Topslice serve contact point

[toth]

About where schould my strings meet the ball at topslice serve? ( for instance pure slice serve: the right side of the ball; 3 o clock)
Thank you for your answer
Toth

 

[LeeD]

12:30 -1:30

 

[WYK]

You also may want to experiment with your grip a bit more eastern as well.

 

[WYK]

It's always difficult to tell these things because of the angles of the lenses and camera, but this looks like Dimitrov doing a top sliced serve. It does't quick kick out wide like a slice, and it's definitely not a top spin only or a flat serve. The good thing about the angle is you can see how he is holding the racquet. It's a bit eastern in his hand before he goes to post up:

 

[FiReFTW]

What anyone tells you is bull*rap, nobody can tell you exactly at what angle or o'clock u should hit it because its all automatic and you hit it a certain way based on muscle memory and from hitting it thousand of times.. someone can tell you swing at x o clock or whatever but maybe that x o clock will feel different for you or you will see it differently than they do.

 

[1stVolley]

Personally I don't find using a clock face analogy useful for a precise location. Like @FiReFTW says, the precise position becomes automatic when you have your serve well-grooved. And an important part of this equation is how far in front of you do you toss the ball--further in front for a flatter serve and further back for more topspin. In terms of the clock analogy, this difference in serve toss might only be 15 minutes but it has a decided effect on the type of serve produced. This is another indication that the clock analogy isn't good enough for giving you the precise location. It is up to your muscle memory.

 

[WYK]

The whole idea is to get a starting point, folks. Not to be perfectly precise. The obvious best way to train is to get a good coach.

 

[Dragy]

It's always difficult to tell these things because of the angles of the lenses and camera, but this looks like Dimitrov doing a top sliced serve. It does't quick kick out wide like a slice, and it's definitely not a top spin only or a flat serve. The good thing about the angle is you can see how he is holding the racquet. It's a bit eastern in his hand before he goes to post up:

I would call it a power slice. There's no frame for exact contact, but based on pre-contact frame racquet hits the ball close to the top of pivot. Which means it's not traveling up to impart topspin component.

 

[toth]

It's always difficult to tell these things because of the angles of the lenses and camera, but this looks like Dimitrov doing a top sliced serve. It does't quick kick out wide like a slice, and it's definitely not a top spin only or a flat serve. The good thing about the angle is you can see how he is holding the racquet. It's a bit eastern in his hand before he goes to post up:

You mean eastern backhand i think.

 

[WYK]

I thought eastern was always a backhand grip. Eastern, continental, western.

 

[toth]

12:30 -1:30

I am dispite confused: dont you mean from 7 to 1? ( if so, it is similar to kick or twist)
Only the top of the ball? (It would be sure different from kick or twist.)
Or more the top of the ball?
Could you clarify this point?

 

[toth]

My own tipp: more the right side, about 5 to 1?

 

[golden chicken]

I prefer to think of it in terms of the axis of spin I'm trying to generate and then work backwards to swing path and racket face angle at the instant of contact and then overall swing path to execute.

So if you want 6-12 topspin, what racket face angle and swing path at the instant of contact? If you want 9-3 slice, what racket face angle and swing path at the instant of contact? If you want something in between?

Now, how do you get there within the constraints of a high level serving motion?

 

[BackhandDTL]

Just toss the ball above your head and hit across the side of the ball.

Atleast that works for me.