how to hit a backhand slice properly?
- Thread starter wt888usa
- Start date
Mahboob Khan
Hall of Fame
Grip: Continental or Eastern BH grip.
Stance: Square.
Backswing: High. Left arm guides the racket back and up to shoulder height -- upper body turn -- the hitting side of the strings are pointing to your left ear (for right handed players).
Forward swing: From the high backswing position, the racket will slide downward and forward ..
Point of contact: slicing the ball, the racket head may be slightly open 45 degree angle.. hit through the ball ..
Follow through: just above the level of the net.
In order to avoid floating, follow the following:
-- Have a partner feed a short ball to your backhand,
-- You slice the ball into the net .. yes, into the net. This will teach you how to keep the ball down.
-- Once you groove this, now add a reasonable follow-through allowing the ball to sail over the net, and you will have deep penetrating slice.
Stance: Square.
Backswing: High. Left arm guides the racket back and up to shoulder height -- upper body turn -- the hitting side of the strings are pointing to your left ear (for right handed players).
Forward swing: From the high backswing position, the racket will slide downward and forward ..
Point of contact: slicing the ball, the racket head may be slightly open 45 degree angle.. hit through the ball ..
Follow through: just above the level of the net.
In order to avoid floating, follow the following:
-- Have a partner feed a short ball to your backhand,
-- You slice the ball into the net .. yes, into the net. This will teach you how to keep the ball down.
-- Once you groove this, now add a reasonable follow-through allowing the ball to sail over the net, and you will have deep penetrating slice.
Marius_Hancu
Talk Tennis Guru
wt888usa said:
Check:
Golden Oldies:
The Slice Backhand
http://www.jericho.ca/tennis/The Slice Backhand.htm
Backhand Repair
http://tennis.about.com/library/weekly/aa081400.htm
Also check
tenniscruz_remove.com (remove _remove!)
under the Great Shots, Backhand Slice
section
I'd also strongly suggest you do a search in this forum with
slice backhand
as keywords
I'm pretty sure many have answered related questions.
I have another question regarding the slice backhand. Sorry to piggy-back this thread....but rarely do you see a professional on tour hitting a two-handed slice backhand. I can hit a good two-handed slice bh....however I really struggle with the one-hander. My question is: is there a reason why you don't see any pros hitting two-handed slice BHs?
If your slice float too much, try to take the racket back at the level of the ball, and hit through. Once you get the feeling of hitting through and slicing the ball, Take the racket back a little higher.
Also, keep your weight on the front foot, and keep your chin down.
Also, you should be able to draw a straight line from target to your hitting shoulder to your nondominant shoulder, in other words, stay sideways.
For me, it helped to think to meet the ball with outside of my hand and to push the ball with outside of my hand as long as I can. It may work for you, or it may not.
If you want to add a bit more knife to your slice, keep your elbow up as well.
Also, keep your weight on the front foot, and keep your chin down.
Also, you should be able to draw a straight line from target to your hitting shoulder to your nondominant shoulder, in other words, stay sideways.
For me, it helped to think to meet the ball with outside of my hand and to push the ball with outside of my hand as long as I can. It may work for you, or it may not.
If you want to add a bit more knife to your slice, keep your elbow up as well.
Marius_Hancu
Talk Tennis Guru
Mahboob Khan said:
Good exercise.
Keeping a firm contact with the ball (firm arm, wrist, shoulder), hitting thru it, as Jun says, and generally not changing the angle of the racket too early from close to the vertical, but slightly open, should help him achieve this.
BH Slice
Maybe a defintion would help in understanding that a BH or FH slice is not just a high to low motion of the racquet. It can be also a drive toward the target.
Slice; Any shot for which the racquet goes underneath the ball rather than over the top.
So you can see that a flat drive with the racquet coming under the ball at contact is still a slice by this definition even though most of the shot energy is a drive. There is still some underspin so it is a slice. And you can hit this shot with the racquet beginning at nearly the same level as the ball. (See the Jack Kramer clip in the Golden Oldies url Marius posted above. Note that his racquet has very little high to low motion.)
In short, do not think of a slice as pure underspin, but a combination of drive and underspin the proportions of which you can control by varying your stroke.
Maybe a defintion would help in understanding that a BH or FH slice is not just a high to low motion of the racquet. It can be also a drive toward the target.
Slice; Any shot for which the racquet goes underneath the ball rather than over the top.
So you can see that a flat drive with the racquet coming under the ball at contact is still a slice by this definition even though most of the shot energy is a drive. There is still some underspin so it is a slice. And you can hit this shot with the racquet beginning at nearly the same level as the ball. (See the Jack Kramer clip in the Golden Oldies url Marius posted above. Note that his racquet has very little high to low motion.)
In short, do not think of a slice as pure underspin, but a combination of drive and underspin the proportions of which you can control by varying your stroke.
Marius_Hancu
Talk Tennis Guru
Check the videos and comparisons available on the Web at:
tenniscruz_remove.com (remove _remove)
Great Shots section
Backhand Slice
including Fed vs. Rosewall
tenniscruz_remove.com (remove _remove)
Great Shots section
Backhand Slice
including Fed vs. Rosewall
agree with paulfreda here.I was actually taught many years ago 2 types of slice backhand.The defensive slice which is used extensively today like mahboob description and the attacking slice rarely seen today and called then american slice.See videos of old timers eg rosewall-he can hit the shot where the butt of the racquet points at contact zone(modern terminology) but the hitting arm is parallel to the ground prior to the hit(maybe a loop prior to this position).Drive through the ball to the target.keep leading shoulder down. Result a very hard virtually flat shot with minimal slice for control.Extremely effective on fast low surfaces(grass).Low percentage in terms of clearance over net.It does not sit up rather shoots through low.l
Marius_Hancu
Talk Tennis Guru
lanky said:
Exactly. Check my posting above to see Rosewall (and Federer) in action
Experts which played with him tell me he was supinating into the shot after driving the racquet for more speed with the face parallel to the ground, thus cutting through the air.
Mahboob Khan
Hall of Fame
The video footage provided is excellent and fits into my description. However, the Golden Oldies (Kracker/Rosewell) backswing for the slice BH is relatively lower (almost under their left shoulder) than the modern backswing (Sampras, McEnroe, Federer, Henman; they start from over their left shoulder as I indicated). You are welcome to compare the two models -- the old and the modern model -- . "Old is gold but already sold".
Wouldn't everyone agree that the "main" difference between these backhands is the angle of the racquet path relative to the ground. Both shots can be extremely effective and the advice given seems right on the money.
Also VictorS wrote:
"....but rarely do you see a professional on tour hitting a two-handed slice backhand. I can hit a good two-handed slice bh....however I really struggle with the one-hander. My question is: is there a reason why you don't see any pros hitting two-handed slice BHs? "
I think that most good players can hit a 2 handed BH slice. However, its not a very effective shot in my opinion. Every once in a while it will work but the whole world knows its on its way - talk about a cream-puff. I know I can get good spin on the ball doing this (contrary to what another poster thought) its just awkward and not of very much value. Its one of the main reasons I've been trying to get away from using both hands on the BH.
Also VictorS wrote:
"....but rarely do you see a professional on tour hitting a two-handed slice backhand. I can hit a good two-handed slice bh....however I really struggle with the one-hander. My question is: is there a reason why you don't see any pros hitting two-handed slice BHs? "
I think that most good players can hit a 2 handed BH slice. However, its not a very effective shot in my opinion. Every once in a while it will work but the whole world knows its on its way - talk about a cream-puff. I know I can get good spin on the ball doing this (contrary to what another poster thought) its just awkward and not of very much value. Its one of the main reasons I've been trying to get away from using both hands on the BH.
