disadvantages of slice in tennis

Knees should be slightly bent and the body should be leaning forward. Key points about the tennis forehand slice: The forehand slice is a little unfashionable, but it is certainly not obsolete. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. First and foremost, its important to make sure youre using the correct grip for the flat serve. 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. Only people who haven't really played tennis (or have played and don't use a one hander) believe this myth (aka 90% of this forum). what is a backhand slice in tennis; how to return a slice in tennis; disadvantages of topspin in tennis; slice serve in tennis Lets take a look at how to hit a slice serve with proper technique. On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. You may want to be slightly lower for a push as usually we play this shot against lower, backspin balls. If well placed, the flat serve can be extremely challenging to . 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! 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. Another essential element to the kick serve is racquet head speed. For an in-depth review of the serve toss, be sure to check out our post on perfecting your serve toss technique. 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. 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. If you look at a tennis shot side-on from the players right, a ball hit with topspin will appear to be rotating clockwise. The same goes for court surfaces. Implementing finesse into your shots when competing against other tennis players is a great way to throw off your opponent by forcing them to change their game plan on the fly.

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. 02. of 02. Your email address will not be published. You will have more time to return the ball, have a better stance, stronger strokes, more spin, and more confidence. Because of this added spin, the ball will bounce with significantly less height when reaching the opponent's side.The ball bouncing with less height then makes it more difficult for the opponent to return the slice, since they will have much less time to reach the ball from where they awaited the return. Underarm (Underhand in the US) Serve. 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. Without some of Hi there! About a 90-110 degree bend at the elbow. disadvantages of the two backhand strokes in relation to the style of play. Helpful Tip: We're Gui and Karue. 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 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. Many leading players will use the block-slice return and forehand squash-shot described above. 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. In tennis, a slice is a type of swing that puts spin on the ball.Players will utilize a slice when serving or returning volleys to give the ball an irregular bounce, making it harder for their opponent to track and return. The underarm serve is most widely employed by players with big serves and a good touch, such as Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Bublik. Discussion Boards In contrast, a sliced groundstroke will appear to be rotating anti-clockwise. However, it makes it challenging to get under the ball and apply maximum topspin for the kick serve. It's a defensive shot that you should use on only three occasions:

\n

  • When you're scrambling to retrieve a good, angled shot by your opponent (this is called making a get) and can't set up to hit a conventional forehand you can swipe the ball back with slice and buy yourself a little time to get back into position.

\n

  • When you're moving forward toward the net and you want to drive a low-bouncing ball into the corner of your opponent's court.

\n

  • When you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot.

\n

Dressing up your backhand with slice

\n

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. Even if good spin and placement are used, if the ball lacks pace, it can easily be attacked. What is the difference between tennis slices and tennis tops? To achieve this, play the return rather like a volley, with a continental or Eastern grip, a short take-back and a punchy, high-to-low action. 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. The ball will follow a low, flattish path through the air and then bounce up (but not far forward) on a grippy court surface like acrylic. Second, it can be difficult to generate power with a 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. 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. Modern-day tennis players utilize topspin frequently, as it can appear that the ball will sail over the net and out of bounds before dropping well within the lines of play. The slice serves name comes from the brushing action, or slice, applied to the tennis ball to produce sidespin. 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. It is also the most commonly used shot when you are in a defensive position. Required fields are marked *. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net.

\n

Mastering the forehand slice

\n

Slice always imparts control. 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. Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. When comparing table tennis to tennis, golf, ice hockey, football, or nearly anything, you will find that it is rather cheap. Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1.

\n

This position makes it easy and natural to brush your strings under the lower portion of the ball, producing backspin. 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. Advantages of a Tennis Slice Slice shots don't bounce as high, either. The ideal contact point and racquet angle. This toss placement allows you to achieve the proper racquet angle for those serves. Tennis is at the top. Tennis Interviews. Slower Pace: Kick serves are slower than flat or slice serves. Of all the serves, the kick serve is arguably the most valuable and highly sought after for players to learn. Defensive Lob. 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. The flat serve gets its name from the fact that minimal spin is applied to the ball when making contact. The essence of a slice is that it is the opposite of a topspin. 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. Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1. The Austrian said: "Very difficult because, I mean, I . Topspin shots are used by most tennis players as their general groundstroke because it forces opponents to go backward. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net. 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. As the ball approaches and you rotate your shoulders to your left, bring your racquet back above your left shoulder. However, the shot is not always . Again, this is in favor of the two-handed backhand. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. Many players will want to take the initiative from the slicer by hitting an aggressive topspin. As the ball approaches and you rotate your shoulders to your left, bring your racquet back above your left shoulder.

\n

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. The same can be set for other net approaches. Thats because racquet head speed is required to create topspin. 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 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. As the ball approaches and you rotate your shoulders to your left, bring your racquet back above your left shoulder.

\n

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. Generally, the taller you are, the easier it will be to execute a hard flat serve because you have more clearance over the net and, therefore, a higher margin for error. Tsvetana Pironkova and Monica Niculescu have both enjoyed success using this tactic, particularly on grass. Wrist strains. To help, give yourself a moment before you go to serve. Heres a photo to show you what your contact point should look like for a slice serve. Heres a photo that showcases the contact point and racquet angle when hitting a kick serve. 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. Hitting up is counterintuitive to many players at first because theyre afraid the ball will sail long. 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. Generally speaking, coaches and players will talk about three main spots in the service box: Since you can hit your serve in any of these locations, youll have a minimum of 9 serves in your back pocket that you can hit at any given time pretty sweet, right? 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. Backhand gets the ball back neutral so that . 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. 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. Babolat have been producing tennis equipment since 1875, and today they manufacture a range of rackets that offers something for everyone. Straight flips can be much easier and quicker as the pips are less sensitive to spin. The sports divide into a few tiers of serving advantages. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. 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.

\n

Make contact with the ball, with the racquet \"slicing\" under it, when it's at a point about even with your right shoulder. 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. 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. It is possible to play every single forehand shot as a slice, but this is unlikely to be the most effective way to play. The loose surface dissipates sidespin so that heavy slice serves and sidespin-slice backhands, for example, turn less dramatically than they do on other surfaces. There are basically three major types of court surfaces: Hard Courts, Grass Courts, and Clay Courts. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. 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. Initially, you may be inclined to toss the ball a little farther right than you do for your flat serve to make contacting the side of the ball a bit more pronounced and establish feel. In-depth Resources 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. 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. The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. If something isnt clear or you have questions, please feel free to submit a comment below wed love to hear from you! 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. 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. Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. First, it can be difficult to control the ball. Within tennis, the serve is a bigger weapon for men than for women, in part . Create a free account and explore my latest videos below. This leads to a higher bounce and less spin on the ball after contact with the ground. Advantages of Clay . But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. 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.

\n

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. There are several advantages and disadvantages of clay tennis court surfaces, including using red clay and green clay or Har-Tru. 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. Many top players, including male and female Grand Slam champions use the sliced forehand. Backspin is most commonly achieved when using a slice shot technique. A slice serve is a fantastic weapon on any court surface. 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. For that reason, its vital to add different types of shots to your repertoire. You can see it coming, as it is obvious where the server is hitting the ball to impart the sidespin. To hit a slice, you need to strike the ball with a high-to-low movement, thus imparting backspin. A "tennis topspin" is when the ball is hit with a lot of power, speed, and spin on it. The Best Babolat Tennis Rackets (for Every Type of Player). As a result, most players hit flat groundstrokes sparingly. Table tennis forehand smash. 6. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. Tennis is not recommended for individuals who. Generally, when practicing a topspin forehand, players will implement a semi-Western grip, as you are able to apply a greater amount of spin to the tennis ball using far less effort. Regardless of the type of serve you hit, relaxing through your service motion is essential. The drawback of a slice serve is that it is easy to read. Swing forward with a high-to-low motion. Join the conversation with other members of the community. The ball will naturally bounce less on grass, which plays terrifically with the slice serve, which also doesnt bounce high. The ball often stays low to the ground after it bounces. Sliced returns need to be controlled with precision or else a volleyer can pick them off, especially in doubles. To generate the necessary topspin for your kick serve, you need to brush the side of the tennis ball from low to high. 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. 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. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc.

\n

\n
\"figure\"

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

\n

3. 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. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The latter has been a key element of Roger Federers defensive game for a number of years. The racquet head instead should be pointing at the back fence, at about a 45-degree angle.

\n

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.

\n

2. 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. There are a few disadvantages of using a slice in tennis. To slice in tennis, a player must angle their racquet and swing downward in a slicing motion.The manner in which the player angles their racquet while slicing downward can be anywhere between fully flat and entirely diagonal. At MyTennisHQ, we have all played junior, college, and professional tennis. Rallying. Here, well share as much knowledge and experience as we can, so we hope you enjoy it! 4. Members of a larger team often take on different roles, and there will generally be a captain to lead. When the racket and the ball make contact, the racket should be continuously moving in a direction close to perpendicular to the ball. When you reach it, the ball may only be a few inches off the ground, meaning that a topspin is not a realistic option. Believe it or not, when the pros hit a kick serve, their racquet is traveling at roughly the same rate or faster than their flat or slice serve. 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!

\n

4. 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.

\n

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. link to The Best Babolat Tennis Rackets (for Every Type of Player), link to The Top 3 Best Babolat Tennis Rackets Under $100. Return of serve. Follow through until your racquet arm is fully extended, with the head pointing toward the ground at a moderate angle. Oh, and I had lunch with Brad Gilbert once. Get the Intuitive Tennis iPhone/iPad App https://apple.co/3c5IyJpGet the Intuitive Tennis Android App https://bit.ly/3QTK1S7In today's video, I explain. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. On your side, there is pressure to hit your second serve in, which forces you to take some pace off the serve and subsequently gives your opponent more confidence in their return. 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. 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. This position makes it easy and natural to brush your strings under the lower portion of the ball, producing backspin. First, if youre using an eastern grip, youre most likely overcompensating for poor technique. Typically, your opponent will be in defense mode when returning your first serve because they know that you can throw anything at them. Table tennis forehand push. 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. There are many variations of the topspin forehand where players will choose a desired Western or Eastern grip depending on their style of play. 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. Its strength lies in its speed and difficulty to return. Lets take a look at some of the details that will help ensure you can hit a great flat serve. Let us know about your experiences via the comments. The answer to this question depends upon whether you are aiming to reply in kind with a slice, or to hit a topspin. Lets dive into the proper technique for hitting a kick serve. A "tennis slice" is when the ball hits the ground and bounces back into play. And, an athlete like Mima Ito, proves beyond a doubt that the banana flip can be even more effective . To be a complete tennis player and to be competitive you need to master every shot and you need to know when to use them. Take a deep breath, bounce the ball, and consciously relax your muscles, including your grip and wrist. 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.