Tennis Tip #17

As of now we have completed our discussion on groundstrokes, so lets go over the slice. The slice is one of the most interesting shots in tennis, because you can hit it in many situations. For example, when you are trying to neutralize, attack, or defend. More or less, you hit the ball the same way, however, you will hit it a little differently depending on the type of slice that you hit. The key to the slice that is attacking or neutralizing is to keep the ball as low as possible. The slice is completely opposite from a topspin shot, in other words, the ball rises in a slice, and dips for topspin. So, when you are attacking, you will be stepping into the ball and aiming at the white part of the net. The ball will rise steadily after being hit, so aiming at this point is safe. You want to keep it low, because this means that your opponent will have to "hit up" when they hit their shot. Usually when it is attacking, you will be come up to the net, so this will put even more pressure on your opponent. The next type is neutralizing. This is when you are in a rally position with your opponent. You will not want to have the ball too high, because you will then be defensive. This shot is used to change up the pattern of the point to hopefully ruin your opponent’s rhythm. The next type is defensive; this is when you hit the ball high in the air, and slowly. You use it when you are out of position and need to change the speed of the ball to get yourself back into the court, and into position. Many tennis players feel forced to hit it hard, but that gives you less time to get back into position, and more court for your opponent to hit a winner. Tomorrow we will discuss the drop shot, and after, we will discuss how to hit these important shots!