Q. I have heard the kick serve can be very hard on the shoulder. Two questions: At what age is it safe for a female athlete to begin work on that type serve and what rotator cuff exercises are best to prevent injury for that type serve?
A. The kick serve is often compared to throwing a curve ball in baseball, in terms of the stress that is placed on the shoulder.
There is so much concern about protecting the shoulder in little league baseball, in fact, that there are rules in place in many leagues that makes it “illegal” to throw curveballs until the player has reached a certain age – the penalty for throwing a curve ball getting thrown out of the game. In tennis there are no such rules but the general recommendations are not to start hitting the kick serve until the player has reached puberty.
A player can learn the mechanics of the serve prior to puberty, but should not practice it extensively or use it in competition. Adopting this strategy will help the player develop the technique but will also protect the shoulder from injury and “delay” the stress placed on the shoulder until the player has sufficient strength to handle the loads.
With that said, there are also strengthening exercises that every player should do to protect the health of the shoulder. These exercises include strengthening of the muscles that externally rotate the shoulder (the motion opposite of what a player does when hitting a serve) and control the shoulder blades in the upper back. Both groups of muscles are important for developing shoulder strength and stability.