A kick serve clears the net high, dips into the box and jumps up after the bounce. That gives you room over the net on a second serve, and it makes the returner play the ball high or step back.
The directions are for a right-hander, so left-handers should reverse them. Pass marks are practice targets we suggest, not research figures. Research on this serve is thin: a 2024 scoping review found that most studies of serve movement and forces looked only at flat serves. So most of the technique here is mainstream coaching advice, and coaches do not all teach it the same way.
What should a kick serve do?
Check three things from behind the baseline, or ask a partner to watch.
- Over the net: the ball clears the net by clearly more than your flat serve does. About a racket length is a useful first target.
- Into the box: it dips late in its flight and lands inside the service line, even if it looked long for a moment.
- After the bounce: it jumps up and to your right. In the ad court, that pulls a right-handed returner wide and high on the backhand.
A kick trades speed for spin. A motion-capture study of elite men measured the three serve types.
| Serve | Spin rate | Horizontal ball speed |
|---|---|---|
| Flat | About 1,220 rpm | 52.0 m/s (about 116 mph) |
| Slice | About 2,220 rpm | 46.4 m/s (about 104 mph) |
| Kick | About 3,210 rpm | 40.8 m/s (about 91 mph) |
Your numbers will be lower, and a phone cannot measure spin. Keep the pattern: about 2.6 times the spin of the flat serve, with about a fifth less horizontal speed. A slower ball is normal. A deliberately slow arm is the problem, because it removes the spin as well.
Should you learn a kick serve now?
It is a common second serve at the top of the game. In an analysis of 116 men's singles matches at the French Open in 2005 and 2006, topspin serves, the family the kick belongs to, made up 91.6% of second serves. Those are professional men on clay, so this shows what they use and not what you need.
Use this rule. If you double fault often and have no reliable spin serve yet, build a slice first, as our second serve guide explains. Start the kick when your slice lands 7 of 10 from the baseline and you want a higher bounce, or when opponents step in and attack your second serve. Coaches differ on the order, so follow your coach if you have one.
The three changes from your flat serve
Grip: continental, with the edge leading
Use a continental grip, with the edge of the racket leading on the way up to the ball. If the strings face the ball the whole way up, you cannot brush it. Some coaches move the hand slightly toward an eastern backhand grip for more spin, so try that only after the continental feels natural. Our guide to improving your serve shows this check on video.
Toss: keep the change small
Most coaches teach a kick toss closer to over your head, a little further left and less far in front than your flat toss. That puts the ball where the racket can brush up and across it. Research on elite adolescents is mixed: in a study of 24 players, contact on flat serves was about 17 cm (7 inches) further forward than on kick serves, while a study of 20 players found no significant difference in ball position. If you have to bend far backward to reach the ball, the toss has gone too far.
Swing: up and across at full speed
Let your legs push up and keep your shoulders sideways a little longer than on a flat serve. Swing from about 7 to 1 on a clock face, so the strings brush up and across the back of the ball. Finish with the racket further out to your right before it comes down.
"Up" is partly a feeling. In the study of 12 high-performance men, the racket was faster on the flat serve overall and in the forward and upward directions, and faster on the kick only sideways. So if your kick has height but no jump to the right, add more across, not more up. The study of 20 elite adolescents found no significant difference in racket speed between the two serves. Neither study supports a slow arm.
A five-step kick serve drill ladder
Hit 10 balls for each attempt. Move up after you pass a step in two separate sessions, and go back a step if you miss it twice. All pass marks are our suggestions.
- Kneel and brush. Kneel on a towel at the service line and serve over the net into the box. From your knees you have to hit up, so the ball must rise. Pass mark: 6 of 10 in the box.
- Stand and clear. Stand on the baseline and serve to the ad box. Count only balls that clear the net by about a racket length and land in. Ignore the bounce for now. Pass mark: 6 of 10.
- Bounce height. A partner stands one big step behind the service line, to one side, and calls "high" when the ball passes their waist. Pass mark: 5 of 10 land in and are called high.
- Side jump. Put a towel on your target in the ad box and a bag two big steps behind it, on the straight line from you through the towel. A kick passes the bag on your right. Pass mark: 5 of 10 land in and pass on the right.
- Kick-only points. Play to 11 with a partner: one serve per point, kick only, with your partner free to stand inside the baseline. Pass mark: 7 of every 10 serves land in.
A pass earned with a slower arm does not count, so use the frame count below if you are unsure.
Why your kick serve is not kicking: common faults
| What you see | Likely cause | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| Bounces high but straight on | The swing goes up with little across | Finish further out to your right and feel the strings brush across |
| Curves left and stays low | You hit a slice: the toss is too far right, or the racket goes around the ball | Bring the toss back toward your head and swing more up the ball |
| Goes long | Too little spin, or a toss so far in front that you hit through the ball | Move the toss back slightly and brush more, at the same arm speed |
| Goes into the net | The arm slows, or your head and chest drop before contact | Aim higher, keep your head up through contact and keep the arm fast |
| Floats and sits up after the bounce | The arm slows near contact | Use the frame count below and compare with your flat serve |
How to check your kick serve on video
Film five flat serves and five kicks from behind the baseline, and the same again side-on. Our filming guide shows where to put the phone. Use 60 frames per second, then check three things and watch the bounce.
- Toss: from behind, pause at the top of each toss. Kick tosses should group together, a little left of your flat tosses.
- Racket path: from behind, step through the last frames before contact. The racket should travel up and to your right. If it travels straight at the net, you are hitting through the ball.
- Arm speed: side-on, count the frames from the racket's lowest point behind you to contact, and compare the averages for flat and kick. Many more frames on the kick means your arm is slowing. This is a rough check we suggest, not a measured standard.
TennisAI can score the serve in an uploaded clip and comment on timing, contact point, body position and balance. Its listing does not advertise spin measurement or a separate score for kick serves, so use the ladder counts to judge the serve itself. The score is an automated estimate that can be wrong, and it varies with camera angle and lighting, so film from the same spot each time.
Once the kick holds up in points, check whether it changed your results. Counting your serve numbers shows how many second serve points you win, which tells you more than how high the ball bounced.
Frequently asked questions
What is a kick serve in tennis?
It is a serve hit with heavy spin, so it clears the net high, dips into the box and jumps up and to a right-handed server's right after the bounce. It is mostly used as a second serve, because the spin gives you room over the net.
Why is my kick serve not kicking?
Usually the swing goes forward through the ball, or straight up with nothing across it, or the arm slows before contact. Check your racket path on video and compare your arm speed with your flat serve.
Where should you toss for a kick serve?
Most coaches teach a toss closer to over your head, a little further left and less far in front than a flat toss, for a right-hander. Keep the change small, so you can reach the ball without bending far backward.
What is the difference between a kick serve and a topspin serve?
Coaches use these terms differently. Many use topspin serve for mostly forward spin and kick serve for a mix of topspin and side spin, which makes the ball jump sideways after the bounce.
Is a kick serve bad for your back?
Research does not settle this: a 2026 narrative review says the effect of serve type on joint loading remains unclear. If your back or shoulder hurts when you serve, stop and see a medical professional.
See this in your own game
Upload a practice or match video to TennisAI and get feedback on your forehand, backhand and serve.
Sources
- Sakurai, Reid and Elliott, Sports Biomechanics (2013): Ball spin in the tennis serve
- Reid, Elliott and Alderson, British Journal of Sports Medicine (2007): Shoulder joint loading in the high performance flat and kick tennis serves
- Connolly et al., Sports Medicine - Open (2021): Lumbar spine abnormality and serve types in elite adolescent players
- Campbell et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2013): Lumbar loading in the elite adolescent tennis serve
- Brito et al., Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (2024): Biophysical characterization of the tennis serve, scoping review
- Martin et al., Sports Medicine - Open (2026): Tennis serve biomechanics, joint load mechanics and overuse injuries
- Gillet et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2009): Notational analysis of elite serve and serve-return strategies on a slow surface
This article is general information about tennis training and does not replace a coach or medical advice. Stop and see a professional if something hurts. TennisAI is made by Pace, the publisher of this blog.
