Generally, when practicing a topspin forehand, players will implement a semi-Western grip, as you are able to apply a greater amount of spin to the tennis ball using far less effort. 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. If youre short, the flat serve is more challenging to execute because you have less clearance over the net, which reduces your margin of error. This toss placement allows you to achieve the proper racquet angle for those serves. With the kick serve, youll want to contact the ball from bottom to the top of the ball so that youre hitting or brushing up on the ball. Nonetheless, the shot can be very useful in a variety of situations, and some professionals have enjoyed quite a bit of success using it as their main option on the forehand side. This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work. 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. During a slice shot, the racket travels in a downward motion, before slicing underneath the tennis ball. To be a complete tennis player and to be competitive you need to master every shot and you need to know when to use them. It's a defensive shot that you should use on only three occasions:

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  • When you're scrambling to retrieve a good, angled shot by your opponent (this is called making a get) and can't set up to hit a conventional forehand you can swipe the ball back with slice and buy yourself a little time to get back into position.

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  • 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.

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  • When you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot.

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Dressing up your backhand with slice

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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. 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. Instead of hitting through the ball as you would with a flat serve, youll want to hit up. Those two qualities can catch your opponent off guard and screw up her timing.

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  • Slice shots travel in a flat trajectory. You don't have to lift the ball over the net in an arc and then get it to drop back down inside the boundaries of the court like you do with your other shots.

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A word of caution: Slice backhands make poor passing shots. A player can add topspin to a shot by hitting the ball in a down-up movement, which causes the ball to rotate towards the opponent. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. 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. Up a set and a break, Medvedev served into the deuce court to . 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. Straight flips can be much easier and quicker as the pips are less sensitive to spin. A slice serve is a fantastic weapon on any court surface. Why most pros use slice only as a last resort? | Talk Tennis Disadvantages Lack of topspin Lower power potential Difficulty handling high bouncing balls How to Form a Continental Grip To form the continental grip, place the palm side of your index finger's bottom knuckle against the second bevel if you're right-handed or the eighth bevel if you're left-handed. 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. Within tennis, the serve is a bigger weapon for men than for women, in part . Regardless of the type of serve you hit, relaxing through your service motion is essential. For a slice, you will need to grip the racket with an eastern or semi-western grip. Slice vs. Topspin | The Evolution of Tennis If something isnt clear or you have questions, please feel free to submit a comment below wed love to hear from you! When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent ","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"

Slice, or backspin, causes the tennis ball to spin back toward the source of impact (you). As you work to practice your serve, do so with confidence, and allow yourself the freedom to mess up while you establish the basic feel and rhythm to develop your serve. On the other hand, if youre down 15-40, a big flat serve can be a considerable risk. Some professionals hit virtually all of their forehands with slice. For most players, the kick serve has become the default second serve. Ultimately, the greater variety of serves you can hit, the more you can adjust your strategy to compete at a higher level against different players and on various court surfaces. Now that you know the three different types of tennis serves, it pays to keep in mind that each serve can be hit in countless places in the service box, providing you with even greater variety. 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. Tennis toe. How To Feel Topspin In Tennis The Way A Pro Hits It First and foremost, its important to make sure youre using the correct grip for the flat serve. Release the racquet with your left hand as you do this. This position makes it easy and natural to brush your strings under the lower portion of the ball, producing backspin. In general, slicing can be very effective, but considerable precision is needed to use it frequently against a strong hitter.

Michael Kernicki is currently the Head Professional at the Indian Creek Country Club in Miami Beach.

","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10669"}},{"authorId":10670,"name":"Michael Kernicki","slug":"michael-kernicki","description":" Michael Patrick Shiels writes frequently for golf magazines and is the official golf writer of the PGA of America's Michigan section. Slice always imparts control. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. The latter has been a key element of Roger Federers defensive game for a number of years. Again, this is in favor of the two-handed backhand. 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. Here are some tips on how to slice a ball in tennis: 1. A forehand push is a difficult defensive shot that requires the player to strike downwards on the back and underneath the ball to create backspin. Table tennis forehand smash - Table tennis - BBC Bitesize Retrieving a wide ball. 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. 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. 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. An Overview of The Different Types of Tennis Shots - TennisCompanion Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. Here, well share as much knowledge and experience as we can, so we hope you enjoy it! 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 Disadvantages Of Slice In Tennis Slashes are disliked by many lower-level recreational players. Lets dive into the proper technique for hitting a kick serve. Tennis is not recommended for individuals who. What Was The Battle of The Sexes In Tennis. Another essential element to the kick serve is racquet head speed. Tennis Grips | Types of Grips Explained & Illustrated Aerodynamically it will appear to rise and then dip, kicking forward and up off the court surface when it lands. The ball will naturally bounce less on grass, which plays terrifically with the slice serve, which also doesnt bounce high. However, with practice and the proper technique, you shouldnt need to swing considerably harder to create more spin. 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.

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The slice forehand is easy to master, and a fair number of hackers resort to it. Even at pro level, doing damage is still all about the forehand. Slice shots don't bounce as high, either. When you are playing tennis its all about getting the ball over the net and trying to hit a shot your opponent cant return. More consistent - means with which one you can hit more or less the same shot over and over again. The flat serve gets its name from the fact that minimal spin is applied to the ball when making contact. 3. Let us know about your experiences via the comments. Related Tags. {"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). Tennis Tips for Seniors and Every Tennis Lovers. Home > Instruction > Serve > 3 Types of Tennis Serves, Improve your game alongside our community of tennis players. The slice backhand offers the following practical and tactical advantages: A word of caution: Slice backhands make poor passing shots. It's a defensive shot that you should use on only three occasions:

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  • When you're scrambling to retrieve a good, angled shot by your opponent (this is called making a get) and can't set up to hit a conventional forehand you can swipe the ball back with slice and buy yourself a little time to get back into position.

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  • 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.

\n

  • When you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot.

\n

Dressing up your backhand with slice

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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. Oh, and I had lunch with Brad Gilbert once. There are several advantages and disadvantages of clay tennis court surfaces, including using red clay and green clay or Har-Tru. The slice backhand suited their approach to the game, which was based on control rather than power.

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The slice backhand offers the following practical and tactical advantages:

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  • The slice stroke is simple. You hit under the ball, instead of through and over it, as you do on the flat backhand. 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. Next, lets talk about how to make contact with the ball. Advantages of a Tennis Slice Kick Serve vs Slice Serve: Which Is Better? - Dad Racket The slice backhand suited their approach to the game, which was based on control rather than power. The ideal contact point and racquet angle. Wrist strains. He enjoys competing in county tennis leagues and ITF Seniors events. Only a few top players will use a forehand slice routinely for a rally ball, but on a low-bouncing surface like grass the shot can be effective in preventing an opponent from attacking and keeping them on the move. On the other hand, if you were to try that same serve against a 65 opponent, then you may find it lands much closer to their strike zone, allowing them to hit an easy return. Ive had the chance to play against great names of the new generation, like Christian Garin, Cameron Norrie, and Kyle Edmund. After all, if you have a question, its likely another reader does too, which helps our entire community. To generate the necessary topspin for your kick serve, you need to brush the side of the tennis ball from low to high. 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. At the highest level, many matches go by without a single sliced forehand being played. Discussion Boards Hitting a very high lob with some slice, by cutting under the ball with a flattish swing, can give you time to get back into a rally. Table tennis forehand push - Table tennis - essential skills and 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. Hitting up is counterintuitive to many players at first because theyre afraid the ball will sail long. Instead, the best option is to stretch wide, perhaps in an open stance, and move the racket from high to low and through the line you want the ball to travel. . Tennis Court Surface: Pros And Cons Of The Different Surfaces - Online By entering your email address and clicking the Submit button, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Dummies.com, which may include marketing promotions, news and updates. Since a big flat serve has a lower margin for error, its worth being thoughtful when you choose to use it. 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. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. As the previous tip suggests, you must relax your grip and wrist to allow for the wrist to move freely. Roger Federer was one of the tennis greats known for his undeniable skill of slicing.He was one of the best modern tennis players, and was renowned for his ability to control the ball with unmatched elegance and grace. 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. Slower Pace: Kick serves are slower than flat or slice serves. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. Slicing does have disadvantages, so ideally it is used as a variation or in specific circumstances. Your email address will not be published. Third, it can be difficult to keep the ball in the court. While this might seem like another no-brainer, its common for players to be tentative with their serve, which prevents them from executing to their fullest.
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