1. Top spin second serve isn't really about power.
2. You lose precision by throwing it too far to the right.
3. That's the price to pay for a very accurate and effective 2nd serve.
I can't flat serve to save my life, so I actually do my modified version of the top spin serve for my first. I jump into it a little and toss the ball a little bit more above my head (rather than to the right) and a little farther into the court. Generating enough spin and power for an occassional ace
Thanks Brent. I am able to get a topspin(high arc) on the second serve. However I am worried about the speed of my second serve. Though my opponent (an amateur like me) finds it difficult to track the ball due to the spin on it, I am quite sure that an experienced player can read the ball easily. Is there a way to increase the speed of the second serve or is the key to the second serve to impart more topspin and thus making the opponent to move back to the baseline? Arun (India)
Guys like Sampras & Federer can hit just about any serve off of the same toss. As Brent mentions here it's next to impossible to impart topspin when the ball is of to the right. With all serve tosses you want your arm extended upward inline with the same shoulder then extend upward to the ball with the racket. Have fun
I think there's no argument that Andy Roddick does not lack speed and power on any of his serves. I've seen him place a 130 mph kick serve down the T no problem. In most cases the ball placement is not really behind you but it is slightly closer than a flat serve would be.
@Kapperillo Take a look at Patrick Rafter, Andy Roddick and Johny Mac. All arguably great servers. The only one I can think of that had some back issues was Johnny Mac. This is why his service motion was a bit unorthodox. Pat Rafter has an incredible topspin kick serve as do many other players. Now all of these players used a topspin serve and slice as well as kick serves.
@Kapperillo No problem for the critique. What I'm demonstrating is how to get the feeling of generating pure topspin. It's really tough to do that when you toss out to the right.
I do toss more to right for a first serve than a 2nd serve, but there's still some topspin on a semi topspin first serve.
Hi Brent, I was wondering what debi10s is referring to by serving over the fence? Is she referring to trying to make the ball kick high enough so that it can bounce over the fence?
Hi, I play an average game of tennis, but I was wondering what's the difference between natural gut strings and nylon strings. I generally serve and volley, so what kind of string is better. Cheers
@TheDevil1912 Good question that requires a little more input. It depends on the size of the racket head you have, how often you play, how much you can afford, etc.
Historically gut has been superior in terms of feel, but the nylon synthetic guts now are really very good.
I use Gamma 18g syn-gut in my Babolat 110. Right, it's a thin string, but I really like the feel. I get about 12-15 sets out of it which is OK because I string my own rackets. That racket is a no brainer to string. Brent
@TheDevil1912 Natural Gut is still considered to be the best type of string and alot of pros use Natural gut. But they are expensive compared to synthetic. They also do not last very long and are very sensitive to changes in temperature, weather, etc. so if you break a lot of tennis strings while playing I would not recommend natural gut.
@xgamer241 Don't give up your slice, that's an important serve to have, but simply change the racket angle as it goes up the back of the ball and you'll start producing a nice top spin high bouncing serve.
Look in the Description are above for the link that will give you more info over at the WebTennis blog.
I have a broad, but important question for you that will probably help other people too. In serving, is your wrist suppost to be locked or is it supposed to be generating some of the spin and power? What about in regular strokes? I'm somewhat confused about this because my old teacher told me it was all with the forearm in tennis, but most video's don't mention it.
@DumbAndLethal Hey Dumb and thanks for your question. Your wrist should not be locked when you serve because the racket moves way too slowly through the ball when you firm up the grip.
I don't lock the wrist on any of my strokes, in fact, I want the racket head to gather some speed just prior to contact to get more natural spin and power.
@dannyyang78 Hey, a great drill for learning the rhythm of the serve is to hold 4 balls, serve one at a time without stopping the motion (no footwork of course)...
@webtennis With serves, its finding the right angle as i come down on the ball. My serves often go long or into the net. Overall, its definitely volleying & drop shots. The finesse of both those shots just seems to keep escaping me.
Thanks so much Mr. Brent. I think that's one of my problems, I'm a righty and I tend to just slice the ball instead of hit up on it. But then I also have problems pronating my arm and often times I frame it or the ball just keeps going up and up and never spins down into the court because I didn't pronate.
Hi Brent, Is it right that I have to toss the ball right above my head in order to hit a top-spin serve? Would you talk about the first serve toss vs. the second toss serve. I was told that even though the trajectory from the receiver looks the same, but the 1st serve toss is more in front and the 2nd serve toss is more or less on top of the head.
@didanhtennis Good question. I try to keep my toss in the same position in relation out to the right of my body, whether it's a first or 2nd serve.
The difference is that the first serve toss is simply a little bit further forward. The receiver can't really detect if the toss is slightly forward, however, they can detect if the toss is more above your head for a 2nd serve as opposed to out to the right for a first serve.
This must sound confusing, so I'll do a video on this. - Brent
@webtennis Yes, it is a little confusing. I can understand a same location toss, but a little forward for a 1st serve and a little backward for a 2nd serve but I am not sure if that is what you are talking about. You made the 2nd serve looked so easy. It frustrates the hell out of me, but I am so appreciative of your videos. They make a lot of sense. Your toss lesson with the shoulder really has helped me a ton. Thanks again. Can't wait for the videos on the 2nd serve toss location.
@jackhavick Check out my lesson on the fundamentals of the serve. Go look above in the description box and then follow that URL to my serve lesson info page. - Brent
what he means by a kicker is once the ball bounces it shoots up or kicks in an unexpected direction. Flat serves bounce normally, but the "kick" or "spin" serves shoot the ball back up. Hope this helps.
he meant a kick serve where the after the ball hits the service box it bounces incredibely high so that they can't return a strong forehand/backhand the thing is you have to be very strong to give one of those and make sure your back isnt giving pain when you do the kicker a.k.a kick serve
Actually a kicker is named in such a way because of the "kick back effect" it has when it bounces back toward your opponent. It's not a pure top spin serve, it is cut with little angle to make it dig and kick back up and to the side.
The confusion lies in the old way of calling this serve an American twist - no matter how much it kicks sideways, it still is a kicker provided it has enough top spin to bounce. Read on wikipedia.
i hope this helps my pathetic serve...i have pretty good groundies...but my serve always seems to be the bugaboo.....i either hit the net, or im long........so i end up standing farther back just to get it in..and then my rotten opponents drop shot me....
the first serve u were showing was a slice serve and ur second serve that u showed to replace the first one was a kick serve which is totally different so it really depends on what ur goal with that serve is to start off the point...for example if u wanted to bring ur opponent off the coart u would not want to use a kick serve.. overall good video though i really enjoy watching ur tips and im not trying to belittle what u say cause its very knowlegable
Good one Brett...I don't need the kicker either...but I do have a serve that flies left and bounces right...my under hand spin slice. It a killer to the ad court.
i would have to say too flat
armykidd89 4 days ago
Hey brent when i serve i keep going long
what can i do to bring my serve back into play?
armykidd89 4 days ago
@armykidd89 Hey Army. 1st thing would be to make sure your contact point is slightly out in front of you.
Sometimes the serve can go long because the toss is too far behind you.
Also, are you getting plenty of spin to help bring the ball back down or is your serve too flat?
Brent
webtennis 4 days ago
heaps of effort when into those first two serves lol listen to him 0:00
kevintoti 2 weeks ago
@Kapperillo
1. Top spin second serve isn't really about power.
2. You lose precision by throwing it too far to the right.
3. That's the price to pay for a very accurate and effective 2nd serve.
I can't flat serve to save my life, so I actually do my modified version of the top spin serve for my first. I jump into it a little and toss the ball a little bit more above my head (rather than to the right) and a little farther into the court. Generating enough spin and power for an occassional ace
KooKookid520 5 months ago
He's a Grandmaster
OhhShaadoow 6 months ago
Thanks Brent. I am able to get a topspin(high arc) on the second serve. However I am worried about the speed of my second serve. Though my opponent (an amateur like me) finds it difficult to track the ball due to the spin on it, I am quite sure that an experienced player can read the ball easily. Is there a way to increase the speed of the second serve or is the key to the second serve to impart more topspin and thus making the opponent to move back to the baseline? Arun (India)
getarunshyam 7 months ago
Guys like Sampras & Federer can hit just about any serve off of the same toss. As Brent mentions here it's next to impossible to impart topspin when the ball is of to the right. With all serve tosses you want your arm extended upward inline with the same shoulder then extend upward to the ball with the racket. Have fun
wholesumtennis 7 months ago
I think there's no argument that Andy Roddick does not lack speed and power on any of his serves. I've seen him place a 130 mph kick serve down the T no problem. In most cases the ball placement is not really behind you but it is slightly closer than a flat serve would be.
wholesumtennis 7 months ago
@Kapperillo Take a look at Patrick Rafter, Andy Roddick and Johny Mac. All arguably great servers. The only one I can think of that had some back issues was Johnny Mac. This is why his service motion was a bit unorthodox. Pat Rafter has an incredible topspin kick serve as do many other players. Now all of these players used a topspin serve and slice as well as kick serves.
wholesumtennis 7 months ago
Thanks for this, I was slicing it every time to the left and now I'm getting it up and down with some nice kick on the bounce.
spookhetti 7 months ago
Very helpfull.
Off to courts for me!
TheRoyinator 8 months ago
@Kapperillo No problem for the critique. What I'm demonstrating is how to get the feeling of generating pure topspin. It's really tough to do that when you toss out to the right.
I do toss more to right for a first serve than a 2nd serve, but there's still some topspin on a semi topspin first serve.
Brent
webtennis 9 months ago
@webtennis
HELLO COACH
DO YOU ONLY HIT THE BALL UP AND STOP THE MOTION
gewooneerlijk 8 months ago
Damn your pretty good at that I like to jump serve...
m16iscold 10 months ago
Hi Brent, I was wondering what debi10s is referring to by serving over the fence? Is she referring to trying to make the ball kick high enough so that it can bounce over the fence?
musicmaniacs1113 11 months ago
@musicmaniacs1113 No she's referring to standing on the outside of the court and serving up and over the fence into the tennis court.
It helps give you the feeling of how swinging up creates topspin for your serve.
Brent
webtennis 9 months ago
Hi, I play an average game of tennis, but I was wondering what's the difference between natural gut strings and nylon strings. I generally serve and volley, so what kind of string is better. Cheers
TheDevil1912 1 year ago
@TheDevil1912 Good question that requires a little more input. It depends on the size of the racket head you have, how often you play, how much you can afford, etc.
Historically gut has been superior in terms of feel, but the nylon synthetic guts now are really very good.
I use Gamma 18g syn-gut in my Babolat 110. Right, it's a thin string, but I really like the feel. I get about 12-15 sets out of it which is OK because I string my own rackets. That racket is a no brainer to string. Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
@TheDevil1912 Natural Gut is still considered to be the best type of string and alot of pros use Natural gut. But they are expensive compared to synthetic. They also do not last very long and are very sensitive to changes in temperature, weather, etc. so if you break a lot of tennis strings while playing I would not recommend natural gut.
tenman18 10 months ago
OMG THANK YOU! All these time I thought I was trying to learn a top spin. I was actually trying to do a slice serve..
xgamer241 1 year ago
@xgamer241 Don't give up your slice, that's an important serve to have, but simply change the racket angle as it goes up the back of the ball and you'll start producing a nice top spin high bouncing serve.
Look in the Description are above for the link that will give you more info over at the WebTennis blog.
Thanks for your Comment.
Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
I have a broad, but important question for you that will probably help other people too. In serving, is your wrist suppost to be locked or is it supposed to be generating some of the spin and power? What about in regular strokes? I'm somewhat confused about this because my old teacher told me it was all with the forearm in tennis, but most video's don't mention it.
DumbAndLethal 1 year ago
@DumbAndLethal Hey Dumb and thanks for your question. Your wrist should not be locked when you serve because the racket moves way too slowly through the ball when you firm up the grip.
I don't lock the wrist on any of my strokes, in fact, I want the racket head to gather some speed just prior to contact to get more natural spin and power.
It's not loosey goosey, but it's never "locked".
Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
Old teaching pro trick.....go outside the court and try to serve over the fence....this gets the student understanding the up motion quickly.
debi10s 1 year ago 2
@debi10s Hi Debi and you're right, this is a great drill IF the student understands the feeling of how to produce spin.
Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
he pulled like 7 balls from his pocket... big ass pocket lawl
dannyyang78 1 year ago
@dannyyang78 Hey, a great drill for learning the rhythm of the serve is to hold 4 balls, serve one at a time without stopping the motion (no footwork of course)...
Brent
webtennis 9 months ago
Your explanations are so easy to follow. I have learned so much through your videos. Thank you, please keep it up!
TheMatiosT 1 year ago
@TheMatiosT Good to hear that you're enjoying the tips. Appreciate your feedback. Thanks.
What's the #1 challenge with your tennis game right now? - Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
@webtennis With serves, its finding the right angle as i come down on the ball. My serves often go long or into the net. Overall, its definitely volleying & drop shots. The finesse of both those shots just seems to keep escaping me.
TheMatiosT 1 year ago
@TheMatiosT Try one or more of my lessons (30% discount if your order 3 or more).
You can find my list of lessons over at the WebTennis instructional blog. Check the description box below this video for the link to take you there.
Looking forward to helping you.
Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
Thanks for tips. I did try this and the result is amazing!
rekinwilk 1 year ago
@rekinwilk That's great news. Keep workin! Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
i dont know hiow you wear sweat pants
MrGreenSting 1 year ago
Thanks so much Mr. Brent. I think that's one of my problems, I'm a righty and I tend to just slice the ball instead of hit up on it. But then I also have problems pronating my arm and often times I frame it or the ball just keeps going up and up and never spins down into the court because I didn't pronate.
bhallic24 1 year ago
@bhallic24 Keep working on the feeling of allowing your grip tension to be light just prior to contact and not squeezing the handle. Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
great simple stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MrHadluve 1 year ago
@MrHadluve Right to the point. Thanks. Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
Wow this really helped alot!! I actually got my topspin serve down now!! Thank you soo much!!!
xXbboybonezXx 1 year ago
Hi Brent, Is it right that I have to toss the ball right above my head in order to hit a top-spin serve? Would you talk about the first serve toss vs. the second toss serve. I was told that even though the trajectory from the receiver looks the same, but the 1st serve toss is more in front and the 2nd serve toss is more or less on top of the head.
didanhtennis 1 year ago
@didanhtennis Good question. I try to keep my toss in the same position in relation out to the right of my body, whether it's a first or 2nd serve.
The difference is that the first serve toss is simply a little bit further forward. The receiver can't really detect if the toss is slightly forward, however, they can detect if the toss is more above your head for a 2nd serve as opposed to out to the right for a first serve.
This must sound confusing, so I'll do a video on this. - Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
@webtennis Yes, it is a little confusing. I can understand a same location toss, but a little forward for a 1st serve and a little backward for a 2nd serve but I am not sure if that is what you are talking about. You made the 2nd serve looked so easy. It frustrates the hell out of me, but I am so appreciative of your videos. They make a lot of sense. Your toss lesson with the shoulder really has helped me a ton. Thanks again. Can't wait for the videos on the 2nd serve toss location.
didanhtennis 1 year ago
@didanhtennis I'm trying to get out on the court this morning to shoot this video. If not today, then I'll have to get to it next week. Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
@webtennis Thank you Brent. When we are in the area, we will try to stop by to pay you a visit. We live in Orange County.
didanhtennis 1 year ago
@didanhtennis For topsin/kick/twist, you will toss the ball right above your hand.
Just remember that.
pros throw the ball into the court HOWEVER, their body will move as well therefore the ball will still be on top of their head.
HCNguyen86 1 year ago
Thanks very much for the great tip. It was the clearest explanation I've seen on how to produce a good topspin serve.
yrralyrral 1 year ago
I need a good video for a beginner spin serve, my second serve is literally just tapping the ball in
jackhavick 1 year ago
@jackhavick Check out my lesson on the fundamentals of the serve. Go look above in the description box and then follow that URL to my serve lesson info page. - Brent
webtennis 1 year ago
Anyone under 5.0 or so hits even their first serves with some topspin, the more eastern the grip the more topspin you're gonna get.
hattrickster33 1 year ago
you make top spin serving look so easy
brn3mo 1 year ago
Thank you teacher, my opponents are in big trouble now.
ggcruel 2 years ago
what he means by a kicker is once the ball bounces it shoots up or kicks in an unexpected direction. Flat serves bounce normally, but the "kick" or "spin" serves shoot the ball back up. Hope this helps.
brettlawrence92 2 years ago
i like trying new serves! honestly serving and backhands are the best things i can do in tennis. :)
DesiraePrice 2 years ago
What does he mean by a "kicker"?
InCharacter 2 years ago
A kick serve. Topspin serve that "kicks" up o.o
EternalChaos000 2 years ago
he meant a kick serve where the after the ball hits the service box it bounces incredibely high so that they can't return a strong forehand/backhand the thing is you have to be very strong to give one of those and make sure your back isnt giving pain when you do the kicker a.k.a kick serve
ChosenDream 2 years ago
@InCharacter essentially a kicker is just a topspin serve, what he was demonstrating in this vid.
keviny720 2 years ago
@keviny720
Actually a kicker is named in such a way because of the "kick back effect" it has when it bounces back toward your opponent. It's not a pure top spin serve, it is cut with little angle to make it dig and kick back up and to the side.
The confusion lies in the old way of calling this serve an American twist - no matter how much it kicks sideways, it still is a kicker provided it has enough top spin to bounce. Read on wikipedia.
GueorguiJoukov 1 year ago
@InCharacter he means to serve hard n topspins up
BUBBAJ1010 1 year ago
Thx. i was doin the way i wasnt supposed to be doing.
lazerluke24 2 years ago
i hope this helps my pathetic serve...i have pretty good groundies...but my serve always seems to be the bugaboo.....i either hit the net, or im long........so i end up standing farther back just to get it in..and then my rotten opponents drop shot me....
chrisrei10 2 years ago 4
you know, a good way to get it in is if your bad, you can just patty cake it in and your serve will eventually get better over time
69jackov 2 years ago
Never start with a bad foundation jackov. Its best to learn it the right way and have it uncomfortable, than to get into a bad habit to begin with.
Eeplord 2 years ago
thx man......great video.
ignacroce 2 years ago
Very good tennis tip..
subhashegde 2 years ago
Great Tutorial, good to see that "Those who can't do, teach" isn't always true.
gsruler 2 years ago
Brent, this is a wonderful tip when I practice serves now I always do this now
fhoague 2 years ago
haha thanks for the tip now i kno y i couldnt get my kick serve to b perfect
BboyAki12 2 years ago
geepeeone to answer ur question u want a continental grip like u would use on a volley
iwnttorate 2 years ago
the first serve u were showing was a slice serve and ur second serve that u showed to replace the first one was a kick serve which is totally different so it really depends on what ur goal with that serve is to start off the point...for example if u wanted to bring ur opponent off the coart u would not want to use a kick serve.. overall good video though i really enjoy watching ur tips and im not trying to belittle what u say cause its very knowlegable
iwnttorate 2 years ago
correction , i meant towards eastern side on the grip change..
resalm62 2 years ago
Great tip, I practiced this especially with the loose hand/arm in mind, to make it less stress full on the elbow.
My second serve is already more safe and dependable because of this tip and explanation.
I turned my grip just one bevel towards a western, this made it easier to put more spin on the ball with the same movement.
thanks!
resalm62 2 years ago
very good tip Brent, thanks for sharing that with us. would love to see this again with your new HD camera.
FrostyTheBeerMan 2 years ago 10
Good one Brett...I don't need the kicker either...but I do have a serve that flies left and bounces right...my under hand spin slice. It a killer to the ad court.
FairwayJack 2 years ago 6
To FairwayJack
You do know that, that is an American Twist serve?
willobillo0714 2 years ago
I've done that before, but only by luck. I don't really know the steps to it.
MapleSephiroth 2 years ago
wish I could bring my computer to the courts, lol. Hard to remember all of this if you have to practice alot.
wevor4tard 2 years ago 13
@wevor4tard never known about anyone who understood tennis serve on computer. Just practice hard.
elefanculo 1 year ago
@wevor4tard Write down one thing you want to work on each time you go out to practice.
Anything more than that will create an unproductive practice session.
Brent
webtennis 9 months ago
thanks this was useful
misumisu2007 2 years ago 6
what's the grip?
geepeeone 2 years ago
Eastern, I think.
arranparry07 2 years ago
not sure, but most people use the eastern or continental.
I would try eastern it is a more common grip in the United states.
you probably already use eastern or continental.
wevor4tard 2 years ago
Eastern backhand or continental or inbetween
Mangamonator 2 years ago
continental
ThePizzaGuyTPG 2 years ago
@geepeeone
continental
yamstimes3 2 years ago
Brent Abel, very good video!!!! On of the best tennis tip onliners on the internet!!! Your feel for the game is incredible!!!!
portbou 2 years ago 4