When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. 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. Even at pro level, doing damage is still all about the forehand. Tsvetana Pironkova and Monica Niculescu have both enjoyed success using this tactic, particularly on grass. 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. When you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. 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. Last but not least, another element that will help you produce a fantastic serve is going for it and hitting with confidence. 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. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. Take a deep breath, bounce the ball, and consciously relax your muscles, including your grip and wrist. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. After all, if you have a question, its likely another reader does too, which helps our entire community. I seldom make a mistake with my slice but it is very effective at creating UE's from my opponents. 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. This leads to a higher bounce and less spin on the ball after contact with the ground. 19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Table Tennis The good news is that youll use the continental grip for all three types of serves, so you only need to learn this one grip if youre not already familiar with it. Tennis Quiz Flashcards | Quizlet Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. They are something you should work on and get better at but in the end, are extremely fun to use. 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. If you are a beginner or recreational player, or a junior just considering your first full-sized racket, you will be pleased to know that Babolat offer a range aimed squarely at you. How To Feel Topspin In Tennis The Way A Pro Hits It Of all the serves, the kick serve is arguably the most valuable and highly sought after for players to learn. As the previous tip suggests, you must relax your grip and wrist to allow for the wrist to move freely. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The last comment and 5 other comment(s) need to be approved. ), your position on the court and the direction you want to hit. 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. 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. 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. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. 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. There are a few disadvantages of using a slice in tennis. \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();\r\n","enabled":true},{"pages":["all"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n
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A sliced lob can be useful as a defensive measure, but it is generally slower and easier to attack than the topspin version. With the topspin, he forces Federer and other opponents to either be pushed too far backward or to take a risk and hit the ball extremely early. There are many different types of forehand slice shot, all of which have their uses. Your email address will not be published. To generate the necessary topspin for your kick serve, you need to brush the side of the tennis ball from low to high. Dominic Thiem: One-handed backhand has some disadvantages Good topspin shots will land just in front of the line and bounce towards the opponent so he has a tough time generating power and needs to have good footwork to cope with it. 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. The ball will naturally bounce less on grass, which plays terrifically with the slice serve, which also doesnt bounce high. Figure 1: Hold your racquet at a 45-degree angle to the fence when you slice your backhand. Another essential element to the kick serve is racquet head speed. Topspin shots are used by most tennis players as their general groundstroke because it forces opponents to go backward. There are many variations of the topspin forehand where players will choose a desired Western or Eastern grip depending on their style of play. 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. This is basically a drop shot played at the start of a rally, so the same arguments set out in the previous paragraph apply. 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. 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. Slower Pace: Kick serves are slower than flat or slice serves. Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. 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 are playing tennis its all about getting the ball over the net and trying to hit a shot your opponent cant return. 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. The first thing you need to do is grip the racket properly. The essence of a slice is that it is the opposite of a topspin. Second, it can be difficult to generate power with a slice. A player can add slice or topspin to shots by hitting the ball in different places. For a slice, you will need to grip the racket with an eastern or semi-western grip. Lets dive into the proper technique for hitting a kick serve. What Is A Slice In Tennis? - Tennis Information It is also the most commonly used shot when you are in a defensive position. Unfortunately, this approach usually lends itself to tension, which is your serves worst enemy and, over time, can lead to injury. On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. This leaves it tough for the opponent to hit it back with much pace. When a slice is done correctly, the racket adds a backspin to the ball when it is struck. Babolat have been producing tennis equipment since 1875, and today they manufacture a range of rackets that offers something for everyone. . 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. 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. what is a backhand slice in tennis; how to return a slice in tennis; disadvantages of topspin in tennis; slice serve in tennis Backhand Slice is The Easiest Shot in Tennis - YouTubeHow To Bounce A Slice Ball And Drive Your Opponents Crazy The slice serve is perfect for opening up the tennis court. 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. The same can be said about Federers use of the backhand slice. The flat serve gets its name from the fact that minimal spin is applied to the ball when making contact. The Austrian said: "Very difficult because, I mean, I . Here too, it is necessary to make a distinction. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. What Is A Flat Serve In A Tennis Match? - rookieroad.comSlicing and Dicing, Tennis Style - dummies Since a big flat serve has a lower margin for error, its worth being thoughtful when you choose to use it. Join the conversation with other members of the community. 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. 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. Those two qualities can catch your opponent off guard and screw up her timing.\n
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. Defensive Lob. What are the pros/cons of a one handed and a two handed backhand in tennis? Here are a few tips to help execute an effective slice serve: When youre learning the slice serve, it can be relatively easy to overhit as you attempt to generate side spin. 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. 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. However, it makes it challenging to get under the ball and apply maximum topspin for the kick serve. Not a Team Sport. {"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). Its consistent, provides players with a significant level of control, and can be used to attack a returners weaknesses with precision. 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.
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Make contact with the ball, with the racquet \"slicing\" under it, when it's at a point about even with your right shoulder. 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. It also has a slightly lower margin for error than the kick serve, because it doesn't have as much top spin to make the ball dip into the service box. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. What Does Game, Set, Match Mean In Tennis? Disguise is crucial, but if executed well against a player who is standing a long way back, it can be very effective. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. How To Hit The Perfect Tennis Forehand Slice In 5 Simple StepsThe forehand slice in tennis can be a real weapon if you master the technique and use it at the. I got a chance to play junior and professional tournaments across the world, and in 2015 I began playing as the #1 player for Pepperdine University, a great division 1 school. 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. 3. 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.
