How do i put topspin on a forehand ball that is eye-level??

[IHitABall]

i do well at rallies... when the ball is low, about to my waist, i can topspin it really well. But when some of the beginer players gives me high lobs that lands and bounces up to my eye-level, whenever i try to topspin that, my balls go flyinggg... or sometimes out by a little. help!!

[eagl214]

This works for me, try jumping up as you hit the ball and you'll be able to hit massive topspin (i have a semi-western grip might not work for whatever you have). thouh this is kinda risky if you get it in it should not come back.

[hotcoffee]

If they are of a lower level then switching to western and cranking it will usually result in them making an error or poor reply to the unusually high amount of spin.

[splink779]

Massive forehand slice! Just take a huge swing at it. It is an easy shot really, and flies in a straight line, quite quickly. It can force errors and if used effectively, people wont give you tons of high balls. I know this doesn't work at the pro level, but just try it.

[RiosTheGenius]

whenever playing against someone who uses a lot of topspin (not only beginners do that , some great players i've played bounce it hard... take a look at Rafa Nadal) I come to it and hit it on the rise which speed things up and keeps things in your terms, you always want to dictate what goes on.
Indeed, you should always hit the ball at eye level whenever possible... if it's coming lower you should bend your knees to hit that eye level.
Now, if anything the higher the ball the better chance for you to hit a winner so just grab it western and blast that ball as hard as you want, you have more angle for that winner... go for it. good luck.

[splink779]

Taking the ball early is easier said than done.

[|SLICER|]

While I use a continental grip on most forehand shots, when there is a high ball with some velocity, I move my grip more towards a semi-western/western forehand grip, which lets me hit the ball in a downward direction with major spin and speed.

They have become one of my favorite shots to hit

[RiosTheGenius]

Taking the ball early is easier said than done.
True. .........

[paulfreda]

The Western or Semi Western grip with the wrist well laid back will allow you to hit the eye level ball with top using a windshield wiper type swing. Find a tall wall and hit high up on it to get high returns and swing hard turning your torso into the ball during the swing. Also let the ball come back to the side your body more than for a normal ball. You should quickly start to get the hang of it.
Taking it on the rise is also a good technique, but more difficult and requires more practice to master.

[Rickson]

My favorite shot, the high ball to the forehand side. Just use a closed face and hit straight through. The closed face will give the ball a downward trajectory and a fast flying winner.

[hotdimsim]

try standing more side on than open, jump up into the ball and hit through it. i cannot stress how important it is to hit through on this shot and not be tentative.this will hopefully get more spin because of the jump and more power from swinging through. this is the ball you should be aggresive w/.

[Geezer Guy]

i do well at rallies... when the ball is low, about to my waist, i can topspin it really well. But when some of the beginer players gives me high lobs that lands and bounces up to my eye-level, whenever i try to topspin that, my balls go flyinggg... or sometimes out by a little. help!!

Depending on your grip, it might be hard to topspin a ball at eye-level. If someone gives you a high "lob", hit it as an overhead. However, if you're in a rally and get a high driving topspinning ball (what some call "Moonballs") an option is to back up a few feet so the ball falls to within your strikezone, then just hit your normal shot.

You can move foreward and hit the ball at waist level on it's way up, or you can move back and hit the ball at waist level on it's way down. Either way, you're controlling the ball. If you just stand where you are and let the ball come to you, the ball is controlling you. (Hitting on the rise is more aggressive, hitting as it's falling is easier.)

[johnmcc516]

Taking the ball early is easier said than done.

Yes.

I usualy just jump up and hit the living piss out of it.

[bee]

Eye level? Flatten it out for a winner! It's a mistake to try to put much of any topspin on a high ball like that. I used to try to do that and, like you, generally hit the ball long. There's a place for topspin and a place for flat, or nearly flat, shots.

[donnyz89]

or topspin lob it back

[TennsDog]

If the high balls have you pinned back behind the baseline (i.e. not inside the court for a good look at a winner), I suggest adding no pace to the ball and just ripping as much topspin as you can (western grip) but coming virtually straight up the back of the ball and attempt to almost lob it back deep to your opponent with a lot of topspin. This shot, when hit well, is very tough to do much of anything with except ether hit the same thing or a weak defensive shot. I have certain players on my team who hit this shot a lot and it gives me a lot of trouble. I know better than to go for winners on all of them because they are too high and I am 5-6+ feet behind the baseline, so I just attempt the shot described above.

[tom-selleck]

demo'd a babolat control the other day and very, very good with this shot... not so great with other shots though (i mean, me playing the racquet, not the racquet itself necessarily).

the high ball is one of the reasons i went from eastern forehand slightly towards semi-western.... just get topspin on the ball a little easier.... hard to hit those high balls offensively, but no reason to hit a weak defensive shot back either. give it right back with high topspin.

might even want to go to semi-western as your grip as long as you don't fall in love with heavy topspin every shot. (#1 weakness i see among 4.0/4.5 players is trying to hit every shot with heavy topspin and often not too much pace).

[tom-selleck]

sorry if this comment is oprah-esque.....

but a frustrating thing about racquets/technique etc. is different size/weight/balance racquets are better at different things..... say there are about 10 things you want, i find you can get a racquet great at 6-7 aspects but then 2-3 will be tough.... for example, head-heavy is beautiful for balls at your feet, but then it's often difficult to keep the ball in on full hits. notice generically that when you play in the higher levels, you absolutely need high racquet head speed)

[TwistServe]

If the ball is real high, try hitting the inside of the ball ..

[Mahboob Khan]

Why you want to topspin the high eye-level ball! Handle them via "under-the-head-smash". Normal backswing, the ball meets the strings-bed in its dead center, the racket head goes through the ball and down. Just like you slap someone on his face! Such balls you press more than you lift!