Slide into the shot, not after hitting the ball (aka the California slide).
you will hate it..... can't move, bad bounces, point goes on forever.
oh, I didn't know there is such a fancy name for that..... all I can do is the Calif slide lolol.... and the move is universal on clay or hard.
Don't slide??? Are you guys nuts? That's half the fun of playing on clay.
I've only played clay twice (quite a long time ago). I was only a 3.0/3.5 player at the time and I did have any problems developing a slide after fairly short time. It may not have been a perfect slide, but it was decent.
Perhaps my balance and untrained footwork might be have a bit better than average, but I do not believe that they were anything exceptional. For those that are not very sure-footed or have balance issues, maybe the slide is not advisable. But I would think that most intermediate players would be able to learn it in short order.
Well the big thing on clay, which not one person has mentioned, is that the surface is slow. The ball will slow down considerably after bouncing, and will tend to bounce more straight up than toward you. This will mess up your timing in a major way. You need to be patient when swinging at the ball. This will be pretty easy to figure out in warmups, but it is harder to do during the game--especially when someone hits a ball at you with some pace. I started playing clay for the first time about a year ago, and I was constantly having to tell myself to be patient during the swing.
Once you start to have the timing down, the other big thing on clay is that your opponent will get to more of you shots that you expect. Be ready for them to get everything back. Just stay patient in all regards and you will do fine.
Sliding? Heck I have yet to slide on a clay court. It can't be that important.
After a day or 2 sliding may be possible if a player has good balance and a fairly solid core, but I cant tell you how many times Ive seen guys fall on clay at a few of the clubs in WA and FL...
I'm just saying that if you're playing on clay for the first time, trying to look like Guga is far less important than learning the fundamentals of the surface. You don't need to slide to play well.Don't slide??? Are you guys nuts? That's half the fun of playing on clay.
I've only played clay twice (quite a long time ago). I was a mere 3.0/3.5 player at the time but I did have any problems developing a slide after a fairly short time. It may not have been a perfect slide, but it was decent.
Perhaps my balance and untrained footwork might be have been a bit better than average, but I do not believe that they were anything exceptional. For those that are not very sure-footed or have balance issues, maybe the slide is not advisable. But I would think that most intermediate players would be able to learn it in short order.
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The OP is playing on clay for the first time....but we assume he has watched many a pro match on clay and knows it is a slower surface.
I was sliding just fine after 10-15 mins. No falls. I was a low intermediate player at the time (~ 25 yrs ago).