How important is sidespin?

[Mick3391]

Originally Posted by firepanda

You know the ones: the ridiculous banana-shots the Nadal pulls off on the run or, more commonly, pros get on the slice backhand.

I was arguing with a friend about how important sidespin is. He argued that it is sidespin on the forehand can add an element of variety and can add a margin of error to already-difficult passing shots. Sidespin on the slice means that there is another factor for the opponent to deal with and the ball is less able to be hit away.

I believed that sidespin is a gimmick and impractical. I hit with a lot of topspin and can get spidespin if I try, but it adds little to the shot. Sidespin on passing shots is extremely difficult in practice and actually makes it harder to get the ball in, because it is hard to know where it is going. On the slice, sidespin can be helpful, but can easily cause excess lurching that will send the ball floating out.

TL;DR How helpful is sidespin? Do you guys find uses for it?

Sidespin is incredibly important, hitting a hard forehand to my opponents backhand, when it lands it skids to the side, adding to their misery. Sidespin is a big part of the game, whether left or right, it's hard for an opponent to adjust to a ball that lands then moves out of their position.

[rkelley]

Originally Posted by sureshs

I have played against only one guy who can put sidespin - cheetah.

Off the fh Cheetah is really good at it and uses it a lot. I'd be very surprised if the thejackel's balls don't have side spin on certain occasions. I didn't see it when we hit last week, but he definitely has the rhs and the stroke mechanics to produce it. He hits a very solid ball off both sides. Pretty much every high level player I've hit with hits side spin off the fh sometimes. FWIW, I do it too.

Cheetah does it off the bh as well. He hits a one hander. I rarely hit side spin off the bh. When I see that they're going to kick up high I'll usually take them on the rise and hit hard and flat.

Side spin off the slice is just expected. Super common.

Originally Posted by Metalica

I don't think many people can hit banana passing shots like Nadal at all, even pros (well not as good as him anyway). It's quite wasy to hit sidespin slice though. I think its a great shot you can use to pull the opponent wide; Murray does this a lot.

Cheetah hits that banana passing shot dtl all of the time. He's pretty good at it and it ****es me off . I think a more Western grip really helps with that. It's a cool shot but there are other options too, especially for those of us with more E. grips.

[WildVolley]

I don't think it is very important except on the serve. The slice serve can be very effective and draw the opponent off the court. The lefty slice can also mess with you, if you don't get to play against lefties much.

On ground strokes, topspin is by far the most important spin, because it helps bring the ball down into the court, allowing you to hit harder and with more net clearance without going long. Side spin just makes a ball a little more difficult to return and can help make drop shots more effective by moving the ball farther from the opponent.

If you hit ground strokes you're probably also hitting some side spin whether you want to or not. It is usually easier to hit spin by pulling the racket toward the center of your body when hitting. The other famous side spin is the "banana" down-the-line running passing shot.

The standard side spin on the slice backhand is caused by pulling the racket in toward the center of the body. The "banana" shot is made by swinging the direction you're running and hooking the ball back into the court.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by rkelley

Off the fh Cheetah is really good at it and uses it a lot. I'd be very surprised if the thejackel's balls don't have side spin on certain occasions. I didn't see it when we hit last week, but he definitely has the rhs and the stroke mechanics to produce it. He hits a very solid ball off both sides. Pretty much every high level player I've hit with hits side spin off the fh sometimes. FWIW, I do it too.

Cheetah does it off the bh as well. He hits a one hander. I rarely hit side spin off the bh. When I see that they're going to kick up high I'll usually take them on the rise and hit hard and flat.

Side spin off the slice is just expected. Super common.



Cheetah hits that banana passing shot dtl all of the time. He's pretty good at it and it ****es me off . I think a more Western grip really helps with that. It's a cool shot but there are other options too, especially for those of us with more E. grips.

I think you were also hitting side spin during our SD TW meetup on the 16th, were you not?

Somehow it did not bother me that day.

[sureshs]

My next tennis will be Wed morning in Honolulu!

[rkelley]

Originally Posted by sureshs

I think you were also hitting side spin during our SD TW meetup on the 16th, were you not?

Somehow it did not bother me that day.

Yes, I hit some. It didn't seem to bother you. But the idea is that you throw little things in all of the time. Every thing you hit can take little digs out of your opponents. If you can make them miss enough that the ball goes a couple of inches long or into the tape then you've won.

Cheetah hits with more side spin and he can get that American Twist kick as well. You really have to keep your eye on the ball, especially the high ones.