The Kick Serve: Turning Your Second Serve Into a Weapon
A reliable kick serve removes the double-fault panic entirely and gives players a genuine tactical weapon on every second serve.
Most club-level second serves are a defensive push — just getting the ball in. A well-struck kick serve changes that entirely, bouncing high and awkwardly off the returner's strike zone, buying the server time to get into the point on their own terms.
The key technical piece is the toss and contact point — slightly behind and above the head rather than fully out in front — combined with a pronounced brushing motion up and across the ball to generate topspin.
We introduce the kick serve once a player's flat and slice serves are reliable, usually in their second or third year of structured training, since it demands more shoulder mobility and timing than either of the other two serve types.
Physically, the kick serve places different demands on the body than a flat serve — more shoulder rotation, more back arch — so we build supporting mobility work alongside the stroke itself to keep it both effective and safe on the joints.
Once reliable, the kick serve changes match tactics entirely. Players can use it as a first serve in pressure situations too, trading a little pace for a much higher percentage of balls landing safely in the box.
We also pair kick serve development with return-of-serve training for the same players, since understanding how a kick serve behaves from the returner's side makes it easier to reproduce that same awkward bounce as a server. Players who've had to actually return a well-struck kick serve tend to internalize the toss and contact-point adjustments faster than those coached on technique alone, because they already know exactly what effect they're trying to create. This cross-training approach — teaching a shot from both sides of the net — is something we apply across several parts of the curriculum, not just the kick serve, since it consistently accelerates how quickly a technical concept actually sticks.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what level should players learn a kick serve?
Once flat and slice serves are consistent, typically after 1-2 years of structured coaching — trying to add it too early can interfere with basic serve mechanics still being learned.
Does a kick serve require more shoulder strength?
It requires more shoulder mobility and flexibility more than raw strength, along with the timing to brush up and across the ball correctly at contact.
Written in partnership with Rivavya Create and Trade LLP.