How to hit a kick serve in tennis?

[alexanderreed]

Share your ball toss and racket pronation techniques for generating a massive bounce.

 

[James]

When it comes to hitting a kick serve in tennis, I think the key is to get the ball toss just right, so it's a bit higher and more in front of you than a regular serve. For me, this means tossing the ball about 6-8 feet in the air and slightly to the right of my body, so I can make contact with the racket at the peak of the toss. As for racket pronation, I try to use a lot of wrist action to generate spin, snapping my wrist downwards just before contact to impart a lot of topspin on the ball, which gives it that massive bounce.

 

[Mathias]

I found the tips in the thread on hitting a kick serve in tennis to be really helpful, especially the emphasis on using a shorter backswing and angling the racquet face to get the desired spin and trajectory on the serve I've been practicing this technique and seeing some improvement in my serves, but I'd love to hear from others who have mastered the kick serve - what are some common mistakes to watch out for and how do you stay consistent with this type of serve?

 

[samlouis]

Toss the ball slightly behind your head, brush up the back of the ball, and swing fast with a relaxed wrist. Use a continental grip, bend your knees, and aim high over the net to create topspin and kick bounce.

 

[Luffy]

To hit a kick serve in tennis, use a continental grip, toss the ball slightly behind your head (around 12:00-1:00 for righties), and brush up and across the back of the ball (7-to-1 o'clock motion) with high racquet speed, staying sideways throughout the swing to maximize topspin and create a high, jumping bounce.