Kick Serve

This area of the website focuses on the kick serve. We teach the kick serve in two basic ways. First, we explain the fundamentals of this type of serve. The things that every good player does the same when they hit the shot. Second, we present a series of progressions that you can follow to construct a fundamentally sound kick serve. We strongly recommend that you learn how to hit a kick serve once you’ve mastered the basics of the flat serve because it’s A MUST for any player working to compete at a high level.

FUNDAMENTALS

Introduction to the Kick Serve
This video introduces the kick serve fundamentals videos and explains how we teach these lessons. We expect that you have watched the serve fundamentals videos because we teach the kick serve by comparing it to the flat serve.

Where to Toss the Tennis Ball
The first difference between the kick serve and the flat serve is the location of the toss. You need to toss the ball so that, at contact, it is directly above your head.

Amount of Shoulder Turn
As you’ll see in video #3, the direction you swing a pronate on a kick serve is different from a flat serve. To facilitate this motion, you need to turn your shoulders a little bit more.

Swing Direction and Pronation
The direction you swing and pronate has to let you brush up and across the back of the tennis ball. That will put the correct spin on the ball.

Follow Through
The follow through on a kick serve differs from that of a flat serve because the way you were swinging prior to and at contact was difference. While the fundamentals of the follow through are still there, the direction in which your arm and racket moves is slightly more to the side of your body.

PROGRESSIONS

Introduction to the Kick Serve Progressions
Once you’ve watched the above fundamentals videos, you’re ready to build your kick serve using the videos in this series.

Swing and Pronate
The first step of the kick serve progressions is to learn how to swing and pronate correctly. The motion is very, very abbreviated to start so that you can focus on this one mechanical element of the shot.

Follow Through
Once you’ve got the swing down you can add the follow through. The entire swing should be done very, very deliberately. Work the technique.

Move Back
It’s now time to move back and swing a little bit harder. Despite the faster swing, you need to make sure that your correct mechanics remain intact.

Full Kick Serve Motion
You can now move back to the baseline and try to hit a “real” kick serve. Start with an abbreviated backswing. Then use your entire service motion.

MISC.

Comparing the Flat and Kick Serves
This video looks at the trajectory of the ball on the flat and kick serves and talks about how each serve pressures your opponent.

Come inside and play like you have an unfair advantage.

Kedar

What is the recommended grip for kick serve ?
I don't remember it being mentioned in the vdos.

Bjarki

continental or eastern backhand grip

Saaz Karimi

I signed up for your website a couple of months ago. Are the video lessons now only for premium members. I didnt see a log in for the free videos.

manu

roger did a serve once on a clay court match on the deuce court that after the bounce, it stopped at the and turned way right at the service line, was that a kick serve or a twist serve??????

jamal

there are two possible explainations for why the ball jumped left:
first, on clay courts the lines are not painted on the court or powdered on but are actually strips of plastic they nail into the court causing balls to take odd bounces when it hits the line. Fed could have just hit the outside part of the line making the ball jump far to the left.
a second possibility which is often done--though not so much by Fed on the deuce court--is come far around the left side of the ball causing it to jump left when you hit it. most times when someone hits a kick serve they are tossing the ball behind their head causing the player to be not only hitting up but also to the right. if you time your swing and hit it hard enough you can make the ball very far to the left. this tactic is often used on the add side to pull one's opponent off the court; however, it is harder to do on the deuce side and often Fed does not try it which makes me think that the former answer is the correct one.

jamal

excuse me... i said "left" all times i meant to say "right."
I was thinking right but definitely did not say it haha sorry. (the answer is still correct by the way)

juan humberto ibarra g

i want to see the kick serve video

Rick Nguyen

If u tend to hit slice serves a lot, ur not brushing under the ball but over it. I used to have the same problem when I first learned the kick serve.

Tay Wrede

oh that's what i'm doing wrong with my slice- i'm not coming over, so i keep hitting kick serves... they work, i just want to be able to mix it up with all serves, not just flat and kick.

sammy_james

i wonder if i could do a kick serve?its pretty hard...i'm only a 11year old kid...but really play tennis good..now i'm practicing a kick serve..but the best i could do is a slice.

Abul Nazeer

Thanks to you. I have deadly kick serve, it tends to bounce very high with great accuracy, but recently i swithched rackets to the LM Instinct, and i can't get the same kick. Which racket or strings do u think i need buy. I switches rackets because i was using ncode n6 Oversize and soon bought LM Instinct MP, which racket should I get to best make use of my Kick serve, Anything under 110 would be great.

parkgeumrye

rtt

chica-mexyyyyy :D

whaaat? does that mean?

lolztennis

To get a twist serve, toss the ball a bit further back and hit from around 7:00 to 1:00. If you still aren't getting results, make sure you are bending your back and rising up to the ball, both are essential to a key twist/kick serve.

David Wang

How do you hit a low and a high kick serve? Do you have a video that shows the difference?

persistant

Great job on the videos. On the kick serve video are you showing the twist or just the straight kick? I need help getting the twist on my kicker. Any help would be appreciated