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. Unfortunately, this approach usually lends itself to tension, which is your serves worst enemy and, over time, can lead to injury. The forehand slice is a shot which is rarely taught or discussed in modern tennis. The result can be a very low-bouncing serve that is hard to return. 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. The flat serve is one of the most popular and most useful serves in tennis. However, assuming you have the correct serve stance, behind you is parallel with the baseline and an important distinction when it comes to the kick serve. If you are defending desperately, you are unlikely to be able to execute a topspin lob. Swing forward with a high-to-low motion.

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Release the racquet with your left hand as you do this.

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Figure 1: Hold your racquet at a 45-degree angle to the fence when you slice your backhand.\t

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3. 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. When you reach it, the ball may only be a few inches off the ground, meaning that a topspin is not a realistic option. Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The last comment and 5 other comment(s) need to be approved. 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. The ball will naturally bounce less on grass, which plays terrifically with the slice serve, which also doesnt bounce high. Some professionals hit virtually all of their forehands with slice. It is easier to control and creates a less predictable bounce with no pace for my opponents to work with. You may want to be slightly lower for a push as usually we play this shot against lower, backspin balls. There are several advantages and disadvantages of clay tennis court surfaces, including using red clay and green clay or Har-Tru. Remember, when you serve, you have a considerable advantage because you begin the point on offense and can control and dictate the point from the start. Here too, it is necessary to make a distinction. Regardless of the type of serve you hit, relaxing through your service motion is essential. When comparing table tennis to tennis, golf, ice hockey, football, or nearly anything, you will find that it is rather cheap. Discussion Boards When executing a tennis slice, the player will swing downward in a "slicing" motion, angling the racket anywhere between fully flat and entirely diagonal. Kevin Leck is a Sport Psychology Consultant and Writer from Loughborough in the UK. 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 result will help you generate even more topspin. The same can be said about Federers use of the backhand slice. 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 slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. The middle of the net is its lowest point, so its easier to execute a flat serve at that point of the net on either side. Up a set and a break, Medvedev served into the deuce court to . Heres a photo to show you what your contact point should look like for a slice serve. Its consistent, provides players with a significant level of control, and can be used to attack a returners weaknesses with precision. It tends to put you on the defensive quite often, so you must be physically and mentally prepared for that. Many top players, including male and female Grand Slam champions use the sliced forehand. One of the best ways to increase your racquet head speed is to incorporate a wrist snap as you extend your arm to make contact with the tennis ball. 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. This requires care, however, as the ball may be low, and will not rise off the racket as readily as a ball which comes to you with topspin. 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. 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. Tennis toe. 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. 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 Aerodynamically it will appear to rise and then dip, kicking forward and up off the court surface when it lands. When you are playing tennis its all about getting the ball over the net and trying to hit a shot your opponent cant return. Noticed one disadvantage is playing on a slower court. 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. This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work. Next, lets talk about how to make contact with the ball. As a result, you should aim to toss the ball directly above your head and slightly behind you, so that when you can swing up to contact the ball, youre coming from under the ball. Here, well share as much knowledge and experience as we can, so we hope you enjoy it! If you are happy to slice the ball back, the standard slice technique can be used, making sure that you stay in a low stance, as the ball may stay quite low. 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.

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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:

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1. The first thing you need to do is grip the racket properly. ), your position on the court and the direction you want to hit. 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. The truth is, a continental serve grip is highly effective for all types of tennis serves. However, it makes it challenging to get under the ball and apply maximum topspin for the kick serve. To hit a slice, you need to strike the ball with a high-to-low movement, thus imparting backspin. This photo was snapped at the height of the toss so you can get a sense of accurate placement. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. 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. Advantages of Clay . He used the slicing technique very often to outdo his opponents at the highest international stages of the sport. There are a few disadvantages of using a slice in tennis. 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. 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 sliced lob can be useful as a defensive measure, but it is generally slower and easier to attack than the topspin version. Tsvetana Pironkova and Monica Niculescu have both enjoyed success using this tactic, particularly on grass. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net. Backhand gets the ball back neutral so that .

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

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