Read the fully illustrated article in Tennisplayer.net magazine.

Keys to the Kick Serve Part 4:  Prehabilitation

In the first article on the kick serve, I presented the technical reference points (Click Here) for developing the motion. The second article covered drill progressions for all the variations. (Click Here.) Then in the third article we discussed the various controversies regarding teaching and hitting the kick and detailed 5 common errors I see in trying to develop the motion. (Click Here.)

Now in this final article, I want to present the last critical component in my system. This what I call my prehabilitation program, something I use with my students everyday at my academy. Prehabilitation has two parts: flexibility training and strength training.

In my opinion a dual training program of this type is critical for keeping the back and shoulders healthy and strong for high performance players – or any player – who wants to develop the kick as part of the offensive repertoire of a complete server.

So this article presents over 20 exercises drawn from a wide range of disciplines and training methodologies synthesized into a original training program that I believe will produce awesome results for any player.

I truly believe that we have become so conservative and cautious in teaching the kick serve that our players are often disadvantaged technically and tactically when they get to the world-stage. American players often don’t develop sufficient serving heaviness and/or angled placements. At the highest levels of competition, these seemingly subtle technical and tactical differences can separate a top 100 player from top 10.

I remain cautiously optimistic that with more sport science study, the myth of the dangerous kick serve will be debunked, and American coaches will start teaching this serve to our young future champions. So let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the prehabilitation program I have created for my students.

Schedule

The prehabilitation exercises increase both flexibility and strength in the critical areas of the body for the kick. Some do both simultaneously. They are part of a larger, full-body stretching and workout program that my students regularly perform–something I recommend for all competitive players.

I like to see my students stretching working on these exercises daily–but a minimum of 3 times a week. Every player and coach can integrate them how they see fit in their own training. But as a starting point I’d recommend picking 10 exercises and doing one set of multiple reps. Then over time, increase the number of exercises, the number of sets, and the number repetitions.

I believe that the students in my kick serve system are on the road to learning world-class kick serves, but more importantly, the stretching and strengthening part of the system is the insurance policy to protect them from any potential injury. Sometimes injuries are unavoidable, especially out on the rigorous junior or professional circuit.  But my players tend to be more resilient because of the extra attention we pay to prehabilitation rather than rehabilitation; they recover faster from injuries and have fewer missed tournaments. I hope you get a chance to experiment with incorporating some of what I have presented into your own training regimes, and let me know what you think.

Note: Special thanks to my wife Kimberleigh Weiss-Lewit, and my student Hannah Shteyn for their great help in doing the demonstrations!

View all the demonstrations in video here.

Chris teaches technique to players around the world on court and online at Chris Lewit Tennis Academy.

The Tennis Technique Bible is Chris’s best-selling book on technique.