| Learning the Twist (Kick) Serve | |
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(This article remains useful, but for the best, step-by-step explanation of how to hit the twist serve, I recommend the newer Photo Lesson: How to Hit the Twist Serve)
Here's the essence of how to hit the twist serve:- Use a grip closer to Eastern backhand than Continental.
- Toss the ball so that if you didn't hit it, it would come down slightly behind and to the left of where your head would be at the time you would swing.
- Bend your knees, arch your back, and turn your shoulders so that your back is almost facing the net.
- Plan to meet the ball 6-12" lower and with less of a forward lean than you would your fully extended power serve.
- Swing so that you brush up the back of the ball from 7:00 to 1:00 (upward and left-to-right). Your follow-through will first go toward your right, then, for most players, naturally come around to your left.
- Aim high: the ball should clear the net by at least two, preferably three or more feet.
- Try choking up on your racquet, using the same grip. Move close to the net and concentrate just on hitting up and over with the correct spin.
- If, while your grip is still choked-up, you can't get the left-to-right brush on the ball, try following through past your right side so that the racquet head ends up behind your back. (Don't try this holding the racquet at full length.)
- To increase the height and depth of your serve, meet the ball slightly farther back.
- If you continue to have trouble getting the ball to fly well above the net, take a bunch of balls outside the court, stand roughly 20 feet from the fence, and try to hit twist serves over the fence.
- To generate more spin, rotate your grip more toward the Eastern backhand and increase your swing speed.
- If you're getting plenty of topspin, but not much twist, swing more left-to-right.
Additional Resources:
Step-by-Step Photo Lesson: The Twist Serve
Twist Serve - Video and Analysis
