Flat for my second serve less than 10% of the time. That's the only change from First to Second.

- KK

 

[safin_protege]

Duece side:
First Serve
-Flat down T (favorite)
-Slice out wide
-Flat into body

Second Serve
-Slice down T (favorite)
-Slice into Body
-Slice out wide

Ad side:
First Serve
-Big kick out wide (favorite)
-Flat down T
-Flat into body

Second Serve
-(same as Deuce side Second Serves)

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Twist, slice, topspin, "flat" - anywhere.

 

[thejackal]

I just hit kickers with varying amounts of spin and therefore pace. I very mostly sidespin and location to either jam or stretch opponents.

 

[Rickson]

Flat and slice on my first serves and topspin serve on my second.

 

[Meat]

I use EVERYTHING. All levels of spin, all kinds of spin. I easily hook the ball wide, or add normal slice on it easily. Flat serves come easy as well, I can generate the pace and placement.

I'm working on the kick serves. Currently, my topspin serve bounces at about shoulder height at most, with small to moderate pace. It's consistent, but I'm aiming for more action to try for errors right from the beginning. I have a twist serve, as well -it bounces about the same height as my topspin serve, and just barely breaks after the bounce. I want to be able to control and develop that bounce.

But I still use all of them. If you're aiming for errors and weak balls, it's impossible to just use one. They're going to get used to it. So for first AND second serve, I use everything.

 

[MegacedU]

I'd like to hit kickers for both buttt my coach hates it and tells me that I should really be hitting a flat serve for my first. So that's what I do. For my second it's a kicker/slice out wide.

 

[Zeph]

Typically i use a hard flat or heavy slice first serve, on my second, i use a kick serve. Though im not to the almost perfect consistancy where i can take second serves and hit them far wide or close to the T, I guess im a little more cautious when it comes to second serves.

 

[Thanatos]

Well I have many serves... and use them based on how the other opponent is returning and if i'm serving on the duece or ad side

First serves:
- flat down T or out wide
- slice serve to body or out wide
- hard kicker aggressively placed near the lines usually outwide

Second serves:
- kicktwistserve out wide or down the middle
- short angle kicktwistserve outwide
- topspin serve to the body
- slice serve conservatively placed

TwistServe, you seem very proficient with the kicker. I have a question for you. When I'm serving on the deuce side (right-handed), I usually stand about 3 ft away from the hash. My goal is to serve out wide for an ace. I'm not talking about the right corner of my opponent's service box, but the vertical line that runs up to the net. Do I have to take some pace off my kicker to place the ball in that area? Right now, I can hit that vertical line about 1/10 times with a loose wrist and full swing. I tried rotating my shoulders more towards that area but can't seem to find any true consistency. Thanks.

 

[kying1031]

Depending on how I'm serving that day, this is my priority list

1st serves -
Flat angle out wide (I mean beyond the left corner of the deuce and right of ad. I'm a pretty tall guy.)
Flat to wide corner
Flat up the middle
Flat into the body
Heavy kick into body
heavy kick up into backhand.

2nd serves-
Angled Kick out wide into ad/Right up the T in deuce
Body Kick serve
Wherever their backhand is, i kick it. Sometimes i'm a bit more agressive and put it closer to the corners/farther wide.

I'm a very heavy Serve and volley player, so I use the kick quite a bit.

 

[TennsDog]

I have a bunch of serves. Altogether: fast topspin, slow w/lotsa topspin, slice, flat, 3/4 spin, and twist. I don't use the twist very much, but it is fun. My first serves are usually fast topspin, but I like aces with slice wide in deuce and jamming with flat. My second serve is also usually fast topspin and sometimes slow w/lotsa topspin. The 3/4 is my favorite serve because it is one of my fastest and it just bites right through the returner's stringbed and twists the frame on contact, making it very difficult to get a decent return in play. The fast topspin often sends the return sky-high.

 

[TwistServe]

TwistServe, you seem very proficient with the kicker. I have a question for you. When I'm serving on the deuce side (right-handed), I usually stand about 3 ft away from the hash. My goal is to serve out wide for an ace. I'm not talking about the right corner of my opponent's service box, but the vertical line that runs up to the net. Do I have to take some pace off my kicker to place the ball in that area? Right now, I can hit that vertical line about 1/10 times with a loose wrist and full swing. I tried rotating my shoulders more towards that area but can't seem to find any true consistency. Thanks.

Thanatos.. If I get your question right, you want to hit a kicker from the duece side to your opponents forehand but with a sharp angle.. This is usually achieved with a slice serve but a kicker is doable.

To do what I described above with a kick serve, you're either going to do two things... Take pace off the ball and put tremendous spin and aim at a sharp angle out wide. Or you can hit your normal hard kicker but make sure the arc distance falls short.. that is. you want the ball as it passes the net to be on its way down... Be careful! If you mis-place the ball and get it towards the middle of the service box, you've just gave your opponent a short kicker to their forehand..

I guess the only thing you can do is practice... My kickers naturally go out wide on duece and ad side because of my stance. I have to force myself to hit down the middle if I want it to go there.. Just do like me, hit around 150 serves three times a week and your consistency will only go up.. Tweak around with your stance, grip, wrist, and elbow postions on the serve. You'll find what gives maximum spin, maximum penetration, and maximum pop.

 

[ch4ng]

First Serve

Flat up the T
Flat into body
Flat out wide
Kick out wide (ad)
Slice out wide (duece)

Second Serve

Slice out wide
Slice into backhand
Kick into backhand
Flat into body or wide (if its 40-0)