Release the racquet with your left hand as you do this. The same goes for court surfaces. Advantages of a Tennis Slice 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. 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.
\nHigh bouncing balls are ideal for hitting slice shots, but you can play balls at any height with a slice by bending more at the knees and/or adjusting the height of your back and forward swings. 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. Required fields are marked *. Instead of hitting through the ball as you would with a flat serve, youll want to hit up. 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. Slice shots can be good for making an opponent really stretch for a ball, but it is difficult to hit them with much pace. It gives the opponent more time to get to the ball. 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. In-depth Resources The drawback of a slice serve is that it is easy to read. Take a deep breath, bounce the ball, and consciously relax your muscles, including your grip and wrist. 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. Many players assume behind means you need to toss the ball toward the back fence, i.e., behind the baseline. 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. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. Follow through until your racquet arm is fully extended, with the head pointing toward the ground at a moderate angle. Slower Pace: Kick serves are slower than flat or slice serves. Even at pro level, doing damage is still all about the forehand. 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. But knowing how to use the topspin to your game (strategy) has its advantages: Since youre looking to hit the ball flat or without any spin, youll want to try to strike the ball directly from behind without brushing up on the ball or hitting the side of the ball. 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. 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. 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. The essence of a slice is that it is the opposite of a topspin. Table tennis forehand smash. To help, give yourself a moment before you go to serve. For example, if youre up 40-15 when serving, you might throw a big flat serve in to try and close out the game. The flat serve is perhaps one of the most sought-after serves in tennis because its synonymous with power and the ability to hit an ace. Here, well share as much knowledge and experience as we can, so we hope you enjoy it! link to The Best Babolat Tennis Rackets (for Every Type of Player), link to The Top 3 Best Babolat Tennis Rackets Under $100. 5 Point Friday There are many different types of forehand slice shot, all of which have their uses. However, flat shots with little topspin won't bounce high - they'll almost skid across the court. Many players will want to take the initiative from the slicer by hitting an aggressive topspin. The slice serves name comes from the brushing action, or slice, applied to the tennis ball to produce sidespin. First, it can be difficult to control the ball. 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. The most common variations are the slice and the topspin. The problem with this mentality and a low first serve percentage is that it takes a great deal of pressure off your opponent. 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. This is basically a drop shot played at the start of a rally, so the same arguments set out in the previous paragraph apply. Advantages of Clay . 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. 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. And, an athlete like Mima Ito, proves beyond a doubt that the banana flip can be even more effective . The truth is, a continental serve grip is highly effective for all types of tennis serves. 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. To generate the necessary topspin for your kick serve, you need to brush the side of the tennis ball from low to high. This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work. It's a defensive shot that you should use on only three occasions:
\nIf 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. While weve tried to provide a thorough examination of the three kinds of serves, we realize it can be challenging to answer every question a reader might have. Grass is tough on the arm, though, because the ball hits the racquet with more speed, and more speed generally means more shock and torsion. The slice can be used effectively in several matchplay situations. Some professionals hit virtually all of their forehands with slice. 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. All three have their benefits and all three result in a very different bounce of the tennis . Unfortunately, this approach usually lends itself to tension, which is your serves worst enemy and, over time, can lead to injury. A slice serve is a fantastic weapon on any court surface. However, you can use it to your advantage on certain court surfaces. Disguise is crucial, but if executed well against a player who is standing a long way back, it can be very effective. If you miss, the pressure is still on your opponent to hit a great return off your slower second serve. Read our weekly recap of the 5 most interesting things we dig up in tennis. 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. There are many variations of the topspin forehand where players will choose a desired Western or Eastern grip depending on their style of play. 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. 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. Not a Team Sport. 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. To hit a slice, you need to strike the ball with a high-to-low movement, thus imparting backspin. A topspin shot, on the other hand, rotates forward toward the opponent as it travels through the air. The answer to this question depends upon whether you are aiming to reply in kind with a slice, or to hit a topspin. 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. Retrieving a wide ball. 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. On Friday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the Grand Slam champions earned themselves a nomination for point of the year. 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 several advantages and disadvantages of clay tennis court surfaces, including using red clay and green clay or Har-Tru. easier to learn and to apply slice shots, and have better feel and control . We both feel like tennis has given us opportunities that we would have never had otherwise, so we started myTennisHQ with the intent of helping more and more people become familiar with the sport. Heres a photo that showcases the contact point and racquet angle when hitting a kick serve. Create a free account and explore my latest videos below. If you are defending desperately, you are unlikely to be able to execute a topspin lob. Kevin is an LTA-accredited coach, and is world ranked in the over-55 age group. 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. The shot is executed with a flowing high-to-low action and a continental or Eastern grip, using a neutral or semi-open stance. This leads to a higher bounce and less spin on the ball after contact with the ground. On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The result will be a more fluid motion that helps you achieve a better serve.
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. When you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when hitting a kick serve. 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 type of tennis court surface that you play on can have a major influence on how the game is played as well as on the effects of Tennis on your body. Another instance when you are using a slice is if you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. Rallying. Another essential element to the kick serve is racquet head speed. As the previous tip suggests, you must relax your grip and wrist to allow for the wrist to move freely. Let us know about your experiences via the comments. Tennis Tips for Seniors and Every Tennis Lovers. First, if youre using an eastern grip, youre most likely overcompensating for poor technique. Tennis toe. 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.
\nIf 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.
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\nHigh bouncing balls are ideal for hitting slice shots, but you can play balls at any height with a slice by bending more at the knees and/or adjusting the height of your back and forward swings. A "slow" surface such as clay will interact with more of the ball's surface area and there will be more friction placed on the ball. Even if good spin and placement are used, if the ball lacks pace, it can easily be attacked. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. It is said to be the fastest shot in tennis. This toss placement allows you to achieve the proper racquet angle for those serves. Sources: rio2016.com, itftennis.com. 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. 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. 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. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. Rafael Nadal for example knows that with his extreme spin on the forehand he can make it difficult for a player like Roger Federer with his one-handed backhand to generate power. Tennis is at the top. The ideal contact point and racquet angle. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net.
\nSlice always imparts control. Approach shots. What makes the slice serve unique is the sidespin applied, which causes the ball to move from right to left (if youre a righty) and continue to move in that direction off the bounce. On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. 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. That's just plain easier.
\nMichael Kernicki is currently the Head Professional at the Indian Creek Country Club in Miami Beach.
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