- 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.
A word of caution: Slice backhands make poor passing shots. That's just plain easier.
\n- Slice slows the ball down. A ball hit with any kind of spin travels slower than a flat one. First and foremost, its important to make sure youre using the correct grip for the flat 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). 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. Straight flips can be much easier and quicker as the pips are less sensitive to spin. The slice serve is a highly effective serve that can become a huge weapon when perfected. Take a deep breath, bounce the ball, and consciously relax your muscles, including your grip and wrist. 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. Kevin Leck is a Sport Psychology Consultant and Writer from Loughborough in the UK. 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. 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. For an in-depth review of the serve toss, be sure to check out our post on perfecting your serve toss technique. 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. Aerodynamically it will appear to rise and then dip, kicking forward and up off the court surface when it lands. 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. 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. During a slice shot, the racket travels in a downward motion, before slicing underneath the tennis ball. Lastly, it can be difficult to hit a winner with a slice. Tsvetana Pironkova and Monica Niculescu have both enjoyed success using this tactic, particularly on grass. 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. This is most easily done if you are holding the racket in either a continental or Eastern grip (see How to hold a tennis racket on this site for details of these grips). This is basically a drop shot played at the start of a rally, so the same arguments set out in the previous paragraph apply. She has even used the shot effectively on hard courts, which is probably more difficult than employing it on softer surfaces. The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. 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. Slice shots can be good for making an opponent really stretch for a ball, but it is difficult to hit them with much pace. Let us know about your experiences via the comments. 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. The slice serves name comes from the brushing action, or slice, applied to the tennis ball to produce sidespin. The slice backhand suited their approach to the game, which was based on control rather than power. Tennis Interviews. 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. 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 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. 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. The most common variations are the slice and the topspin. A "tennis topspin" is when the ball is hit with a lot of power, speed, and spin on it. One of these techniques is the slice, which gives a confounding backspin to a serve or return.Find more information on slice strokes in tennis below. Additionally, if the forehand slice has been hit with side-spin, you will need to recognise this and allow more space if you aim to reply with a forehand, as the ball will spin into your body if your opponent is right-handed. Lets take a look at some of the details that will help ensure you can hit a great flat serve. By using the proper topspin or backspin techniques during your next competitive match, you will be able to easily keep your opponent on their toes, making it much more difficult for them to adjust to your techniques throughout the entirety of your match. The flat serve is one of the most popular and most useful serves in tennis. 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. 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. The slice can be used effectively in several matchplay situations. Tennis Tips for Seniors and Every Tennis Lovers.
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. When executing a tennis slice, the player will swing downward in a "slicing" motion, angling the racket anywhere between fully flat and entirely diagonal. In contrast, a sliced groundstroke will appear to be rotating anti-clockwise. The ball often stays low to the ground after it bounces. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. It gives the opponent more time to get to the ball. Heres a video that showcases the kick serve, including the toss, contact point, and racquet angle necessary to generate topspin. On the other hand, if youre down 15-40, a big flat serve can be a considerable risk. 3. Your ability to hit more than one type of serve will allow you to be more competitive against different players and on various court surfaces. 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. Ive included brief stops to help you get a sense for toss placement, contact, point, and racquet angle. Some professionals hit virtually all of their forehands with slice. 2. Unfortunately, this approach usually lends itself to tension, which is your serves worst enemy and, over time, can lead to injury. Once again, Ive provided a view of this serve in slow motion so you can easily see the nuances of the different pieces. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The last comment and 5 other comment(s) need to be approved. The same can be set for other net approaches. At the highest level, many matches go by without a single sliced forehand being played. Without some of Hi there! 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. If you look at a tennis shot side-on from the players right, a ball hit with topspin will appear to be rotating clockwise. 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. 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. 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. Slice, or backspin, causes the tennis ball to spin back toward the source of impact (you). If something isnt clear or you have questions, please feel free to submit a comment below wed love to hear from you! It is easier to control and creates a less predictable bounce with no pace for my opponents to work with. 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. 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. Here too, it is necessary to make a distinction. First, it can be difficult to control the ball. Defensive Lob. That's just plain easier.
- Slice slows the ball down. A ball hit with any kind of spin travels slower than a flat one. However, it makes it challenging to get under the ball and apply maximum topspin for the kick serve. A "tennis slice" is when the ball hits the ground and bounces back into play. 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. 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. Noticed one disadvantage is playing on a slower court. 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. A player can add slice or topspin to shots by hitting the ball in different places. You can find his 2020 book: ', Seniortennisclub.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to. For most players, the kick serve has become the default second serve. Im extremely passionate about the mental and technical part of the game. The ball will naturally bounce less on grass, which plays terrifically with the slice serve, which also doesnt bounce high. Of all the serves, the kick serve is arguably the most valuable and highly sought after for players to learn. Hopefully, youve enjoyed this post on the three different types of serves. 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.\n
The slice forehand is easy to master, and a fair number of hackers resort to it. This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work. 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. Friction and surface area explain why slower surfaces are less effective. Many players assume behind means you need to toss the ball toward the back fence, i.e., behind the baseline. 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. Upper Body Exercises Safe for Tennis Elbow, How to Choose a Grip Size for a Tennis Racquet, How To Handle The High Bounce To The Backhand Side In Tennis. 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. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. The flat serve uses a minimal amount of spin which allows the ball to travel faster and bounce lower. Low bounce: as the name suggests, flat serves have minimal spin. Follow through until your racquet arm is fully extended, with the head pointing toward the ground at a moderate angle. What Does Game, Set, Match Mean In Tennis? While some players and coaches might suggest that you can use an eastern grip for your slice serve, Id recommend against it for two main reasons. If players like to attack the net and volley, they slice a lot. 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. Members of a larger team often take on different roles, and there will generally be a captain to lead. Thats because racquet head speed is required to create topspin. On Friday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the Grand Slam champions earned themselves a nomination for point of the year. Both arms should be out in front of you. 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. When comparing table tennis to tennis, golf, ice hockey, football, or nearly anything, you will find that it is rather cheap. Your email address will not be published. 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. Approach shots. Join the conversation with other members of the community. Discussion Boards However, flat shots with little topspin won't bounce high - they'll almost skid across the court.