Tennis serve toss for flat, slice and top spin serves duration. If you have one that consistently goes in and, just as important, prevents your opponent from going on the offensive, then youre a player. Hi guys, im clay ballard with top speed tennis and today were going to talk about the kick serve. Ill just cover the basics, because this isnt the serve i use. Its roger federer in slow motion hitting what i think not 100% sure is a topspin serve. Today aritz is going to teach you how to improve your kick serve in tennis. If youre not jump serving, use a floater instead of a drop ball. While mastering a topspin serve to a very high level does take longer time, you can improve your existing topspin serve s consistency and power very quickly with the following tips.
You need serious racquet head speed to hit an effective kick serve and stosur hits a. The tennis ball curves in the air and bounces to the side. Of course knowing how to use all the different type of serves. The forehand topspin lob is one of the most effective shot in the game of tennis. Its the forehand grip and the forehand angle of arm and racket that prevents selftaught players from learning the topspin serve. Great, great, super great, i love this article great. A kick serve, however, causes the tennis ball to dance. Thats where the kick serve comes in its the ultimate second serve. Youll see that the ball goes in the direction of the strings while your racquet goes in another direction. These versions are true topspin, slice topspin, and twist. Flat serves are difficult to return because they are hit with a lot of pace. Tennis serve in slow motion kick serve slice serve flat.
Jul 16, 2009 the kick serve is a little more advanced. The reverse kickamerican twist serve is rarely used except as a novelty. Jan 31, 2019 the kick serve relies on a relaxed arm that has enough power to whip around the body moving up and over before connecting with the ball. Spin serve in modern tennis learn the different spins. Essentially, what you are trying to do is to clip the ball with both topspin and a hint of sidespin, so that as it lands it will kick off the side. Servers can gain a tactical advantage by varying the type of serve and the balls placement.
I generally get more topspin than kick, which is ok against weaker opponents, but it gets smashed back against better players. It may be used as a synonym for the twist serve or the american twist. Practice the tennis tips in this how to video and youll be on your way to a better topspin lob. Learning the hand and wrist nuances of the slice topspin, twist, and true topspin serve is one of the final steps in truly developing the kick serve into a versatile, flexible weapon. Lots of people have learned how to hit a topspin serve by getting themselves ready to hit a onehand backhand. These are what i call the slice topspin, the twist, and the true topspin. Instead the kick serve is a blend of speed and spin, with the spin being a hybrid of topspin and sidespin. Even though these serves are slightly different they do share some advantages and disadvantages. Jun 28, 2009 kick serve this is as advanced as serving gets. Second, there is good evidence that the topspin serve places more strain on the shoulder and specifically rotator cuff so i generally recommend the side spin. Where should your ball toss be for a slice, kick or topspin serve. Second serve mastery tennis video course feel tennis. Dec 20, 2018 pros and cons kick serve vs top spin serve. What i call true topspin bounces high and straight ahead.
The coach feeds a challenging ball across the court to player 1 who has to lob player 2 with a top spin lob. I love that he recognizes the three different types of kick serve. In the kick serve, frame 4, the players back is arched more, while the toss is slightly to the left of the head. You still need to lean into the court to generate power for the kick serve although your main momentum. However, kick serve is commonly used to refer to any serve with heavy topspin or kick on it. This significantly cuts down the amount of time an opponent has to prepare to hit. For my game at the moment, my general approach will be to hit flat and slice serves for the first serve, and kick for my second. Tennis serve toss for flat, top spin and slice serves feel. Sep 02, 2012 the reason roger federer can serve even a top spin serve from the same toss is that he is not looking for a big kick serve.
Ill show you how to get the net clearance that gives you safety and kick at the same time your second problem is the service line. Anyone have a video that helped them develop a kick serve. Tennis topspin serve learn the topspin tennis serve technique. Learn how to improve your topspin lob with this tennis tutorial. Mar 11, 2015 a player with a tennis topspin serve generally has an edge compared to a player that can only hit flat serves. This tutorial provides some tips that will guide you toward the golden stroke. In a tennis game, the higher your first and second serve accuracy is will correlate to the percentage of your chances in winning the match.
Thus as we explain in the video the two serves are difficult to return for different reasons. Finally, for anyone trying to build a great serve i believe the sequence is to master a fast swinging sidespin and then and only then build that rhythm into topspin best jim. The faster a serve is hit, the less time your opponent will have to react, which can cause players to make contact with the ball late or mistime their shot. The kick serve swing path is similar to the slice and flat serve swing path until the point of contact.
A kick serve acts like a topspin slice serve before the bounce, moving towards the forehand but on the bounce it kicks to the backhand side. Tomazs title feel tennis is the foundation for his teaching. You need to toss the ball over your head, or even a touch to the left hand side. But if you can get close to this, assuming you toss the ball over your head towards your left shoulder like the kick serve, the ball will just bounce up higher like if youve hit a top spin forehand or backhand so in summary kick serve twist serve ball jumps and moves to the right upon landing. The key to improving your top spin tennis serve technique. Tennis topspin serve learn the topspin tennis serve.
Mar 15, 2011 tennis lessons to hit your topspin kick serve like the pros. It allows you to serve much harder and is also used in tabletennis or even soccer free kicks. The following video shows you the key difference between a topspin tennis serve and a flat serve, which is quite hard to. This post may contain links to products, software and services. In the flat serve, the toss is straight above and to the right of the head. Using the tip of the racket properly will give you extra topspin and bring the ball down rapidly after it clears the net. This serve is the most difficult to learn but once you have it, youll have a renewed sense of confidence in your topspin second serve. You can also use a topspin serve as a variation on the first serve, especially when you.
In todays video we will show you the best tips to master your kick serve. Molik and samantha stosur, both australians, have superb kick serves, and they use both the american twist left bounding and the topspin slice. Again, i outlined the three variations in the first article. Your whole game will fall apart if youre constantly stressed about the possibility of making a double fault and actually making lots of them.
My tennis teacher tells me that the american twist serve is a flat serve and is used as a first serve. The kick serve relies on a relaxed arm that has enough power to whip around the body moving up and over before connecting with the ball. Ive not seen too many articles or books or any other instruction for that matter go this indepth on the kick serve. Generally, a kick serve will have some sidespin, too, just cause its hard not to get some sidespin with the topspin. As youve seen, the toss for the flat and slice serve is almost the same once you reach a higher level of serving, but to hit the top spin serve from that same toss requires years of practice and very good hands the reason roger federer can serve even a top spin serve from the same toss is that he is not looking for a big kick serve it is obviously possible to hit a top spin serve from. The perfect complement to a fast, flat serve is a second serve with higharching topspin.
He also understands that muscle memory can be adapted through repetition of the. You can also use a topspin serve as a variation on the first serve, especially when you want to increase your first serve percentage. Kicktopspin serves are often used as both first and second serves. Table tennis serving questions learn to play table tennis.
The topspin or kick serve is created by the racket face brushing up the back of the ball. Now when done correctly with the right technique its one of the easiest serves to get in the box, and its also one of the most effective, kicking up by your opponents shoulders or even up by their head. Get the free oneclick dictionary software for windows or the iphoneipad and android apps verb. Topspin is when the ball is spinning forward as it travels along its trajectory. Kick serves actually have topspin so that the ball kicks up after it bounces. Then use your wrist and flick over the top of the ball as fast as you can.
He has created several successful online programs that have positively. He also understands that muscle memory can be adapted through repetition of the building blocks of the topspin serve or any other tennis stroke. Tennis serve toss for flat, top spin and slice serves. See the full 45 minute dvd consistent tennis wins iii the serve at. Also, he has told me that i have used a kick serve during practice. Like and subscribe to our channel if you liked the content. Double check that you know which direction topspin refers to. The way to initiate this serve is to throw the ball up behind and to the left, and brush the ball towards one or two oclock. Topspin serve tennis drills, videos and coaching plans. Please assume all such links are affiliate links which may result in myself. The reason why it is similar is the acceleration of the racquethead once the racquet drop. This is a serve that is basically a fast topspin serve with a disguise of starting in the pendulum position. How to hit the slice, kick or topspin tennis serve using.
You can contact us regarding any questions to our email. This will generate a lot of topspin with a small compact action and will give your opponent a surprise to see the ball coming at. This will give the ball more topspin than sidespin. To do the kick serve, youll want to brush up the back of the ball. With a topspin serve, your serve has a better chance of going in the service box. A player with a tennis topspin serve generally has an edge compared to a player that can only hit flat serves. Serve a topspin serve by not rotating into the court and staying sideways. He understands that feeling what we are doing to the ball is vital to learning and the successful execution of the shot. The 5 unique spins for a winning tennis serve serve and volley. The backhand angle is also used by milos raonic these days. Learn the key points to a powerful consistent topspin kick serve. Sep 08, 2009 the serve is not solely a spin serve, according to yandell, nor is the spin mainly topspin. I do explain that the serve is truly a hybrid between slice and topspin.
Using the tip of the racket properly will give you extra topspin and bring the ball down rapidly after it clears the net your third problem is lack of pace and aggressive returns from your opponent. Theres a common mistake that happens when youre learning the topspin serve in tennis especially if you first learned the flat serve. How to do a topspin lob in tennis tennis wonderhowto. It can be a very deceptive serve as the ball will swing from right to left in the air for a right hander but as it bounces the spin will bite into the court and it. Developing a reliable topspin tennis serve is the key to advanced tennis. It can be a very deceptive serve as the ball will swing from right to left in the air for a right hander but as. This toss allows for the 7 oclock to the 1 oclock upward brushing motion in the topspin serve. Topspin serve dives in and bounces high forward where as a kicker breaks to right and high. Unless your second serve is safe, accurate and difficult to attack, you will be under pressure on every second serve. The worst serve to receive is one on a team youre not comfortable with. It is obviously possible to hit a top spin serve from a toss that would typically allow you a flat serve, but you cannot impart very heavy spin.
The slice serve has less velocity than a flat serve but more than kick or topspin. Want to put spin on your serve to add variety and make the return more challenging for your opponent. A true topspin second serve is hit from a 6 oclock. While mastering a topspin serve to a very high level does take longer time, you can improve your existing topspin serves consistency and power very quickly with the following tips. Feb 25, 2018 in todays video we will show you the best tips to master your kick serve. When well executed this serve is heavy and difficult to deal with because it can bounce well above the returners preferred contact height. The following video shows you the key difference between a topspin tennis serve and a flat serve, which is quite hard to spot with the naked eye.
The kick serve in tennis is difficult to master since it is difficult to generate enough topspin for the ball to kick up sharply. In analyzing alicia moliks wonderful second serve, notice that her ball toss is to the left. Flat serves are low percentage so i spin in a lot of slices, topspin, hybrid and kick serves my biggest problem on spin serves especially the kick serve is getting pace on them. We give demonstrations and show you the techniques of how to do this serve, the short topspin serve is used to try to deceive your opponent and gain a weak return that can be attacked. It creates a serve that loops higher over the net and then dips down into the court. Tennis serve in slow motion kick serve slice serve. Your forehand can be hampered by some nasty habits that are tough to kick. The serve is not solely a spin serve, according to yandell, nor is the spin mainly topspin. As a first serve, a player will put more pace on the ball, while it is a consistent second serve since the spin brings it into the service box with high net clearance.
I was on an intramural team with people i didnt know all that well and that were all of varying degrees better than me, not to mention i am a setter that was trying to play weakside. When you swing you try and serve up on the ball in a 7 to 1, or 8 to 2 motion if you think of a clock. My kick serve just spins over bounces up in the direction i want it maybe 5 feet high but just doesnt do much. Aug 16, 2012 theres a common mistake that happens when youre learning the topspin serve in tennis especially if you first learned the flat serve. Due to the imparted top spin with slight side spin on the kick serve the ball will tend to dip as it travels over the net. I was wondering if any of you have ever preformed an american twist serve or a kick serve. Hit up on the ball and note the difference in the racquet path and the actual ball flight. Jun 01, 2015 the backhand angle is also used by milos raonic these days. Tennis serve toss for flat, slice and top spin serves. In part 1 of this series on the kick serve, i presented the technical reference points for the kick serve motion. A variation of this serve is the kick serve or american twist serve. Furthermore, the ball needs to be served at around 100 mph depending on the court surface grass and clay being very different surfaces, and it needs to land well short of the service line in order to bounce to around shoulder height. Tennis lessons to hit your topspin kick serve like the pros. This serve is the most basic kick serve and most players will use it for the second serve a large percentage of the time, especially on hard courts.