Guides · Tennis
How to hit a slice: backhand and forehand
The slice is the shot that buys you time on defence, stays low on an approach and breaks up a rhythm your opponent likes. A good slice is a long stroke: the racket travels high to low and then forward through the ball, and the ball skids and stays low. A bad slice is a chop straight down, and it floats up and sits there waiting to be hit.
What the slice is for
- Defence. On a wide or fast ball, a slice needs less preparation than a topspin drive and floats deep with backspin, which gives you time to get back into position.
- Approach shots. A low, skidding slice down the line forces the opponent to hit up, which is exactly what you want when you are coming to the net.
- Changing pace. Rally players who love a steady diet of topspin hate a low ball with no pace. Three slices in a row can break a rhythm that twenty topspin balls could not.
- Setting up the drop shot. The drop shot uses the same preparation as the slice. If they have seen a few deep slices, the drop shot from the same shape is much harder to read.
- Returning big serves and low balls. A short slice swing gets a fast serve back, and a slice is the natural answer to a ball that stays below the knees.
What a good slice looks like
Preparation high, with the racket head above the hands. A swing that goes down and forward, finishing out in front towards the target. An open face, but not a flat plate. The body stays sideways and low through contact. The ball clears the net by a small margin, lands deep, and stays low after the bounce. If your slice bounces up to the opponent's waist, the swing went down more than it went forward.
Cue: finish with the racket pointing at the target, not the ground.
Grip: continental
Slice with a continental grip, the base knuckle of the index finger on bevel 2. Some one-handed players edge slightly towards an eastern backhand for more stability on the backhand side. A two-handed player slices with one hand: the dominant hand in continental, with the other hand only helping during the backswing. The continental is also the volley grip, which is why a player with a good slice usually has a good backhand volley, and the other way round.
The backhand slice, step by step
1. Turn and take the racket up
Turn the shoulders fully sideways with the non-hitting hand on the throat of the racket. Take the racket back high, roughly at shoulder height, head above the hands, with the face slightly open. The elbow is bent at this stage and the racket sits near the back shoulder.
2. Step in
Step forward and across with the front foot (the right foot for a right-hander). Bend the knees to get down to the ball. The slice is hit from a low, stable base, and players who stand up through it pull the ball up with them.
3. Swing high to low, then forward
The racket travels down and forward on a gentle slope, not a steep one, and the arm straightens towards contact. Contact is in front of the front foot, at the side of the body, with the face slightly open. The strings brush under the back of the ball to put backspin on it, but the main direction of the swing is forward.
4. Long follow-through
After contact the racket keeps travelling towards the target and finishes out in front at roughly the height of contact or a little higher, with the arm extended and the face still open. At the same time, the non-hitting arm goes back behind you, so the arms spread like wings. That counter-movement keeps the shoulders sideways. The chest faces the side fence at the finish.
Adjusting it for the job
- Defensive slice: more open face, a higher trajectory over the net, aimed deep through the middle. It is there to buy time.
- Approach slice: face less open, a flatter and faster swing, aimed down the line, and keep moving forward through the shot.
- Change of pace: the standard rally slice, cross-court, deep and low.
- Drop shot: the same preparation, then a softer, shorter swing with a more open face, aimed just over the net.
The forehand slice
The forehand slice is mostly a defensive and touch shot. Use it when you are stretched wide and cannot set up a topspin drive, for drop shots, and for the occasional low approach. The technique mirrors the backhand: continental grip, racket taken back high with an open face, a high-to-low swing that goes forward through the ball, and a finish out in front. The backswing is shorter, and the non-hitting hand points out in front for balance. Do not make it your main rally shot. A forehand slice at club level tends to float, and it gives away the forehand, which should be your weapon.
Common slice mistakes and how to fix them
- Chopping down. A steep, short swing that ends at the knees. The ball floats or dies in the net. Make the swing longer and flatter: forward more than down.
- Face too open. The ball pops up and sits there. Close the face a little; it should be tilted, not facing the sky.
- Wrist flick. Inconsistent direction and depth. Keep the wrist firm and let the shoulder drive the swing.
- Opening the shoulders. The chest turns to the net during the swing and the ball goes cross-court whatever you intended. Let the non-hitting arm go back to hold the shoulders sideways.
- Standing up. Straight legs lift the swing path and the ball floats. Stay down through contact.
- Contact too close or too late. Jammed, weak slices. Step in and meet the ball in front of the front foot.
Slice drills without a court
The slice is a shape drill as much as anything, which suits practising at home. More in tennis practice at home and shadow swing drills.
- Shadow slices, 3 × 12. Step in, swing and hold the finish for two seconds, racket pointing at the target, non-hitting arm back.
- Floor line, 15. Lay a strip of tape or a racket cover on the floor pointing at a target. Swing so the racket travels along the line through contact rather than down across it.
- Low base holds, 5 × 10 seconds. Hold the contact position with bent knees. Slices get worse as legs get tired, so build the legs.
- Wall slice rally. Five metres from a wall, backhand slices only, aiming just above a net-height line. A good slice comes back low; a chop comes back high.
Slice drills on court
- Slice-only rally. Both players slice backhand to backhand, cross-court, only balls past the service line count. Then one player slices while the other hits topspin.
- Low target. Hang a string or use a partner's racket a metre above the net; slices have to pass under it and still land deep.
- Approach and volley. A short feed, a slice approach down the line, split step, volley. Twenty repetitions.
- Defence on the run. A partner feeds wide balls to the backhand; slice them deep and recover to the middle before the next feed.
- Slice, then drop. Three deep slices, then a drop shot from the same preparation. The partner calls out when they could read it.
Questions
What grip should I use for a backhand slice?
The continental grip, with the base knuckle of the index finger on the second bevel. It is the same grip as the volley and serve, so a good slice and a good backhand volley tend to go together.
Why does my slice float?
Usually the face is too open or the swing chops steeply down, so the ball pops up. Close the face slightly, stay low and make the swing longer and more forward than down.
Is a slice backhand easier than a topspin backhand?
It needs less preparation and is easier to hit on the run or against low balls, which is why it is a useful defensive shot. Hitting it low and deep consistently takes as much practice as a topspin backhand.
When should you use a slice in tennis?
On defence when you are stretched, on approach shots, to change the pace of a rally, against low balls and to set up a drop shot.
How do you hit a forehand slice?
Continental grip, a short backswing with the racket high and the face open, then a high-to-low swing forward through the ball, finishing out in front. Use it mainly for defence and drop shots.