Changing up the serve

right now i have a pretty basic serve just put some speed and on and get it in the square somewhat consistently. But i want to get control and get different effects on it. My question is does anyone know the "theory" behind the differenct serves, like where u throw the ball to what arm action in order to get the different kinds of serves.

I don't know how may differente serves there are but the one im most interested in is the one that bounces rlly high, althought im willing to learn anithing different from just the regular serve. Any tips on obtaining control of the serve???

To hit a Serve that kicks ( bounces high : ) here some tips:

Toss the Ball a overhead ( not in front )

Hit up on the ball ( if the ball was a clock hit it at 7 and drive thru to 2 )

Keep your head up while serving ( not lookin' across the net )

Put some hips and Legs into it

Start with a bucket of balls and start with just the toss and arm until you get the feel of "Kik'in the ball then add Legs and then hip rotation ....

Soon Ya'll be Kik'in em' over the Fence !!!!

thanx for the tip

Quote:

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Originally Posted by _Stealth_Tennis

To hit a Serve that kicks ( bounces high : ) here some tips:

Toss the Ball a overhead ( not in front )

Hit up on the ball ( if the ball was a clock hit it at 7 and drive thru to 2 )

Keep your head up while serving ( not lookin' across the net )

Put some hips and Legs into it

Start with a bucket of balls and start with just the toss and arm until you get the feel of "Kik'in the ball then add Legs and then hip rotation ....

Soon Ya'll be Kik'in em' over the Fence !!!!

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Thanks for helping out, this is what we love to see here. Tips & Instructions should come from all our Members.

I will never correct anyone's advice but instead hope that the member takes your advice and attempts to give it a go. Then if they are having difficulty or success, I'm hoping they will come back to Post a followup to let us all know how that worked for them.

I completely understand what you're talking about to produce your kick serve. It is important for a player to see the ball as peeling the orange. You call it 7 to 2 which is also a good analogy. The Kick Serve is hard to get down at first but once you do, you'll find it to be one of your most used weapons.

If you get good at it, you'll notice your opponents having to make contact up around their ears, also a small deviation of that serve will produce your outwide shot, making your opponent have to scramble for the return BUT don't be so quick to run to the net thinking cross-court return, because a good player when pulled out wide will most likely go down the line on the return of serve.

Good Job Stealth ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by _Stealth_Tennis

To hit a Serve that kicks ( bounces high : ) here some tips:

Toss the Ball a overhead ( not in front )

Hit up on the ball ( if the ball was a clock hit it at 7 and drive thru to 2 )

Keep your head up while serving ( not lookin' across the net )

Put some hips and Legs into it

Start with a bucket of balls and start with just the toss and arm until you get the feel of "Kik'in the ball then add Legs and then hip rotation ....

Soon Ya'll be Kik'in em' over the Fence !!!!

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I agree, Stealth!

- Hit a bucket of balls over the fence to get the feel of hitting up, then go onto the court to practice serving over the net
- To test your spin serve the ball so it travels about 6 feet above the net
- Toss the ball overhead and a little behind you, not in front
- Hit up on the ball (critical!)
- Hit from left to right (for right-handers)
- Address the ball with the racquet's front edge

I keep my toss arm up to help keep my head up, and I like to get a good knee bend then come up off the ground naturally as I hit UP - the classic trophy position, but I don't think about the feet (or hips or legs) at all, which would be a distraction, but go with the "feel".

When trying to take your game to another level a great place to start is with the kicker. You are only as good as your second serve.

When lining up, make sure it is the same as you set position of your flat serve. You don't want to give away what is coming before you even start your motion. The ball toss should go across the baseline vertically on the court but as you look up it should be like it is going to land on your forehead with respect to horizontally on the court.

Two key differences to accomplish is the change in wrist snap and the height that the ball travels over the net. Your wrist snap on a flat serve should be straight forward. If you hold your hand in front of you, palm facing forward, your wrist will bend straight forward creating the flat look to the serve. On the kick serve, hold your hand in the same postion and move your wrist from side to side, kind of like the Queen of England's wave to her subjects. Your wrist actually snaps sideway causing your racquet to come up the ball in you 7:00 to 1:00 sweep. You must hit up on the ball and get it to travel higher over the net in order to create depth on the serve ... the more height you get with it being in the better. Not only will it kick higher with more action it will keep the returner back. There is nothing more fun to a returner than a short, non-kicking second serve.

Mike Burge
USPTA Master Professional
www.dynamicdoubles.com

There are many different serves you can try, but the kick serve is an easy one to master first. Check out this quick video!

http://howtoservetennis.ruqqa.com/te...ve-step-1-toss

You might also try different grips, everyones grip is a little different but if you normally hit flat serves you definitely want to change your grip. If you hold your raquet out in front of you with a continental grip then turn your wrist on the handle in a counterclockwise direction, you will have the correct grip. It will probably feel weird at first and the amount you twist the grip will depend on your own preference. Try different positions till you find what works for you. I personally still throw the toss out in front and use my legs to propell me under the ball. Hope this helps a little.
Jim

Since there are basically too many different types and placements of serves for an average person to master, let's keep it simple.
1. Flat first serve up the middle, into the opponents body, out wide
2. Topspin serve mainly used for second serves, up the middle, into the body, out wide.
3. Kick serve, into the body, and one direction to alternate with the topspin serve.
You hit all serves with variable pace and spin, of course, but try to keep it consistently deep into the service court.

Slice serve
Power serve
Twist serve (Kick serve)
Topsin kick serve

Any one of these are good for each serve (except slice, don't use that every time) so to change it up it'll possibly be quite a few aces.

Excellent thread but have a New Question:

With New Strings ( synthetic ) and Wider Rackets ( from KBlade to KOpen ) I know I'm getting alot more Spin on my serves ( Righty ) and also trying to move away from Kiking and more towards Slicing ( with a little kik on the 2nd : )

What's the best Serve Locations to take advatage of a Righty Slice Serve ?
( of couse a Lefty Slice works anywhere grrrr : )

Thanks,

Greg

Righty slice mostly duece court, out wide, then one in 5, directly into the body, into the backhand of right opponent.
Ad court, mostly up the middle, but for variety, one into the body into the backhand side of rightie opponent.
Lefty slices are no big thing, just use your backhand, keep it low, and deeper than service line.