How to master your tennis serve: the kick serve

Master your tennis serve: the kick serve. Be sure to click on all the video chapters to view the entire tutorial.

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INTRO
This video introduces the kick serve and explains why it is a critical shot for a serious tennis player to master.

VIDEO 2: TOSS
The first step of the tennis kick serve is the location of your toss. The location of your toss -- where you put the tennis ball -- is a critically important element of the tennis kick serve. You need to toss the ball in a spot that allows you to make contact the ball when it is directly over your head. We compare the tennis flat serve and kick serve in this video to show how the toss location differs. Tossing the tennis ball so that you can hit it when it's directly over your head allows you to swing properly (as you will see in subsequent videos, the swing direction on a kick serve is different from a flat serve). As I mention in the video, a trick you can use to make learning how to hit a kick serve easier is to aim for your opposite, hitting-arm shoulder when you toss.

VIDEO 3: SHOULDER TURN
You generally get more shoulder turn on a kick serve because you have to position yourself to swing correctly later in the shot.

VIDEO 4: SWING & PRONATE
The way you swing and pronate is a little bit different in a kick serve. You want to swing up and across the tennis ball, as opposed to through it for a flat serve.

VIDEO 5: FOLLOW THROUGH
Your follow through, because of how your arm was moving prior to and at contact, will be more to your side.