Marat Safin Kick serve

Comment

Comment by Tim Prapong on December 6, 2011 at 1:38pm

So he has that really exaggerated lean. His right leg pulls out to the side to keep leaning forward while hitting up and to the right. He snaps out to the right side. I have gotten much better kicks using this method.

Comment by CoachV - William Vazquez on December 6, 2011 at 1:28pm

ok I see what you are saying. He tosses a little more to the left.....making it a kick.

Comment by Tim Prapong on December 6, 2011 at 1:03pm

Well, I think a really well hit flat serve does do that, when you reach up for the ball and strike hard at high noon on the ball. But here, Safin is arching to an 11 o'clock or more left toss and he is going 7 to 1 o'clock on the ball. He probably got his strings around the top right at the 1 o'clock, which created the slice component. His arch forced him to come up, with the buttcap open to the dropping toss, creating the topspin component.

Comment by CoachV - William Vazquez on December 6, 2011 at 8:14am

interesting Tim....i just always though that to be power. I have hit some hard slices that bounced high, I never though of them to be a kick. LIke if you were to hit the ball hard downward it will bounce higher the harder you hit the higher the bounce. Let me know what you think.

Comment by Tim Prapong on December 6, 2011 at 12:31am

Someone made the distinction that a "kick" has considerable topspin to move up faster after the bounce, and a "twist" is a type of kick serve which will move to the server's right.

I've heard people call this type of serve a "topspin-slice". It certainly isn't a low skidding slice. :) 

Comment by CoachV - William Vazquez on December 5, 2011 at 7:25pm

it look like more of a slice into the body.

Comment by Tim Prapong on December 4, 2011 at 2:28pm

Pronounced back arch with ball toss at 11 o'clock, and buttcap to the ball at the very last moment as ball is dropping. Pronation snap at a right side finish.