Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1. Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. A topspin shot, on the other hand, rotates forward toward the opponent as it travels through the air. The Benefits Of Hitting A Tennis Ball With A Backspin Or Slice If the one-handed backhand is so bad at high balls, why - Talk Tennis 2. The answer to this question depends upon whether you are aiming to reply in kind with a slice, or to hit a topspin. In this section, I will look at some of the circumstances in which a forehand slice shot can be played successfully, and the broad technique which should be used. Many of tennis greats, such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have relied on their vicious topspin forehand to win world championships and countless titles. If you are defending desperately, you are unlikely to be able to execute a topspin lob. easier to learn and to apply slice shots, and have better feel and control . When you reach it, the ball may only be a few inches off the ground, meaning that a topspin is not a realistic option. The Top 3 Best Babolat Tennis Rackets Under $100. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The last comment and 5 other comment(s) need to be approved. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when hitting a kick serve. The Best Babolat Tennis Rackets (for Every Type of Player). Using this technique, you can make it very difficult for your opponent to return your shot with topspin, making the slice a great defensive shot. The essence of a slice is that it is the opposite of a topspin. One of the biggest challenges of the game of tennis is adjusting your stroke according to the incoming ball (high, low, topspin, slice, fast, slow, etc. Think of your racquet face as an elevator that you need to move to the right \"story\" or height to pick up the passenger, a bright yellow tennis ball!

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4. This requires care, however, as the ball may be low, and will not rise off the racket as readily as a ball which comes to you with topspin. Figure 1: Hold your racquet at a 45-degree angle to the fence when you slice your backhand. In fact, hitting a slice serve at 75% of your max swing speed can be a great tactic because the sidespin combined with the change in pace will often throw off your opponent. Follow through until your racquet arm is fully extended, with the head pointing toward the ground at a moderate angle. Advantages of Clay . Slice is also an underrated shot, again thanks to that Bollettieri talent-destroying-nonsense. For a slice, you will need to grip the racket with an eastern or semi-western grip. We're Gui and Karue. In-depth Resources If players like to attack the net and volley, they slice a lot.

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The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. The kick serve gets its name from how the ball jumps or kicks up off the ground as a result of heavy topspin applied to the ball. The slice serve is perfect for opening up the tennis court. The slice backhand offers the following practical and tactical advantages: A word of caution: Slice backhands make poor passing shots. Heres a photo that shows the contact point against the ball as well as the correct racquet face angle, which is flat to avoid putting spin on the ball. In a press conference at the French Open, Dominic Thiem commented on his switch from two-handed to one-handed backhand. In this article, well cover these topics for each type of serve: Well start by talking briefly about why you should learn the three types of tennis serves. The racquet head instead should be pointing at the back fence, at about a 45-degree angle.

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When your backswing is complete, your right shoulder is close to your chin, and your right elbow points in the same direction as your right foot.

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2. As a result, most players hit flat groundstrokes sparingly. How To Hit The Perfect Tennis Forehand Slice In 5 Simple Steps Slicing can also be used as a means to aid in the return of difficult or powerful shots.By slicing the ball, this will counter the effects of a powerful shot or one that has a lot of spin, thus making the return much more feasible than with a standard attempt to return. A sliced lob can be useful as a defensive measure, but it is generally slower and easier to attack than the topspin version. Just before you start your forward swing, raise the racquet head to shoulder height, open the face so that the hitting surface faces up, and produce slice by cutting under the ball with a long, smooth stroke. MyTennisHQ is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to websites like TennisWarehouse.com and Amazon.com. My slice backhand is more dangerous than my topspin backhand to some of my opponents. Tennis may not be right for you if you suffer from heart disease or have high or low blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoporosis.

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High bouncing balls are ideal for hitting slice shots, but you can play balls at any height with a slice by bending more at the knees and/or adjusting the height of your back and forward swings. This will allow you to hit the ball with a slicing action. Generally speaking, coaches and players will talk about three main spots in the service box: Since you can hit your serve in any of these locations, youll have a minimum of 9 serves in your back pocket that you can hit at any given time pretty sweet, right? If you are happy to slice the ball back, the standard slice technique can be used, making sure that you stay in a low stance, as the ball may stay quite low. To hit a slice, you need to strike the ball with a high-to-low movement, thus imparting backspin. As the ball approaches and you rotate your shoulders to your left, bring your racquet back above your left shoulder.

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Your stance resembles the stance you take when you step up to the plate and get ready to swing a baseball bat in both cases, your hands are up around your left shoulder. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. Regardless of the type of serve you hit, relaxing through your service motion is essential. As a result, the overuse of a hard flat serve can lead to giving away too many free points or forcing you to rely heavily on your second serve. Are short pips still relevant in the game of table tennis in the 2020s? 4. It tends to put you on the defensive quite often, so you must be physically and mentally prepared for that. Topspin and slice shots are a necessity in tennis. If you look at a tennis shot side-on from the players right, a ball hit with topspin will appear to be rotating clockwise. This leaves it tough for the opponent to hit it back with much pace. However, by hitting up on the ball, you generate topspin, which can bring the ball back down into the court even though youre hitting up. There are many different types of forehand slice shot, all of which have their uses. The slice forehand has many advantages, but using it for rally balls on slow surfaces like clay and some hard courts can result in the ball bouncing slowly and steeply, seemingly asking to be attacked. Rallying. Sliced returns need to be controlled with precision or else a volleyer can pick them off, especially in doubles. One of the best ways to increase your racquet head speed is to incorporate a wrist snap as you extend your arm to make contact with the tennis ball. Even at pro level, doing damage is still all about the forehand. The racquet head instead should be pointing at the back fence, at about a 45-degree angle.

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When your backswing is complete, your right shoulder is close to your chin, and your right elbow points in the same direction as your right foot.

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2. {"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"articleState":{"article":{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T22:57:30+00:00","modifiedTime":"2016-03-26T22:57:30+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:12:05+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33809"},"slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Sports & Recreation","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34001"},"slug":"sports-recreation","categoryId":34001},{"name":"Tennis","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34033"},"slug":"tennis","categoryId":34033}],"title":"Slicing and Dicing, Tennis Style","strippedTitle":"slicing and dicing, tennis style","slug":"slicing-and-dicing-tennis-style","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Slice, or backspin, causes the tennis ball to spin back toward the source of impact (you). Disadvantages: Less consistent Worse aim Two hands Advantages: More consistent Better aim Disadvantages: Less power More effort required Quora User PTR Teaching Pro, Racquet technician Author has 468 answers and 678.1K answer views 7 y The one handed backhand really only has two obvious weaknesses in the hands of a top player. Nuanced shots can effectively deceive your opponent, causing them to approach the ball incorrectly while increasing the likelihood that they will not be able to return your shot. Swing forward with a high-to-low motion. Many players will want to take the initiative from the slicer by hitting an aggressive topspin. Since many modern tennis players rely on their topspin forehand to dictate the pace of the match, the slice is most commonly seen as a defensive shot that can be used as a last-ditch effort. Slow pace and the flat trajectory give your opponent two big advantages: more time and an ideal height, at about a foot above the net, to smash away a winner.

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Basically, you hit the slice backhand just as you would hit your standard backhand (both one-handed and two-handed backhands), changing only the following things about your stroke:

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1. Topspin shots are also used to come towards the net as previously mentioned it pushes the opponent back, which gives you time to advance to the net. Advanced Tennis Backhand Technique - Drills And Corrections To Fix The As the previous tip suggests, you must relax your grip and wrist to allow for the wrist to move freely. Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1.

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This position makes it easy and natural to brush your strings under the lower portion of the ball, producing backspin. When executing a tennis slice, the player will swing downward in a "slicing" motion, angling the racket anywhere between fully flat and entirely diagonal. Disadvantages A low margin of error: Easily, the biggest downside of the hard flat serve is that it's challenging to keep it in, let alone place it well in the service box. Slice Forehand & Backhand On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. If youre playing on a clay court, you may love your kick serve, where you benefit from the higher bounces that make this serve even more challenging to return. What Does Game, Set, Match Mean In Tennis? Frequently, players who are just learning to serve want to hit with power, so they try hard and attempt to muscle the serve over the net. Members of a larger team often take on different roles, and there will generally be a captain to lead. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. Create a free account and explore my latest videos below. Table tennis forehand push. A slice ground stroke causes the ball to rotate backwards towards the person who hit the ball. Tennis Court Surface: Pros And Cons Of The Different Surfaces - Online They are something you should work on and get better at but in the end, are extremely fun to use. Lets dive into the proper technique for hitting a kick serve. To achieve this, play the return rather like a volley, with a continental or Eastern grip, a short take-back and a punchy, high-to-low action. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. If you havent had the chance, Id highly recommend you check out our post on the serve trophy pose, which will show you how to get the most out of your serve while incorporating your legs to help you generate power. Serving Is A Disadvantage In Some Olympic Sports Discussion Boards The Pros and Cons of Grass Tennis Courts - LiveAbout Tennis Quiz Flashcards | Quizlet Straight flips can be much easier and quicker as the pips are less sensitive to spin. What are the pros/cons of a one handed and a two handed backhand in tennis? Lets take a look at how to hit a slice serve with proper technique. The drawback of a slice serve is that it is easy to read. If youre a righty, hitting a slice serve out wide in the deuce court will draw your opponent off the court, leaving the rest of the court open for a follow-up shot that puts you in a position to move forward and attack. Hopefully, youve enjoyed this post on the three different types of serves. This brushing action means youre allowing the strings of your racquet to make contact with the outermost edge of the tennis ball, which causes the ball to spin and ultimately kick up off the ground when it hits the court. Tennis Interviews. A "tennis slice" is when the ball hits the ground and bounces back into play. Lets take a look at some of the details that will help ensure you can hit a great flat serve. 6. Now that you know what to look for when hitting a flat serve, heres a video that shows the entire flat service motion. . Tennis Slice vs Topspin - What's The Difference? Oh, and I had lunch with Brad Gilbert once. However, your ability to control the point is tied heavily to executing an effective serve that keeps your opponent guessing and prevents them from establishing a rhythm. When hitting a flat serve, here are a few tips to keep in mind: Many players enjoy hitting a big flat serve and rely almost exclusively on it as their first serve even if they only make 10% of them. Last but not least, another element that will help you produce a fantastic serve is going for it and hitting with confidence. Within tennis, the serve is a bigger weapon for men than for women, in part . Disadvantages of Tennis Potential for serious injuries Tennis equipment can be costly Not a team sport Tennis cannot be played alone Lack of tennis courts Tennis takes some time to learn Motivation might be a problem Tennis may be time-consuming Need for a trainer to get to the next level Pressure can be high May conflict with your corporate career If you miss, then youll have to rely on your second serve to keep you in the game with your opponent, who is ready to take a chance themselves and close out the game. There are many variations of the topspin forehand where players will choose a desired Western or Eastern grip depending on their style of play. More consistent - means with which one you can hit more or less the same shot over and over again. Slice shots don't bounce as high, either. Swing forward with a high-to-low motion.

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Release the racquet with your left hand as you do this. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. In this article I will tell you what you need to know about how and when to play a tennis forehand slice by answering some of the commonly asked questions. A low margin of error: Easily, the biggest downside of the hard flat serve is that its challenging to keep it in, let alone place it well in the service box. Your email address will not be published. Key points about the tennis forehand slice: The forehand slice is a little unfashionable, but it is certainly not obsolete.