disadvantages of slice in tennis

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 slice forehand is easy to master, and a fair number of hackers resort to it. 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 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. 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. For this reason, they are vulnerable to attack if not hit with enough spin or placement. There are a few disadvantages of using a slice in tennis. The racquet head instead should be pointing at the back fence, at about a 45-degree angle. Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. 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. The problem with this mentality and a low first serve percentage is that it takes a great deal of pressure off your opponent. When you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. 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. 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. First, if youre using an eastern grip, youre most likely overcompensating for poor technique. 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. Even at pro level, doing damage is still all about the forehand. 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. Tennis is not recommended for individuals who. 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. When you reach it, the ball may only be a few inches off the ground, meaning that a topspin is not a realistic option. Since a big flat serve has a lower margin for error, its worth being thoughtful when you choose to use it. 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. Ive had the chance to play against great names of the new generation, like Christian Garin, Cameron Norrie, and Kyle Edmund. With the slice serve, youll want to make contact with the outer edge of the ball to generate sidespin. 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. However, its often one of the most challenging serves to develop. For most players, the kick serve has become the default second serve. 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. 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. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. The major difference is that the racquet shouldn't be pointing straight up, at a 90-degree angle, like a bat. The truth is, a continental serve grip is highly effective for all types of tennis serves. Reaction time: The same speed that makes it difficult for your opponent to return a hard flat serve can make it challenging for you to field a well-executed return off of a flat serve because youll have less time to react. The slice backhand offers the following practical and tactical advantages: A word of caution: Slice backhands make poor passing shots. 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. Create a free account and explore my latest videos below. You just need to learn to use it for a great slice serve, which takes time and patience. 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. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. Disadvantages: Less consistent Worse aim Two hands Advantages: More consistent Better aim Disadvantages: Less power More effort required Quora User PTR Teaching Pro, Racquet technician Author has 468 answers and 678.1K answer views 7 y The one handed backhand really only has two obvious weaknesses in the hands of a top player. Figure 1: Hold your racquet at a 45-degree angle to the fence when you slice your backhand. Lastly, it can be difficult to hit a winner with a slice. 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!

4. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. 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 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. Aerodynamically it will appear to rise and then dip, kicking forward and up off the court surface when it lands. 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. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. 4. 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. First and foremost, its important to make sure youre using the correct grip for the flat serve. Many players assume behind means you need to toss the ball toward the back fence, i.e., behind the baseline. 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 slice can be used effectively in several matchplay situations. Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1.
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This position makes it easy and natural to brush your strings under the lower portion of the ball, producing backspin. 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. The Austrian said: "Very difficult because, I mean, I . 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). Advantages of a Tennis 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. 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. The slice forehand is easy to master, and a fair number of hackers resort to it. 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. 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. Table tennis forehand push. The ball will naturally bounce less on grass, which plays terrifically with the slice serve, which also doesnt bounce high. As a result, most players hit flat groundstrokes sparingly. When executing a tennis slice, the player will swing downward in a "slicing" motion, angling the racket anywhere between fully flat and entirely diagonal. 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. It is said to be the fastest shot in tennis. Heres a video that showcases the kick serve, including the toss, contact point, and racquet angle necessary to generate topspin. 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. 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. 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. The forehand slice is a shot which is rarely taught or discussed in modern tennis. The ball often stays low to the ground after it bounces. Slice shots don't bounce as high, either. 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. This can put the person slicing very much on the defensive and makes the game extremely hard work. Here, well share as much knowledge and experience as we can, so we hope you enjoy it! About a 90-110 degree bend at the elbow. If you are defending desperately, you are unlikely to be able to execute a topspin lob. Second, it can be difficult to generate power with a slice. The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. 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. 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. 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. Dummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. 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 the ball approaches and you rotate your shoulders to your left, bring your racquet back above your left shoulder.
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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. 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). For an in-depth review of the serve toss, be sure to check out our post on perfecting your serve toss technique. As for the angle of your racquet head, youll want the edge to be roughly parallel with the baseline. Babolat have been producing tennis equipment since 1875, and today they manufacture a range of rackets that offers something for everyone. On Friday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the Grand Slam champions earned themselves a nomination for point of the year. However, it makes it challenging to get under the ball and apply maximum topspin for the kick serve. 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. When the racket and the ball make contact, the racket should be continuously moving in a direction close to perpendicular to the ball. What is the difference between tennis slices and tennis tops? This photo was snapped at the height of the toss so you can get a sense of accurate placement. 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. By common sense, it is known that in tight situations players have to use larger body parts to lessen the impact of their muscles tightening. Research Design and Testing Procedure . 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. The three primary types of tennis serves include the flat, slice, and kick serve. Its consistent, provides players with a significant level of control, and can be used to attack a returners weaknesses with precision. Here are a few tips to help execute an effective slice serve: When youre learning the slice serve, it can be relatively easy to overhit as you attempt to generate side spin. 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.
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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. Heres a photo to show you what your contact point should look like for a slice serve. The flat serve gets its name from the fact that minimal spin is applied to the ball when making contact. 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. Members of a larger team often take on different roles, and there will generally be a captain to lead. It's a defensive shot that you should use on only three occasions:
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- When you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot.
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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. A sliced lob can be useful as a defensive measure, but it is generally slower and easier to attack than the topspin version. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Tennis Warehouse, Amazon, and other companies linked to on this site. 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. 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. You will have more time to return the ball, have a better stance, stronger strokes, more spin, and more confidence. Home > Instruction > Serve > 3 Types of Tennis Serves, Improve your game alongside our community of tennis players. 5. Defensive Lob. However, with practice and the proper technique, you shouldnt need to swing considerably harder to create more spin. Your email address will not be published. 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. Sources: rio2016.com, itftennis.com. 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. In contrast, a sliced groundstroke will appear to be rotating anti-clockwise.
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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. 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. The slice serve is perfect for opening up the tennis court. Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. 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. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. Oh, and I had lunch with Brad Gilbert once. It is easier to control and creates a less predictable bounce with no pace for my opponents to work with. The slice backhand suited their approach to the game, which was based on control rather than power. It doesn't break your bank. I went with that for a bit then went back to try and develop topspin, at which point it was infinitely easier because I could get clean contact and not have the racket face twist back on me during . 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. A topspin shot, on the other hand, rotates forward toward the opponent as it travels through the air. Your email address will not be published. We're Gui and Karue. Sometimes, especially on a low-bouncing court like grass, your opponent may hit a low, short ball. Underarm (Underhand in the US) Serve. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. Key points about the tennis forehand slice: The forehand slice is a little unfashionable, but it is certainly not obsolete. Slicing does have disadvantages, so ideally it is used as a variation or in specific circumstances. More consistent - means with which one you can hit more or less the same shot over and over again. Heres a photo that showcases the contact point and racquet angle when hitting a kick serve.

Dressing up your backhand with slice