Best 5 Tips for Hitting a Slice Backhand

The slice backhand can be a consistent shot, add variety, and expose those players who forget to bend their knees. See the great tips below that will help you improve this shot.

1. How the shot works

Nothing like public broadcasting dollars going towards the public good. This BBC guide gives a good introduction to the shot. The pictures are instructive because they show that the slice backhand is not a defensive shot. On the contrary, it is a tactical shot, and an attacking shot.

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2. Variety is the slice of life?

This site shows that there are different types of slice backhands - the attacking slice, the defensive slice, and the normal rallying slice. It's important to practice each of these, as they all add something constructive to your tennis repertoire.

But with anything in tennis, the attacking shot is usually the one that pays in the long term. Think of the shot as an attacking weapon first.

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3. Let's see how it's done

Federer isn't usually the greatest example, mainly because he makes difficult shots look easy. But the slice is a shot that does entail ease and finesse rather than force. This video shows the different uses of the slice, including when stretched wide, to maneuvering, to attacking the net.

 

4. Make the slice a weapon

Fortune favors the brave. It generally does not favor those who use the slice merely to keep in a point, nor to retrieve. Here are some useful tips on turning the slice into a weapon. Like anything in tennis, whether we are defensive or attacking is a state of mind. Change your thinking about the slice - make it bite.

5. A Drill for the Slice Backhand

The slice backhand is there for variety as much as anything else. This simple drill forces one side to play solely slice backhands during practice points. This will ensure that they can use it in all situations, whether it's defending, attacking, or just playing a different shot against an opponent's topspin strokes.

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