disadvantages of slice in tennis

Retrieving a wide ball.

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. 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. Those two qualities can catch your opponent off guard and screw up her timing.

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. This toss placement allows you to achieve the proper racquet angle for those serves. Approach shots. Underarm (Underhand in the US) Serve. 6. 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. In-depth Resources On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. 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. Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. Thats because racquet head speed is required to create topspin. Sliced returns need to be controlled with precision or else a volleyer can pick them off, especially in doubles. Table tennis forehand smash. The slice backhand suited their approach to the game, which was based on control rather than power.

The slice backhand offers the following practical and tactical advantages:

The slice stroke is simple. You hit under the ball, instead of through and over it, as you do on the flat backhand. When youre first getting started with tennis, your primary goal will likely be to develop a single reliable serve that allows you to begin a point and play the game. 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. The major difference is that the racquet shouldn't be pointing straight up, at a 90-degree angle, like a bat. 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. The latter has been a key element of Roger Federers defensive game for a number of years. Your email address will not be published. The answer to this question depends upon whether you are aiming to reply in kind with a slice, or to hit a topspin. Lastly, it can be difficult to hit a winner with a slice. 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. When you are playing tennis its all about getting the ball over the net and trying to hit a shot your opponent cant return. 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. Join the conversation with other members of the community. 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. 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. Slicing does have disadvantages, so ideally it is used as a variation or in specific circumstances. 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. Read our weekly recap of the 5 most interesting things we dig up in tennis. All three have their benefits and all three result in a very different bounce of the tennis . 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. Even at pro level, doing damage is still all about the forehand. Up a set and a break, Medvedev served into the deuce court to . 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. 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. Rallying with a sliced forehand is mainly done by players who lack confidence in their topspin game, but it can nonetheless be very effective in the right conditions. Follow through until your racquet arm is fully extended, with the head pointing toward the ground at a moderate angle. 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. Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Stand quite close to the table, an arms length away. A player can add slice or topspin to shots by hitting the ball in different places. 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. 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. A sliced lob can be useful as a defensive measure, but it is generally slower and easier to attack than the topspin version. 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. 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. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent ","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"
Slice, or backspin, causes the tennis ball to spin back toward the source of impact (you). Let us know about your experiences via the comments. 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. Wrist strains. One of the biggest challenges of the game of tennis is adjusting your stroke according to the incoming ball (high, low, topspin, slice, fast, slow, etc. ), your position on the court and the direction you want to hit. More consistent - means with which one you can hit more or less the same shot over and over again. 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. 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! Advantages of a Tennis Slice To be successful with this tactic, you will need to stay low and develop plenty of racket-head speed, to allow you to control the trajectory of the ball.
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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. That's just plain easier.

Slice slows the ball down. A ball hit with any kind of spin travels slower than a flat one. The flat serve is one of the most popular and most useful serves in tennis. If you remember, the flat and slice serve toss is 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. For most players, the kick serve has become the default second serve. 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. 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). Without some of Hi there! The problem with this mentality and a low first serve percentage is that it takes a great deal of pressure off your opponent. The first thing you need to do is grip the racket properly. Topspin has changed how tennis is played due to the fact that you can generate much more power behind your shot with a proper topspin forehand. Both arms should be out in front of you. 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. Reference: tennis slice vs topspin. If you are under pressure in a rally and are forced to stretch very wide to retrieve a ball on your forehand side, it is unlikely that you will be able to play a topspin shot. 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 can be used effectively in several matchplay situations. The result will help you generate even more topspin. Related Tags. 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. 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. Kevin Leck is a Sport Psychology Consultant and Writer from Loughborough in the UK. If players like to attack the net and volley, they slice a lot.
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The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. Heres a photo that shows the contact point against the ball as well as the correct racquet face angle, which is flat to avoid putting spin on the ball. If youre short, the flat serve is more challenging to execute because you have less clearance over the net, which reduces your margin of error. 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. High 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. 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. There are many variations of the topspin forehand where players will choose a desired Western or Eastern grip depending on their style of play. He used the slicing technique very often to outdo his opponents at the highest international stages of the sport. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net. 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. Figure 1: Hold your racquet at a 45-degree angle to the fence when you slice your backhand. When comparing table tennis to tennis, golf, ice hockey, football, or nearly anything, you will find that it is rather cheap. 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. However, its often one of the most challenging serves to develop. 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. Sources: rio2016.com, itftennis.com. Not a Team Sport. Slice always imparts control. 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. This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work. 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. As the previous tip suggests, you must relax your grip and wrist to allow for the wrist to move freely. For that reason, its vital to add different types of shots to your repertoire. 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. 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. Follow through until your racquet arm is fully extended, with the head pointing toward the ground at a moderate angle. Rallying. However, by hitting up on the ball, you generate topspin, which can bring the ball back down into the court even though youre hitting up. Discussion Boards A "tennis topspin" is when the ball is hit with a lot of power, speed, and spin on it. Ive included brief stops to help you get a sense for toss placement, contact, point, and racquet angle. The racquet head instead should be pointing at the back fence, at about a 45-degree angle. That's just plain easier.

Slice slows the ball down. A ball hit with any kind of spin travels slower than a flat one. If you miss, the pressure is still on your opponent to hit a great return off your slower second serve. Last but not least, another element that will help you produce a fantastic serve is going for it and hitting with confidence. 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. Required fields are marked *. For example, if youre 6 tall and playing a 54 opponent, then you might be able to take advantage of their height by hitting a kick serve thats way out of their strike zone or even over their head, making it challenging for them to return. There are several advantages and disadvantages of clay tennis court surfaces, including using red clay and green clay or Har-Tru. You can see it coming, as it is obvious where the server is hitting the ball to impart the sidespin. The Best Babolat Tennis Rackets (for Every Type of Player). You may want to be slightly lower for a push as usually we play this shot against lower, backspin balls. Do you like to hit a forehand slice? Heres a photo to show you what your contact point should look like for a slice serve. 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. Your email address will not be published. Here are some tips on how to slice a ball in tennis: 1. To generate the necessary topspin for your kick serve, you need to brush the side of the tennis ball from low to high. Create a free account and explore my latest videos below. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. 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. There are basically three major types of court surfaces: Hard Courts, Grass Courts, and Clay Courts. 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. 3. What Was The Battle of The Sexes In Tennis. However, flat shots with little topspin won't bounce high - they'll almost skid across the court. While this might seem like another no-brainer, its common for players to be tentative with their serve, which prevents them from executing to their fullest. In this article, well cover these topics for each type of serve: Well start by talking briefly about why you should learn the three types of tennis serves. In a press conference at the French Open, Dominic Thiem commented on his switch from two-handed to one-handed backhand. Its subtle, but hopefully, compared with the flat serve, you can tell the racquet is coming toward the ball at an angle with a bit of upward motion. What is the difference between tennis slices and tennis tops? Another instance when you are using a slice is if you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. Oh, and I had lunch with Brad Gilbert once. If you look at the top players in the world they know exactly how to use topspin and slice shots to their advantages. Heres a video that brings together all the different pieces of a slice serve and once again includes a pause so you can see the toss placement, contact point, and racquet angle as part of the entire service motion. This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work.
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High 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. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. Tennis is at the top. 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. 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. It is possible to play every single forehand shot as a slice, but this is unlikely to be the most effective way to play. It is easier to control and creates a less predictable bounce with no pace for my opponents to work with. Babolat have been producing tennis equipment since 1875, and today they manufacture a range of rackets that offers something for everyone. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. Topspin shots are used by most tennis players as their general groundstroke because it forces opponents to go backward. But what is the difference between these two groundstrokes? Hopefully, youve enjoyed this post on the three different types of serves. 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. 4. When you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. The ideal contact point and racquet angle. Your email address will not be published. Disadvantages Of Slice In Tennis Slashes are disliked by many lower-level recreational players. 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. Backhand gets the ball back neutral so that . The major difference is that the racquet shouldn't be pointing straight up, at a 90-degree angle, like a bat. Return of serve. 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. When youre scrambling to retrieve a good, angled shot by your opponent you can swipe the ball back with a slice and buy yourself a little time to get back into position. Again, this is in favor of the two-handed backhand. You will have more time to return the ball, have a better stance, stronger strokes, more spin, and more confidence. disadvantages of the two backhand strokes in relation to the style of play. 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. easier to learn and to apply slice shots, and have better feel and control . Lets take a look at how to hit a slice serve with proper technique. Tennis is not recommended for individuals who. 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. 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. Drop Shots. An out-to-in movement can be incorporated to add side-spin. Make contact with the ball, with the racquet "slicing" under it, when it's at a point about even with your right shoulder.
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High 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The last comment and 5 other comment(s) need to be approved. 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. 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. On the other hand, if you were to try that same serve against a 65 opponent, then you may find it lands much closer to their strike zone, allowing them to hit an easy return. Members of a larger team often take on different roles, and there will generally be a captain to lead. 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. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. Heres a photo that showcases the contact point and racquet angle when hitting a kick serve.
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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.
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Michael Patrick Shiels writes frequently for golf magazines and is the official golf writer of the PGA of America's Michigan section. First, if youre using an eastern grip, youre most likely overcompensating for poor technique. 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.
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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.
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Slice, or backspin, causes the tennis ball to spin back toward the source of impact (you). Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. Swing forward with a high-to-low motion.
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Release the racquet with your left hand as you do this. For example, if youre up 40-15 when serving, you might throw a big flat serve in to try and close out the game. 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. Now that you know what to look for when hitting a flat serve, heres a video that shows the entire flat service motion. 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. The most common variations are the slice and the 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.