Typically, your opponent will be in defense mode when returning your first serve because they know that you can throw anything at them. Lastly, it can be difficult to hit a winner with a slice. What Does Game, Set, Match Mean In Tennis? 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. 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. When executing a tennis slice, the player will swing downward in a "slicing" motion, angling the racket anywhere between fully flat and entirely diagonal. 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. During a slice shot, the racket travels in a downward motion, before slicing underneath the tennis ball. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net. The amount of torsion the arm suffers increases as the court gets more worn, because bounces become more unpredictable, leading to more off-center hits. A slice ground stroke causes the ball to rotate backwards towards the person who hit 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. 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. Read our weekly recap of the 5 most interesting things we dig up in tennis. The flat serve is one of the most popular and most useful serves in tennis. 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. 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. 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. 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. This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work. The best choice is, using a continental or Eastern grip, to cut sharply under the ball with a high-to-low action, following through either straight up the court or cutting across the line to impart additional side-spin. There are many different types of forehand slice shot, all of which have their uses. The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. Slice is also an underrated shot, again thanks to that Bollettieri talent-destroying-nonsense. Release the racquet with your left hand as you do this. 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. When hitting a flat serve, youll want your toss to be roughly 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. 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. Another essential element to the kick serve is racquet head speed. To hit a slice, you need to strike the ball with a high-to-low movement, thus imparting backspin. Tennis toe. Ive included brief stops to help you get a sense for toss placement, contact, point, and racquet angle. {"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). Tennis Forehand Slice - Senior Tennis Club Without some of Hi there! 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. First, it can be difficult to control the ball. When you are playing tennis its all about getting the ball over the net and trying to hit a shot your opponent cant return. The flat serve uses a minimal amount of spin which allows the ball to travel faster and bounce lower. Many top players, including male and female Grand Slam champions use the sliced forehand. 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. It's a defensive shot that you should use on only three occasions:

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Dressing up your backhand with slice

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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. 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. 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. Approach shots. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. And, an athlete like Mima Ito, proves beyond a doubt that the banana flip can be even more effective . 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. A slice serve is a fantastic weapon on any court surface. Since a big flat serve has a lower margin for error, its worth being thoughtful when you choose to use it. Are short pips still relevant in the game of table tennis in the 2020s? . About a 90-110 degree bend at the elbow. First, if youre using an eastern grip, youre most likely overcompensating for poor technique. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. 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. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when hitting a kick serve. 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 essence of a slice is that it is the opposite of a topspin. 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. Learn with comprehensive resources to help you improve your game. disadvantages of topspin -easier to judge it's bounce pattern -requires more technique -if too much is applied it may go too low and hit net advantages of slice -low bounce -harder for opponent to read bounce pattern -doesn't require as much energy as topspin disadvantages of slice -it's a defensive shot -slower bounce -gives opponent time to think Research Design and Testing Procedure .

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

Michael Patrick Shiels writes frequently for golf magazines and is the official golf writer of the PGA of America's Michigan section. Babolat have been producing tennis equipment since 1875, and today they manufacture a range of rackets that offers something for everyone. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. 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. Some professionals hit virtually all of their forehands with slice. 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. Tennis Quiz Flashcards | Quizlet 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. Basically, a slice causes the ball to rotate backward (toward the person who hit the ball). When comparing table tennis to tennis, golf, ice hockey, football, or nearly anything, you will find that it is rather cheap. It gives the opponent more time to get to the ball. Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. 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. Advantages of Clay . 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. Nuanced shots can effectively deceive your opponent, causing them to approach the ball incorrectly while increasing the likelihood that they will not be able to return your shot. 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. Lets take a look at some of the details that will help ensure you can hit a great flat serve. The flat serve gets its name from the fact that minimal spin is applied to the ball when making contact. 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. The result can be a very low-bouncing serve that is hard to return. On the other hand, if youre down 15-40, a big flat serve can be a considerable risk. However, flat shots with little topspin won't bounce high - they'll almost skid across the court. Slice shots don't bounce as high, either. The same goes for court surfaces. 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. Backspin is most commonly achieved when using a slice shot technique. You can see it coming, as it is obvious where the server is hitting the ball to impart the sidespin. The latter has been a key element of Roger Federers defensive game for a number of years.

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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. 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.

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. Slicing and Dicing, Tennis Style - dummies

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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. 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. As your game improves, learning all three types of serves will allow you to compete at a higher level by bringing variety to your service game. A sliced lob can be useful as a defensive measure, but it is generally slower and easier to attack than the topspin version. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. Another instance when you are using a slice is if you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. Now that you know what to look for when hitting a flat serve, heres a video that shows the entire flat service motion. disadvantages of the two backhand strokes in relation to the style of play. To help, give yourself a moment before you go to serve. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The last comment and 5 other comment(s) need to be approved. 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. 3. Table tennis forehand push. Whether it's to pass that big test, qualify for that big promotion or even master that cooking technique; people who rely on dummies, rely on it to learn the critical skills and relevant information necessary for success. . ), your position on the court and the direction you want to hit. The result will be a more fluid motion that helps you achieve a better serve. At the highest level, many matches go by without a single sliced forehand being played. Next, lets talk about how to make contact with 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. Those two qualities can catch your opponent off guard and screw up her timing.

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A word of caution: Slice backhands make poor passing shots. 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! Tennis Interviews. However, its often one of the most challenging serves to develop. The Good, Bad, and Debatable Clay Courts - LiveAbout 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. The racquet head instead should be pointing at the back fence, at about a 45-degree angle.

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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.

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2. 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. Create a free account and explore my latest videos below. This leaves it tough for the opponent to hit it back with much pace. Defensive Lob. A topspin shot, on the other hand, rotates forward toward the opponent as it travels through the air. If the one-handed backhand is so bad at high balls, why - Talk Tennis Kevin is an LTA-accredited coach, and is world ranked in the over-55 age group. 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. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. What Is A Flat Serve In A Tennis Match? - rookieroad.com If you miss, the pressure is still on your opponent to hit a great return off your slower second serve. Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. Once again, Ive provided a view of this serve in slow motion so you can easily see the nuances of the different pieces. Once again, when hitting a kick serve, you should rely on your continental service grip, which is ideally suited for this serve. Not a Team Sport. The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. Heres a photo to show you what your contact point should look like for a slice serve. 2. Heres a photo that showcases the contact point and racquet angle when hitting a kick serve. 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. 3 Types of Tennis Serves: Flat, Slice, and Kick - TennisCompanion The slice forehand is easy to master, and a fair number of hackers resort to it. 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. The underarm serve is most widely employed by players with big serves and a good touch, such as Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Bublik. 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. 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. Ive had the chance to play against great names of the new generation, like Christian Garin, Cameron Norrie, and Kyle Edmund. How To Bounce A Slice Ball And Drive Your Opponents Crazy