The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. This is basically a drop shot played at the start of a rally, so the same arguments set out in the previous paragraph apply. The Benefits Of Hitting A Tennis Ball With A Backspin Or Slice Drop Shots. He knows like no other how to disrupt the opponents rhythm by using the slice in almost every rally or how to completely catch them off guard with a drop shot. What Is A Slice Serve In A Tennis Match? - Rookieroad Disguise is key, so you will prepare as though you intend to hit an aggressive topspin, and, at the last second, cut under the ball with a high-to-low action, perhaps adding some side-spin for good measure. Your email address will not be published. Swing forward with a high-to-low motion.
\nRelease the racquet with your left hand as you do this. The truth is, a continental serve grip is highly effective for all types of tennis serves. It is possible to play every single forehand shot as a slice, but this is unlikely to be the most effective way to play. 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. Slice shots that are hit from lack of confidence or in a desperate attempt to just get the ball back tend to float, and they travel through the air slowly. Reaction time: The same speed that makes it difficult for your opponent to return a hard flat serve can make it challenging for you to field a well-executed return off of a flat serve because youll have less time to react. Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1.
\nThis position makes it easy and natural to brush your strings under the lower portion of the ball, producing backspin. 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. 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!
\n4. For example, if youre 6 tall and playing a 54 opponent, then you might be able to take advantage of their height by hitting a kick serve thats way out of their strike zone or even over their head, making it challenging for them to return. For example, if youre lucky enough to have access to grass courts, keep in mind that the slice serve is a fantastic serve for this surface. The major difference is that the racquet shouldn't be pointing straight up, at a 90-degree angle, like a bat. This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work. A "tennis topspin" is when the ball is hit with a lot of power, speed, and spin on it. Many top players, including male and female Grand Slam champions use the sliced forehand. Heres a video that showcases the kick serve, including the toss, contact point, and racquet angle necessary to generate topspin. How To Hit The Perfect Tennis Forehand Slice In 5 Simple Steps How to Play a Forehand Push in Table Tennis Helpful Tip: The same goes for court surfaces. Friction and surface area explain why slower surfaces are less effective. My slice backhand is more dangerous than my topspin backhand to some of my opponents. 5. Make contact with the ball, with the racquet "slicing" under it, when it's at a point about even with your right shoulder. At the highest level, many matches go by without a single sliced forehand being played. Similar to the flat serve, youll want to place your toss about 12-18 inches in front of you and approximately 6 inches to the right of your tossing arms shoulder at the peak of the toss, allowing for natural contact with the ball. Since a big flat serve has a lower margin for error, its worth being thoughtful when you choose to use it. About a 90-110 degree bend at the elbow. There are several advantages and disadvantages of clay tennis court surfaces, including using red clay and green clay or Har-Tru. Up a set and a break, Medvedev served into the deuce court to . Now that you know what to look for when hitting a flat serve, heres a video that shows the entire flat service motion. On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. The underarm serve is most widely employed by players with big serves and a good touch, such as Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Bublik.
Michael Kernicki is currently the Head Professional at the Indian Creek Country Club in Miami Beach.
Michael Patrick Shiels writes frequently for golf magazines and is the official golf writer of the PGA of America's Michigan section. Implementing finesse into your shots when competing against other tennis players is a great way to throw off your opponent by forcing them to change their game plan on the fly. However, you can use it to your advantage on certain court surfaces. The ball often stays low to the ground after it bounces. Most of the more adaptable players will also use the forehand slice for approach shots when necessary, although some are better at it than others. At the start, youre content with just hitting the ball flat but as your skill level progresses you need to add variation to your game. Third, it can be difficult to keep the ball in the court. A slice is often used when you return a serve and then come straight to the net (known as Chip and Charge) because it gives you time to do so. What Was The Battle of The Sexes In Tennis. After all, if you have a question, its likely another reader does too, which helps our entire community. When you're moving forward toward the net and you want to drive a low-bouncing ball into the corner of your opponent's court. 2. Kick Serve vs Slice Serve: Which Is Better? - Dad Racket 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. However, flat shots with little topspin won't bounce high - they'll almost skid across the court. Are short pips still relevant in the game of table tennis in the 2020s? The 5 Unique Spins For A Winning Tennis Serve Defensive Lob. As a result, it can be beneficial to avoid overusing a big flat serve and to use other types of serves that have a higher margin of error while focusing on quality placement to put the pressure on your opponent. The three primary types of tennis serves include the flat, slice, and kick serve. Babolat have been producing tennis equipment since 1875, and today they manufacture a range of rackets that offers something for everyone. The slice serve is perfect for opening up the tennis court. Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1. Learn with comprehensive resources to help you improve your game. When you reach it, the ball may only be a few inches off the ground, meaning that a topspin is not a realistic option. If players like to attack the net and volley, they slice a lot.\nThe slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. As the ball approaches and you rotate your shoulders to your left, bring your racquet back above your left shoulder.
\nYour 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. If you look at the top players in the world they know exactly how to use topspin and slice shots to their advantages. Over the years, many techniques have been developed in tennis to make shots more difficult to hit. Backhand gets the ball back neutral so that . 5 Point Friday Lets take a look at how to hit a slice serve with proper technique. Release the racquet with your left hand as you do this. 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. Slice will make the ball stop short after it hits the court, so it is the obvious choice if you want to hit a short ball to surprise your opponent. 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. They expect each ball to bounce to them after it lands, and they expect the ball to bounce low from a slice in order to avoid getting injured. Slice Forehand & Backhand Slice shots that are hit from lack of confidence or in a desperate attempt to just get the ball back tend to float, and they travel through the air slowly. As a result, most players hit flat groundstrokes sparingly. The slice backhand suited their approach to the game, which was based on control rather than power.
\nThe slice backhand offers the following practical and tactical advantages:
\n- The slice stroke is simple. You hit under the ball, instead of through and over it, as you do on the flat backhand. Heres a photo to show you what your contact point should look like for a slice serve. \n
If you hit this shot from a comfortable, set position (at about the center of the baseline), your racquet should be pointing toward the right netpost.
","description":"Slice, or backspin, causes the tennis ball to spin back toward the source of impact (you). 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. It gives the opponent more time to get to the ball. . This leaves it tough for the opponent to hit it back with much pace. If well placed, the flat serve can be extremely challenging to . The Pros and Cons of Grass Tennis Courts - LiveAbout The Best Babolat Tennis Rackets (for Every Type of Player). However, youll also want to hit up slightly to give the ball a bit of topspin so that it drops back down into the court. If you look at a tennis shot side-on from the players right, a ball hit with topspin will appear to be rotating clockwise. First and foremost, its important to make sure youre using the correct grip for the flat serve. Disadvantages Of Slice In Tennis 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. Here, well share as much knowledge and experience as we can, so we hope you enjoy it! It is easier to control and creates a less predictable bounce with no pace for my opponents to work with. 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!
\n4. Without some of Hi there! Stand quite close to the table, an arms length away. Tennis Forehand Slice - Senior Tennis Club When hitting a flat serve, youll want your toss to be roughly 12-18 inches in front of you and approximately 6 inches to the right of your tossing arms shoulder at the peak of the toss. It's a defensive shot that you should use on only three occasions: If you have trouble effectively hitting the flat backhand, you can use a slightly different stroke that carries many players far in the game the pure slice backhand. The loose surface dissipates sidespin so that heavy slice serves and sidespin-slice backhands, for example, turn less dramatically than they do on other surfaces. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. If something isnt clear or you have questions, please feel free to submit a comment below wed love to hear from you!