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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Comparison of Kinetic Characteristics of Footwork during Stroke in Table Tennis: Cross-Step and Chasse Step

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Published on: June 16, 2021

Shoulder joint loading in the high performance flat and kick tennis serves.

Machar Reid¹, Bruce Elliott, Jacque Alderson

¹University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia. mmreid@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

British Journal of Sports Medicine

|May 22, 2007

Summary

Tennis flat serves (FS) and kick serves (KS) show similar shoulder joint kinetics but differ in racquet velocity. This suggests both serve types may contribute to shoulder joint injury risks in high-performance players.

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Last Updated: Jul 14, 2026

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Published on: March 12, 2021

Area of Science:

Biomechanics
Sports Science
Orthopedics

Background:

Tennis serves are complex movements involving the entire body.
Understanding the biomechanics of different serve types is crucial for performance and injury prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare the full body kinematics and shoulder joint kinetics between the flat serve (FS) and kick serve (KS) in elite tennis players.
To identify biomechanical differences that may explain variations in racquet velocity and potential injury risks.

Main Methods:

Utilized a 12-camera Vicon motion analysis system (250 Hz) to record 3D kinematics of 12 high-performance male tennis players.
Performed 22 paired Student's t tests with Bonferroni correction (p<0.01) to identify significant differences between FS and KS.

Main Results:

Flat serves (FS) generated higher peak horizontal, vertical, and absolute racquet velocities.
Kick serves (KS) were characterized by higher lateral velocities.
Shoulder joint kinematics and kinetics were similar between FS and KS, with variations noted in trunk and lower limb mechanics.

Conclusions:

Similar shoulder joint kinetics support the generation of varied racquet velocities in both FS and KS.
Comparable shoulder joint loading conditions in both serves indicate that repetitive performance of either may be relevant to shoulder injury pathologies.