3. That's just plain easier.
Make contact with the ball, with the racquet \"slicing\" under it, when it's at a point about even with your right shoulder. Some people love the camaraderie and sense of interdependence that goes with being part of a larger sporting group, like in a football, soccer, or basketball team. 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. 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: 1. The major difference is that the racquet shouldn't be pointing straight up, at a 90-degree angle, like a bat. However, it makes it challenging to get under the ball and apply maximum topspin for the kick serve. There are many variations of the topspin forehand where players will choose a desired Western or Eastern grip depending on their style of play. 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. Slice always imparts control. Tennis is at the top. This is known as a squash shot and a good one will fly low and fast over the net. As a result, when the ball hits the court, it stays low, which forces a player to have to bend and get low or return out of their strike zone. When a slice is done correctly, the racket adds a backspin to the ball when it is struck. 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. 2. The ideal contact point and racquet angle. Regardless of the type of serve you hit, relaxing through your service motion is essential. The racquet head instead should be pointing at the back fence, at about a 45-degree angle.
\nWhen 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.
\n2. However, if you do adjust your toss, keep in mind that a good returner might pick up on the change in your toss and give them a hint of the type of serve and where you might be inclined to hit it. Instead of hitting through the ball as you would with a flat serve, youll want to hit up. 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. 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.
\nThe slice forehand is easy to master, and a fair number of hackers resort to it. Slice Forehand & Backhand First, if youre using an eastern grip, youre most likely overcompensating for poor technique. 3. This leads to a higher bounce and less spin on the ball after contact with the ground. Third, it can be difficult to keep the ball in the court. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. In tennis, a slice is a type of swing that puts spin on the ball.Players will utilize a slice when serving or returning volleys to give the ball an irregular bounce, making it harder for their opponent to track and return. disadvantages of the two backhand strokes in relation to the style of play. Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1. 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. The Top 3 Best Babolat Tennis Rackets Under $100. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net. Sources: rio2016.com, itftennis.com. 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. A flat groundstroke is usually more challenging to hit while keeping the shot within boundaries of the tennis court since there isn't much topspin. For the taller opponent, who might not move as well as a shorter player, you might hit a slice serve at their body because theyll struggle to reposition themselves quickly when returning.
Michael Kernicki is currently the Head Professional at the Indian Creek Country Club in Miami Beach.
","authors":[{"authorId":10669,"name":"Michael Patrick Shiels","slug":"michael-patrick-shiels","description":" Michael Patrick Shiels writes frequently for golf magazines and is the official golf writer of the PGA of America's Michigan section. Related Tags. Friction and surface area explain why slower surfaces are less effective. For most players, the kick serve has become the default second serve. When executing a tennis slice, the player will swing downward in a slicing motion, angling the racket anywhere between fully flat and entirely diagonal.When the racket and the ball make contact, the racket should be continuously moving in a direction close to perpendicular to the ball. As a result, when the flat serve hits the court, it tends to bounce low and continue straight forward from where it lands in the court. 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. This leaves it tough for the opponent to hit it back with much pace. 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. Make contact with the ball, with the racquet "slicing" under it, when it's at a point about even with your right shoulder. But knowing how to use the topspin to your game (strategy) has its advantages: Slower Pace: Kick serves are slower than flat or slice serves. However, with practice and the proper technique, you shouldnt need to swing considerably harder to create more spin. It moves forward and down, coming around to your right side only at the tail end of your stroke, long after the ball is gone.
\nMake contact with the ball, with the racquet \"slicing\" under it, when it's at a point about even with your right shoulder. Helpful Tip However, on grass, that same kick serve wont jump nearly as high, so you might rely on your slice serve, which stays low, making it challenging to return when playing on grass. If youre looking to develop an effective serve thats a weapon, then its crucial to understand and learn how to execute the three different types of tennis serves. 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. 02. of 02. Stand quite close to the table, an arms length away. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. Key points about the tennis forehand slice: The forehand slice is a little unfashionable, but it is certainly not obsolete. Let us know about your experiences via the comments. Rallying. While you should strive to maintain an identical toss for your flat and slice serves, the kick serve falls into a category of its own, with a different toss that allows you to generate the necessary topspin. You can see it coming, as it is obvious where the server is hitting the ball to impart the sidespin. She has even used the shot effectively on hard courts, which is probably more difficult than employing it on softer surfaces. Slice shots can be good for making an opponent really stretch for a ball, but it is difficult to hit them with much pace. The racquet head instead should be pointing at the back fence, at about a 45-degree angle. First, it can be difficult to control the ball. A player can add slice or topspin to shots by hitting the ball in different places. After all, if you have a question, its likely another reader does too, which helps our entire community. The same goes for court surfaces. The forehand smash is a fast, hard and powerful stroke that aims to force the opponent away from the table or to win a point outright. Many players will want to take the initiative from the slicer by hitting an aggressive topspin. 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. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. Get the Intuitive Tennis iPhone/iPad App https://apple.co/3c5IyJpGet the Intuitive Tennis Android App https://bit.ly/3QTK1S7In today's video, I explain. 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. 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:
\nMichael 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. Topspin and slice shots are a necessity in tennis. Modern tennis is dominated by the use of topspin shots. What Does Game, Set, Match Mean In Tennis? 3. When comparing table tennis to tennis, golf, ice hockey, football, or nearly anything, you will find that it is rather cheap. What Was The Battle of The Sexes In Tennis. When you are playing tennis its all about getting the ball over the net and trying to hit a shot your opponent cant return. The truth is, a continental serve grip is highly effective for all types of tennis serves. Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu is one player particularly renowned for her sliced forehand drop shot, which she likes to play with a continental grip. 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. 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. On the other hand, if youre down 15-40, a big flat serve can be a considerable risk. 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. Babolat have been producing tennis equipment since 1875, and today they manufacture a range of rackets that offers something for everyone. Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. The forehand slice is a shot which is rarely taught or discussed in modern tennis. This toss placement allows you to achieve the proper racquet angle for those serves. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net.\nSlice always imparts control. 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. The first thing you need to do is grip the racket properly. For a slice, you will need to grip the racket with an eastern or semi-western grip. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. 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. Wrist strains. Heres a video that showcases the kick serve, including the toss, contact point, and racquet angle necessary to generate topspin. 5 Point Friday 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. For this reason, they are vulnerable to attack if not hit with enough spin or placement. After that, I somehow ended up with a flat slice (something similar to Rosewall's backhand), probably in my attempt to firm up the face on contact. It is possible to play every single forehand shot as a slice, but this is unlikely to be the most effective way to play. During a slice shot, the racket travels in a downward motion, before slicing underneath the tennis ball. Many players assume behind means you need to toss the ball toward the back fence, i.e., behind the baseline. 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. However, once you miss your first serve, the pressure equalizes to a degree. But what is the difference between these two groundstrokes? It always adds to the entertainment value when it is played well. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. Slice is also an underrated shot, again thanks to that Bollettieri talent-destroying-nonsense. Tennis Interviews. My slice backhand is more dangerous than my topspin backhand to some of my opponents. Here too, it is necessary to make a distinction. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. 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. 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. By common sense, it is known that in tight situations players have to use larger body parts to lessen the impact of their muscles tightening. Tennis may not be right for you if you suffer from heart disease or have high or low blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoporosis. 5. The Austrian said: "Very difficult because, I mean, I . Up a set and a break, Medvedev served into the deuce court to .
\n3. Helpful Tip: But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. Once again, when hitting a kick serve, you should rely on your continental service grip, which is ideally suited for this serve. Lets dive into the proper technique for hitting a kick serve. 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. 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. Swing forward with a high-to-low motion. It gives the opponent more time to get to the ball. The flat serve is one of the most popular and most useful serves in tennis. 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. Speed: The faster a serve is hit, the less time your opponent will have to react, which can cause players to make contact with the ball late or mistime their shot. A topspin shot, on the other hand, rotates forward toward the opponent as it travels through the air. The result will be a more fluid motion that helps you achieve a better serve. A sliced lob can be useful as a defensive measure, but it is generally slower and easier to attack than the topspin version. They are something you should work on and get better at but in the end, are extremely fun to use. Another instance when you are using a slice is if you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. Follow through until your racquet arm is fully extended, with the head pointing toward the ground at a moderate angle. 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. For example, if youre up 40-15 when serving, you might throw a big flat serve in to try and close out the game. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. This motion gives the ball the spin or slice that youre looking for while also making sure theres just enough topspin to bring the ball back down into the court. In general, slicing can be very effective, but considerable precision is needed to use it frequently against a strong hitter. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It should go without saying that your legs are critical to your serve, but unfortunately, its not second nature to most players. Modern-day tennis players utilize topspin frequently, as it can appear that the ball will sail over the net and out of bounds before dropping well within the lines of play. Slice shots don't bounce as high, either. Advantages of a Tennis Slice A slice ground stroke causes the ball to rotate backwards towards the person who hit the ball. Serve and volley: Due to the shorter reaction time that you may have fielding your opponents return, it can be challenging to move forward and volley. On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. When you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. The answer to this question depends upon whether you are aiming to reply in kind with a slice, or to hit a topspin.