Second serve in Tennis

46 free videos on technique, drills and tips, each tagged by level

What coaches agree on

  • Put spin on your second serve, topspin or slice, instead of hitting it flat. The spin pulls the ball down into the box, giving you a safe margin over the net even at real racket speed.
  • Serve from a continental grip, or eastern backhand. It is what lets you brush up the back of the ball for spin instead of just pushing it in.
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  • Place the second serve at the returner's weaker side, usually the backhand, using a generous target rather than the lines, so you keep margin while still pressuring the return.

Common mistakes

  • Tightening up and decelerating the swing out of fear of a double fault, which is what actually causes the ball to net or sail long, since spin, not a slower swing, is what keeps a fast second serve safe.
  • Tossing the ball too far out in front or to the side, the way you would for a first serve, instead of above or slightly behind the head; without that toss there is no way to brush up on the ball, so the swing turns into an arm-only push.
My best technical AND tactical tips to improve your second serve #tennis
Intermediate
My best technical AND tactical tips to improve your second serve #tennis

Reviewer Excellent - concrete drills, and he actually tells you what changes as you move up levels.

Moderator Entire video, start to finish, is the second serve - evaluating it (win% not double-fault count), tactical advice by rating level, then the technical toss-and-turn cue for topspin. No digressions.

3.8
A Reliable SECOND SERVE for good!
Intermediate
A Reliable SECOND SERVE for good!

Reviewer Best mental-and-technical combo in the batch — fixes both ways you miss.

Moderator Full breakdown of the second serve — grip requirement, the two actual miss patterns (long and into the net) and a specific fix for each. Entirely on-topic.

3.8
How to Master the SECOND SERVE
Advanced
How to Master the SECOND SERVE

Reviewer The face-vs-path explanation finally makes 'brushing the ball' click.

Moderator Live coaching session entirely built around second-serve/kick-serve racket path and spin generation, with drills to build shape and margin — squarely on topic.

3.8
Improve Your Second Serve | Tennis Serve Lesson
Advanced
Improve Your Second Serve | Tennis Serve Lesson

Reviewer If you're stuck at 4.0 because your second serve gets crushed, this is the fix.

Moderator Deep dive on why a kick serve beats a slice/tap-in as a second serve at higher levels, with full biomechanical reasoning — squarely and thoroughly about the second serve.

3.8
3 Types Of Second Serves | SECOND SERVES
Intermediate
3 Types Of Second Serves | SECOND SERVES

Reviewer Genuinely useful comparison of the three serve types with the real trade-offs.

Moderator Explains three distinct second serve types (slice, kick, slick) with toss position and contact point differences for each. Entirely on topic and well organized.

3.8
Tennis Serve - How To Develop A Topspin Kick Second Serve
Intermediate
Tennis Serve - How To Develop A Topspin Kick Second Serve

Reviewer Thorough and correct - a real coach walking through the actual mechanics.

Moderator Four-point technical breakdown of the topspin kick second serve - grip (continental/eastern backhand), toss position (11-12 o'clock), swing speed, aim height. Entirely and precisely on topic.

3.8
TENNIS SERVE | How To Improve Your Second Serve
Intermediate
TENNIS SERVE | How To Improve Your Second Serve

Reviewer Credible coach, gives you an actual drill to test yourself with, not just theory.

Moderator All second-serve, all the way through - targeting, grip, mental routine, a concrete practice drill.

3.7
How To Improve Your Second Serve ✌️ 🎾 Tennis Lesson
Intermediate
How To Improve Your Second Serve ✌️ 🎾 Tennis Lesson

Reviewer Nails the real reason most players miss their second serve — stop decelerating.

Moderator Entirely focused on your own second serve technique — acceleration through contact, spin, and target selection. No detours.

3.7
How to Develop a Great Second Serve
Intermediate
How to Develop a Great Second Serve

Reviewer That 'match your motion at every speed' drill is exactly what breaks the second-serve yips.

Moderator Entirely focused on building second-serve consistency and spin: motion control at varying speeds, why players should master slice before attempting kick.

3.7
Second Serve Mistakes | SECOND SERVES
Intermediate
Second Serve Mistakes | SECOND SERVES

Reviewer Tight, practical, no wasted time - just the three mistakes and why.

Moderator Three clear second-serve mistakes - hitting flat, insufficient racket speed, and ignoring the opponent's strengths. Directly and entirely on topic.

3.7
Mastering Your Tennis Serve with Perfect Toss Technique - TikTok
Intermediate
Mastering Your Tennis Serve with Perfect Toss Technique - TikTok

Reviewer Identifies the real cause and the real fix.

Moderator A live lesson correcting double faults by fixing toss placement (behind the head, not out in front) and getting the whole body -- not just the arm -- into the shot. Squarely on-topic, real coaching in progress.

3.6
Advanced Second Serve Tennis Tips: How Pros Create Kick and ...
Advanced
Advanced Second Serve Tennis Tips: How Pros Create Kick and ...

Reviewer High-value, specific, and well-explained.

Moderator Three concrete, specific second-serve tips straight from a paid ATP-coach lesson -- toss placement to disguise slice vs. topspin, contact point at the top of the toss, and lat mobility for a deeper racket drop. Squarely on-topic and pro-level specific.

3.6
The Secret To AVOID CARVING Second Serves And Get KICK
Intermediate
The Secret To AVOID CARVING Second Serves And Get KICK

Reviewer Correctly diagnoses the real cause of carving, not just the symptom.

Moderator Entirely about diagnosing and fixing one specific second-serve flaw — carving instead of pronating. Stays on this the whole video.

3.6
The SECRET To Hitting Better Second Serves In Tennis
Intermediate
The SECRET To Hitting Better Second Serves In Tennis

Reviewer The 'find your baseline serve first' framing alone is worth teaching.

Moderator Squarely about building a reliable, effective second serve: baseline/reference serve concept, grip, spin, and placement drills.

3.6
How to hit a SECOND SERVE
Beginner
How to hit a SECOND SERVE

Reviewer A smart shortcut to a reliable second serve, well explained.

Moderator Squarely teaching a second serve, specifically an accessible hybrid slice-topspin for players without a working kick serve yet.

3.5
Tennis KICK SERVE Lesson - Overcoming Second Serve NERVES
Intermediate
Tennis KICK SERVE Lesson - Overcoming Second Serve NERVES

Reviewer The tilt/contact-point/toss checklist is genuinely useful to film yourself against.

Moderator Kick serve technical checkpoints (contact angle, contact point, toss position) framed around second-serve reliability — squarely on topic, mental-game framing doesn't dilute the technical content.

3.5
How To Always Get Your Second Serve In
Intermediate
How To Always Get Your Second Serve In

Reviewer A tight checklist for why you're missing your second serve.

Moderator Squarely about consistency on the second serve — the whole video is second-serve troubleshooting.

3.4
Top 3 Mistakes Killing Your Second Serve
Intermediate
Top 3 Mistakes Killing Your Second Serve

Reviewer Explains the why, not just the what — that's what makes it stick.

Moderator Dead-on: the two most common recreational second-serve errors, toss depth and weight transfer, explained clearly.

3.4
How to Hit a Spin Serve (First Serve VS. Second Serve)
Intermediate
How to Hit a Spin Serve (First Serve VS. Second Serve)

Reviewer Genuinely well-sequenced drill progression for learning to feel the spin.

Moderator Framed as spin-serve technique broadly but explicitly ties it to second-serve safety and confidence — the drills are exactly what you'd use to build a kick second serve.

3.4
How to hit a Real Second Serve in Tennis
Intermediate
How to hit a Real Second Serve in Tennis

Reviewer Catches a real, sneaky fault a lot of players don't know they have.

Moderator Directly building a 'real' second serve - continental grip, the common grip 'slip' fault, racket edge coming up to the last frame. All second-serve-specific technique.

3.4
Want an UNBREAKABLE second serve? Create more ... - Instagram
Intermediate
Want an UNBREAKABLE second serve? Create more ... - Instagram

Reviewer Good advice, posted twice across platforms.

Moderator Same content as the TikTok version of this already in the batch -- brush upward through the ball rather than just sideways, lower contact point. Squarely on-topic, same quality.

3.3
UNBREAKABLE Tennis 2nd Serve Tips - TikTok
Intermediate
UNBREAKABLE Tennis 2nd Serve Tips - TikTok

Reviewer Clear diagnosis, clear fix -- solid.

Moderator A specific, correct technical fix -- brush up and through the ball rather than just around the side of it, with a slightly lower contact point to allow for the upward path. Squarely on-topic.

3.3
Second serve fundamentals #tennis #tennistip
Intermediate
Second serve fundamentals #tennis #tennistip

Reviewer Tight, specific cues — just assumes you already know how to serve.

Moderator Short clip, but every second of it is second-serve stance and technique — sideways angle, racket drop, toss placement, foot positioning. Nothing extraneous.

3.3
Second Serve Trick | SERVE WITH VARIETY
Advanced
Second Serve Trick | SERVE WITH VARIETY

Reviewer Smart, well-explained trick with an honest note on the risk.

Moderator A specific deceptive second-serve tactic - starting the kick-serve toss then falling away to hit a slice instead, to beat a returner who's reading the toss. Advanced but squarely second-serve tactics.

3.3
Second Serve Drill #tennis #tenniscoach #tennislove - Instagram
Intermediate
Second Serve Drill #tennis #tenniscoach #tennislove - Instagram

Reviewer Good, specific, drill-based teaching.

Moderator A specific drill -- face sideways, toss over the head, brush up without watching the ball, avoid over-rotating into a push -- aimed squarely at building second-serve topspin. On-topic and concrete.

2.9
How To Improve Your SECOND Serve . . #tennis ... - Instagram
Intermediate
How To Improve Your SECOND Serve . . #tennis ... - Instagram

Reviewer Right idea, but stays fairly surface-level.

Moderator Directly addresses the classic amateur pattern -- bomb the first serve, then 'dink in' a tentative second -- and tells you to match the acceleration while adding spin for margin. On-topic and correctly diagnosed.

2.9
Second Serve Pressure in Tennis: How to Handle It - TikTok
Intermediate
Second Serve Pressure in Tennis: How to Handle It - TikTok

Reviewer Good, specific tactical advice for a real match situation.

Moderator Specifically about second-serve strategy under pressure: placement and spin over speed, shortening the swing. This is squarely second-serve content, not generic serve advice.

2.8
Improve Your Tennis Second Serve Technique | TikTok
Intermediate
Improve Your Tennis Second Serve Technique | TikTok

Reviewer Good cues, a bit disjointed as a stand-alone lesson.

Moderator Squarely about accelerating through the second serve rather than babying it, plus shoulder/lat mechanics for generating kick. On-topic throughout.

2.5
Never Miss Your Second Serve Wide (Tennis Strategy Explained)
Intermediate
Never Miss Your Second Serve Wide (Tennis Strategy Explained)

Reviewer One good rule of thumb, wrapped around an ad for a ball machine.

Moderator It's about target selection, not stroke mechanics, but shot placement on the second serve specifically is a real and important part of the skill.

2.4
Tennis Serve Lesson: Magic Tennis Tip For Second Serve Nerves!
Intermediate
Tennis Serve Lesson: Magic Tennis Tip For Second Serve Nerves!

Reviewer Decent mental trick, but light and story-heavy.

Moderator About managing nerves specifically on the second serve (grip-tight-then-release technique) rather than stroke mechanics - relevant to the skill but it's the mental/tension side, not the swing itself.

2.4
Serve Lesson: How to STOP OVER-HITTING you Second Serve
Intermediate
Serve Lesson: How to STOP OVER-HITTING you Second Serve

Reviewer Reasonable idea, but leaves the real technical detail behind a paywall.

Moderator About finding the right swing tempo on the second serve using a 'gears' metaphor to stop over-hitting. On topic but thin - no grip/toss/spin mechanics, just tempo feel.

2.4
Try this on your second serves. Follow for more practical tennis tips ...
Intermediate
Try this on your second serves. Follow for more practical tennis tips ...

Reviewer Real mechanic, correctly described, just questionable as the top priority for a second serve.

Moderator The creator frames this explicitly as a second-serve tip, but the mechanic itself, elbow high, racket head drops low for speed, is a generic serve-power cue that isn't really second-serve-specific (second serves are usually about margin and spin, not raw power). On topic because of how it's framed, but the substance is closer to general serve mechanics.

2.2
CONSISTENT & STRONG SECOND SERVE - KEY TIPS! There is a ...
Beginner
CONSISTENT & STRONG SECOND SERVE - KEY TIPS! There is a ...

Reviewer Accurate but shallow compared to the best in this batch.

Moderator Visualize, keep your form compact, and accelerate through contact -- all correct and on-topic, but delivered as generic principles rather than specific, observable fixes.

2.0
What is the #1 Confidence Killer on the Second Serve!
Intermediate
What is the #1 Confidence Killer on the Second Serve!

Reviewer Diagnosis without the actual fix - mostly a lead-in to a paid course.

Moderator Names the real second-serve problem (freezing up / stopping the racket at contact) and lists possible causes (grip, toss height, balance, psychology) but doesn't actually teach the fixes.

1.5
Tennis serve tips - Instagram
Beginner
Tennis serve tips - Instagram

Reviewer Solid fundamental, just not targeted at this skill.

Moderator About staying sideways through the service motion rather than opening up early -- real serve fundamentals that underpin a good second serve, but it's general serve technique, not specifically about the second serve's spin or consistency demands.

1.4