Sick Kick Serve Lesson with Legendary Coach and Former US Open Quarterfinalist

So so nice 👌

I saw Rodney play MacEnroe at Wimbledon in 1984, he was using a Prince Boron back then and I have to say those serves had some serious bite! He had the power but that was the year mac was playing champagne tennis. As for the instruction? this is coming from someone who played at a high level, straight from the horses mouth as it were. I like the fact that he kills the myth about tossing the ball behind your left shoulder

This is the first "kick serve tutorial" that does NOT tell you to toss it over your left shoulder (if you're right handed) and not in front of you. Doing those extreme tosses kindof 'behind you' makes your back bend in a way I feel would lead to injuries long-term. Doing it the way Rodney is showing seems much safer and easier, probably why he still generates those monster kicks at his almost 60 years of age and makes it look effortless. Awesome video! The serving over the fence is a GREAT way to practise this. First time a coach told me to try that I hit like 10 straight serves right into the fence in front of me... it really forces you to learn how to hit the ball in a way it leaves your racquet going UP and not just going forward/down. I feel that is the biggest key to hitting a true kick serve. Has to leave the racquet going UP. Not that I am any good at it but my worthless two cents anyways :)

Great lesson! I didn't know Rodney Harmon, he's an amazing player and coach. Thank you very much!!

beating mayotte is good, but I think US Open quarterfinals in the Connors/Borg/Mac/Vilas/Gerulaitis era is a much bigger deal--conrats Rodney!

Enjoyed the video. I’d like to improve my kick.

Does he ever pronate on his serve?

The only thing that really matters for either the kick or the slice serve is what is happening between the racquet (strings) and the ball at the exact moment of contact. That has to do with the direction and speed of the strings at that moment of impact. And THAT has to do with the swing path you use to bring that racquet into contact with the tossed ball. Whatever happens with the racquet head after impact has no effect, whatsoever, on the ball itself. HOWEVER - and this is the big deal - it's all about how you can get your body to move that racquet in the correct direction and at the correct speed to hit the ball the right way to get it to slice or kick. If that means you have to toss to a certain spot, bend your legs, arch or don't arch your back, follow through and tuck the racquet, or let it flare out, or let it pronate or not, it doesn't matter... all of those POST contact manipulations of your arm and the racquet are only important to help the server with the physiological mechanics of getting the correct the swing path that will get the racquet strings into contact with the tossed ball going in the right direction, at the right speed, at that instantaneous moment of contact.

My tennis coach had me practice the over the fence drill to learn the kick serve, and it helped so much. Awesome video.

Awesome stuff. Thanks for the post. Best wishes.

Tyvm...great share!

"Drive your head up through the ball"? The head never gets high enough to touch the ball. What's he talking about?

The ball stays in the air so long, it gives the returner time to get in position.

Awesome

Great keys to the kick! will save my back the pain!!!! we were told so often to get the ball "behind" us to get that kick.

great

ok i subscribed

the don't limbo your back tip was incredibly useful but what really blew my mind when I was practicing this today was the full return on the racket path. Looping it back at yourself. it actually worked great for me. I think I'm going to only use kick serves from now on. THANK YOU Rodney!

Love this channel, great content, brilliant teacher with legendary guests. Big shout out for this video in particular, I now have a kick serve after watching and practicing this content. Really well explained, great interaction, banter and questions to cement the instruction perfectly.
Keep up the amazing content, so many glorious nuggets of knowledge to absorb.

Sheesh... is this court in the middle of an airport or what?

thank you so much for this amazing lesson.

I am 68 and this does wonders for my back. Accuracy and consistency much improved too. I will try to get a game off my son this weekend. Great video! Make some more!

Great lesson...........best I've seen on the kick serve so far. Thanks young men................

I have had people try to explain a kick serve and I never understood it until today. Thank you!

but if you do this C shape type of kick you have no pronation?

Please bring Rodney back for a slice serve. BEST video ever because he shows the follow through.

Shoot find Bryan Shelton he had a nice Serve. CHIP Hooper had a big serve 👍👍

Fantastic kick serve lesson!

Oh! U should be take somebody young player from NCAA college for demonstrate. This oldschool man don`t can show nice kick serve.:))

Brilliant

Great video. Wish there were slow mo

Nothing "sick" about his kick. Especially with his height

Interesting that there's no talk of swinging parallel to the base line as with most kick serve instructions.

Best kick serve instructional video ever, thank you sir

Love those e drills! Can't wait to try them out!!

This guy's kick is beastly.

Pros Pro. 👍🎾

Definitely need this technic for my match.

He doesn't pronate..? Sick kick by the way .. interesting..

Pete. I just want to add. That in your personal kick serve coarse. You had a FANTASTIC TIP. The tip is the "behind the leg drill." Your tomahawk drill was excellent. But the behind the leg drill takes it to another level. Thank you again.

Awesome! Thanks 🙏👍 This is one of the best videos!!

Fantastic kick serve video. Rodney is a star! Worth watching regularly for the rest of my tennis career.

His racket curls back in Instead of finishing out which probably puts less stress on his shoulder & wrist

Absolutely amazing 🥇🏆🎾

useless.

This is the first "kick serve tutorial" that does NOT tell you to toss it over your left shoulder (if you're right handed) and not in front of you. Doing those extreme tosses kind of 'behind you' makes your back bend in a way I feel would lead to injuries long-term. Doing it the way Rodney is showing seems much safer and easier, probably why he still generates those monster kicks at his almost 60 years of age and makes it look effortless. Awesome video! The serving over the fence is a GREAT way to practice this. First time a coach told me to try that I hit like 10 straight serves right into the fence in front of me... it really forces you to learn how to hit the ball in a way it leaves your racquet going UP and not just going forward/down. I feel that is the biggest key to hitting a true kick serve. Has to leave the racquet going UP. Not that I am any good at it but my worthless two cents anyways :)

I wanted to thank you Coaches for sharing this video with us, I just got back from practicing hitting over the fence into the other court. I had a bucket of balls, it just got done raining, and it was still sprinkling rain. I watched this video at least 10 times, and I had to try to hit the ball over the fence like you did. My first few tries were dangerous my dude, I hit the top of the fence and the tennis ball came flying back at me and I got a chance to practice volleys also. Maybe I made a new game. Hahe After a few tries I started getting the ball over the fence and by serve number 10, I was clearing the fence and the ball was bouncing into the service box, and the ball was wet from the rain, and it still kicked up at least 8 feet and I couldn’t believe it was me hitting the kicker, over a fence and into the service box. I hit a Hundred and twelve balls and 90 went over the fence and about 70 of the balls went into the service box. The other 12 I missed almost took my head off on the comeback off the post! Thank GOD I played baseball when I was a little kid, or this old 51 year old fat out of shape man, might have taken one and it probably would have knocked me out cold. The reason I mentioned this is, because the video you make about this subject, let people know that the ball will be coming back at you if you miss the shot.
So I watched this video and Krause video on how to hit a kick serve, and between the two videos and a 112 tennis ball, I learned the kick serve in one day. I think I was hitting a Slick serve before, because I really don’t double fault to often, and I been hitting that Slick serve for over 30 years and didn’t even know I was hitting that type of serve.
I have a similar stance as Coach, and I agree about bending backwards, it’s not necessary and it could hurt your back, I truly appreciate you fellas teaching us this serve, and I am so excited about learning this serve. I am shocked that just hitting a tennis ball over a fence, can help a person learn a very cool serve. I am so excited to hit the kick serve tomorrow in doubles. I have a few ideas that will help my partner and I play better and smarter. Thank you again for your awesome video and great teaching my friend.

Mah, it is a nice serve but it's not a kick serve, the ball when touches the gound does not deviate on the right , it goes enough straight .