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Great video! I've also replaced my weak kicker with a strong consistent slice for my 2nd serve and I'm winning more service games. Love your comment about hitting the ball at 5 oclock, as most other slice videos tell you hit 2 or 3 oclock and half the time my ball ends up dipping into the net (hitting up slightly into the ball helps too for me). My favorite slice is the one that starts off towards the high backhand side, but then bites sharply down into the body. I find players who don't move their feet in time really get jammed by that. If only I could hit it more consistently on the ad side, then I wouldn't need a kicker at all.
I have just learned how to use the slice serve with some good success for a first serve by pronation and hitting at the 2 to 3 o clock area.Once I heard you say to try the 5 o clock position , I tried this last night during a singles match and what a huge difference this made.Thank you so much for a clear definition of the slice serve.Keep up the great videos
Hey Jerry, thanks for the question. The truth is we should be hitting up on all serves! The racquet face will come into contact with more than the surface area of 5' o'clock but by aiming at 5 you can ensure you will get more pace with the slice as opposed to hitting the ball too thin when 3 o'clock is the target. Hope this helps!
It gives th ball top spin. Even without a kick serve, you add top spin to a serve, that makes the fligth curve shorter and keeps the ball inside the lines.
Wait what🤯!? Sorry, I don't think I understand this very well 3:06, but you're aiming to hit the ball at 5 o clock on the slice!? That doesn't make sense to me. Would you mind explaining that further??? I used to aim my slice serve at 5 o clock inadvertently, but by doing that it lead to slower and loftier slices. I couldn't really see very clearly in the video but it looked to me like you were contacting more toward 3 o clock.
Slice serve is natural. And, you can hit it with any grip, I used the (sligth) backandgrip. And , you have pronation also in a slice serve, is just not that important compared to a kick serve.
I used to customize all my racquets by adding weight to the handle and at 3 & 9. With the Ezone however I liked the stock version so I didn't make any adjustments. Hope this helps
I would argue the reason the kick serve is more popular with good players is control and percentage… the ball flight path is higher over the net and sucks down into the service box. It forces the returner to hit a high contact point, forces them to either move back or move forward and take off the rise, but defensive either way.
3:10 5 o'clock is very wrong. That would be the contact point for a crosscourt forehand volley, and it would have backspin. If you tried to hit that on a serve you'd be hitting over the fence. You're hitting it between 2 and 3 o'clock.
The slice serve is about the spin, not the placement. You seem to fixate on only using it to break away from your opponent. It's actually just as useful to aim it at your opponent's backhand side (assuming right handed player) and have it break into his body.
The slice serve is about spin & placement. In order for the ball to break towards the opponents body you still have to aim it. Exaggerating the target is the easiest way to naturally learn the spin. Totally agree that a good slider to the body is a great weapon!
kick serve will bounce to the right for a right hand server. Topspin will just go straight forward. On recreational level you see very few true kick serves until maybe 4.5 level. Some people use topspin and kick serves interchangeably but technically they are not the same thing.
about that anecdote with Gilbert and Agassi - he could not have been that dump to say that to Gilbert. That’s like Mike Tyson telling Cus D’Amato “yo i don’t need my left hand in boxing cause look i can knock u out 3 times with my right hand”
The kick-serve is great, especially if it's kicking. Most of the time though players are hitting topspin serves and if the ball doesn't get up and down or "breaks the plan" like a true kick-serve does, the result is that the ball sits in the opponents strike zone. As a result too much emphasis can be put on developing "the kick" hence the point of suggesting to put that time into developing a good slice serve. Easier to learn and still does a lot of damage. Hope this clarifies the video.
Real kick serve is hard for your shoulder. I once had a ligament inflation in my shoulder, because of too much (maybe wrong) pronation. If you look at pros, they tilt their upper body sidewards, so their arm movement is more like a throw (or pitch ? in baseball e.g.). This avoids shoulder problems. You need some flexibility and coordination. Nevertheless, many pros have issues with their shoulders.
Want to meet new players & play more tennis? Try PlayYourCourt for free here: bit.ly/2HjZ0Gj
Want to win more points with your serve? Grab our Serve Mastery Course for free here: bit.ly/2FNSMhG
Want to work with Scott & Nate? Check out upcoming live events and workshops here: bit.ly/36UGkXV
Need tennis lessons? Save up to $300 on lessons with a top-rated coach at your local court: bit.ly/3UHL4r0
One of your best presentations with clarity and explanation. 👍🎾👌
Thank ya sir, much appreciated!
Great video! I've also replaced my weak kicker with a strong consistent slice for my 2nd serve and I'm winning more service games. Love your comment about hitting the ball at 5 oclock, as most other slice videos tell you hit 2 or 3 oclock and half the time my ball ends up dipping into the net (hitting up slightly into the ball helps too for me). My favorite slice is the one that starts off towards the high backhand side, but then bites sharply down into the body. I find players who don't move their feet in time really get jammed by that. If only I could hit it more consistently on the ad side, then I wouldn't need a kicker at all.
One of my favorite serves as well! Thanks for watching and the feedback 🙌
I have just learned how to use the slice serve with some good success for a first serve by pronation and hitting at the 2 to 3 o clock area.Once I heard you say to try the 5 o clock position , I tried this last night during a singles match and what a huge difference this made.Thank you so much for a clear definition of the slice serve.Keep up the great videos
Thanks, glad the tips were helpful! Stay with it 💪
Great one! Really got to the most important info I needed. Thank you 🙏🎾
I’m having difficulty with the kicker so I’ll try this. Thanks Nate! 🤘🙂
Happy to help my man!
Just listened to it again for more detail. Good stuff.
Thanks, much appreciated!
I’m struggling to grasp the 5 o’clock position on the slice. It seems that it wound send the trajectory upward as well as the side spin component.
Hey Jerry, thanks for the question. The truth is we should be hitting up on all serves! The racquet face will come into contact with more than the surface area of 5' o'clock but by aiming at 5 you can ensure you will get more pace with the slice as opposed to hitting the ball too thin when 3 o'clock is the target. Hope this helps!
It gives th ball top spin. Even without a kick serve, you add top spin to a serve, that makes the fligth curve shorter and keeps the ball inside the lines.
You are correct, it would send the ball flying. The thing he said about 5 o'clock is very wrong. In his video he's hitting between 2 and 3 o'clock.
@@zanido9073😢
I SO AGREE! And it is much easier to learn than a kick
💯 Thanks for watching!
Great explanation.
Didn't know about the palm up finish. Thanks.
Happy to help!
Wait what🤯!? Sorry, I don't think I understand this very well 3:06, but you're aiming to hit the ball at 5 o clock on the slice!? That doesn't make sense to me. Would you mind explaining that further???
I used to aim my slice serve at 5 o clock inadvertently, but by doing that it lead to slower and loftier slices. I couldn't really see very clearly in the video but it looked to me like you were contacting more toward 3 o clock.
Maybe if you aim for 5 you will actually contact at 3..could be a mental trick.
Slice serve is natural. And, you can hit it with any grip, I used the (sligth) backandgrip. And , you have pronation also in a slice serve, is just not that important compared to a kick serve.
@Nate - did you customize your EZONE 98, and if so - what did you do to it?
I used to customize all my racquets by adding weight to the handle and at 3 & 9. With the Ezone however I liked the stock version so I didn't make any adjustments. Hope this helps
I can do the topspin so much better than the slice so thank you for this vid
Glad I could help!
I would argue the reason the kick serve is more popular with good players is control and percentage… the ball flight path is higher over the net and sucks down into the service box. It forces the returner to hit a high contact point, forces them to either move back or move forward and take off the rise, but defensive either way.
3:10 5 o'clock is very wrong. That would be the contact point for a crosscourt forehand volley, and it would have backspin. If you tried to hit that on a serve you'd be hitting over the fence. You're hitting it between 2 and 3 o'clock.
sorry disagree
Great lesson Nate. Sharing with my highschool team
Happy to help!
The slice serve is about the spin, not the placement. You seem to fixate on only using it to break away from your opponent. It's actually just as useful to aim it at your opponent's backhand side (assuming right handed player) and have it break into his body.
The slice serve is about spin & placement. In order for the ball to break towards the opponents body you still have to aim it. Exaggerating the target is the easiest way to naturally learn the spin. Totally agree that a good slider to the body is a great weapon!
What is the difference between a kick serve and top spin serve? Isnt a kick serve a top spin serve.?
kick serve will bounce to the right for a right hand server. Topspin will just go straight forward. On recreational level you see very few true kick serves until maybe 4.5 level. Some people use topspin and kick serves interchangeably but technically they are not the same thing.
@@squiggs1002 OK thanks for clarification. But is the grip different for topspin/kick serve or is it just the swing path that differs?
@@frankpiccione8571 same grip different swing path. kick is like 8-2 oclock and topspin more 6-12.
Also on the true kick finish I make sure not just my arm but my hand finishes outwards.
about that anecdote with Gilbert and Agassi - he could not have been that dump to say that to Gilbert. That’s like Mike Tyson telling Cus D’Amato “yo i don’t need my left hand in boxing cause look i can knock u out 3 times with my right hand”
"The kick serve is huge at the recreational level, but if you're at the recreational level, you shouldn't try to learn it". ??????
The kick-serve is great, especially if it's kicking. Most of the time though players are hitting topspin serves and if the ball doesn't get up and down or "breaks the plan" like a true kick-serve does, the result is that the ball sits in the opponents strike zone. As a result too much emphasis can be put on developing "the kick" hence the point of suggesting to put that time into developing a good slice serve. Easier to learn and still does a lot of damage. Hope this clarifies the video.
You seem to have watch a different video to me.
Real kick serve is hard for your shoulder. I once had a ligament inflation in my shoulder, because of too much (maybe wrong) pronation. If you look at pros, they tilt their upper body sidewards, so their arm movement is more like a throw (or pitch ? in baseball e.g.). This avoids shoulder problems. You need some flexibility and coordination. Nevertheless, many pros have issues with their shoulders.
@@smftrsddvjiou6443 yeah, I believe that. it's a really awkward movement.