Written by Chris Lewis (Former Wimbledon finalist)
While the backhand slice is not nearly as widely used as in the past, it can still be a very effective shot, even in today's game. For example, you're playing an opponent with an extreme Western grip, chances are that such a player will have enormous trouble dealing with a low, short ball to the forehand. There's nothing like a low-bouncing, penetrating slice to expose such a weakness.
Or how about when you're playing on fast courts against an opponent with massive wind ups on his or her groundstrokes. There's nothing better to test such shots than with a firmly hit slice deep into the corner; the sort of ball that picks up pace as it skips off the court, and one which feels like a bowling ball to your opponent when he or she makes (quite often late) contact with it. If you can use such a shot as an approach shot, all the better.
In my experience, I found that players with two handed backhands generally don't enjoy having to deal with a short, but vicious, slice that keeps very low. Many of them resort to countering this shot by playing a one handed stroke. If their one hander is weak, you are often presented with a perfect opportunity to take control of the point.
There are also many occasions when a backhand slice can be very useful in defensive situations. For instance, returning those monster first serves when there's no time to drive the ball back. Owning a competent backhand slice gives you the ability to return the ball low, many times preventing your opponent from gaining too much of the initiative with his first strike.
Likewise with defensive lobs. Players with decent slice backhands invariably possess the ability to get themselves out of trouble with well placed lobs. Ken Rosewall, who had the best backhand slice in tennis history, was a master of the lob. The number of times he was able to lob a ball a few inches over his opponent's outstretched racquet arm, sending the player scrambling madly to retrieve a ball that would invariably send up a puff of chalk as it hit the baseline on one of the many grasscourts that were prevalent in Rosewall's time was incredible.
The slice can also be used as a means of injecting variety into a rally in order to break up your opponent's rhythm. Compared to topspin, slice makes the ball behave differently when it bounces off the court. After hitting a number of topspin groundstrokes, it can often be a worthwhile strategy to surprise your opponent with a lower bouncing slice, taking him out of the strike zone that he's more familiar with.
"Chris Lewis, the author, gets low in preparation to play a backhand slice".
All of which leads to the question, "Just how do you hit an effective slice backhand?"
Here's how:
GRIP -- The best grip for a backhand slice is the Continental grip. Commonly known as the "shake hands" grip, the Continental grip is the best grip for volleying, smashing, serving and for the backhand slice. However, it should also be noted that you can tend in the direction of an Eastern backhand grip if that feels more comfortable for you.
STANCE: Use a closed stance with most of the weight on the right thigh (for righties). Make sure that your right foot is sufficiently in front of your left to allow you to transfer your weight forward as you swing.
STROKE: Take the racquet predominantly back with your left hand cradling the throat. Make sure that your take back is either only slightly higher or level with the intended contact with the ball. If your backswing is too high, you'll be forced to chop down on the ball, either dragging the ball down into the net or forcing you to open up the racquet face too much to compensate for the overly downward stroke.
Unless you're a highly advanced player who has the "feel" to slide the racquet face under the ball, keep the the racquet face slightly open -- and at the same angle -- all the way through the stroke.
Begin with your elbow in a slightly bent position, tending towards the straightening of the arm as you play the stroke. The swing should be very smooth, with the racquet head, the wrist and the arm all staying in one line through the duration of the stroke. Make sure that you hit through the ball; i.e., keeping in behind the flight path of the ball for as long as possible, at all times keeping the racquet head above the wrist (just like a backhand volley), and keeping the hand high during the follow through. This will prevent the racquet head dropping with the unwanted consequence of the ball dropping as well.
Unlike hitting topspin backhands, avoid any attempt to generate pace by using an overly fast swing speed. Generate pace with the combination of timing, forward weight transference, and a very firm wrist and forearm. Make every attempt to finish the stroke on the same side of the body as contact.
To prevent the racquet from traveling sideways across the back of the ball (from left to right), make sure that your shoulders don't rotate or open up. Keep the shoulders in line through the whole swing, and use your left arm to counterbalance your racquet arm by getting it to travel in the exact opposite direction. If you do this correctly, you should feel your shoulder blades squeeze together as you swing.
If you master the technique, you'll be able to hit laser like shots that skim the net, and then bite into the court just inside the lines, giving your opponents nightmares as they attempt to counter a shot that they're totally unfamiliar with.
For more tips/articles from Chris Lewis, please follow the links below:
Author Name: Chris Lewis
Country: New Zealand/USA
Author Bio: Chris Lewis is a former number 1 junior in the world (1975), former Wimbledon finalist, was coached by Harry Hopman and Tony Roche, coached Ivan Lendl (1991-93). He now resides in Irvine, Orange County, Southern California, where he is the publisher of Expert Tennis Tips the High Performance Director at the Woodbridge Tennis Academy, and the owner of Tennis-Experts, the online tennis equipment specialists.
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