When I coach, I always encourage players to attack with topspin. There’s a lot a variations you can do with topspin – slow and spinny, fast and low, topspin with sidespin. It’s very versatile – you can play topspin against any spin your opponent gives you. And you have a good safety margin. The topspin lifts the ball over the net and drags the ball back down on the other side of the table.
But there are situations when a flat hit is absolutely fine, and may even be the best option.
A flat hit can be very fast and difficult to defend against. One of my team-mates – Loic – has a very powerful flat hit. When he hits the ball I generally can’t get anywhere near it. Wham! There it goes! If I get 1 in 10 back, I’m doing very well.
The key is to use the right shot in the right situation. So in this blog post I will explain when you should topspin and when it is ok to flat hit.
Flight of the ball
Let’s start with the flight of the ball. It’s very important to understand the difference in the flight of the ball when you topspin and when you flat hit.
When you topspin, the ball goes in an upwards motion over the net and the spin brings the ball back down.
When you flat hit, the ball goes much more in a straight line [although there may be a little bit of upwards movement depending on how flat the contact actually is].
This is pretty basic stuff, but a very important difference to understand.
Ball height
Now let’s consider the height of the ball.
If the ball is higher, it’s absolutely fine to topspin, but you can also play a flat hit fairly consistently too. This is because you have a good margin [see diagram below] to hit the ball in a straighter line over the net. But you must hit the ball at the peak of the bounce, where you will have the biggest margin.
If the ball is lower, you have less margin to hit the ball in a straighter line and it becomes much harder to flat hit consistently. In this diagram below, you can see that the margin has nearly disappeared. There is a tiny bit left. It is possible to flat hit the ball when the ball is lower but you have to be very accurate. You need to get the timing of the shot, the bat angle and the throw angle spot on.
If the ball is lower, the better option is to topspin the ball. When you topspin the ball you do not need to worry about your margin as the flight of the ball is different. The topspin lifts the ball up over the net and drags it back down the other side.
In this diagram, you can see that there is no danger of the ball going into the net. I have created a big margin with the arc of the topspin shot. As long as the contact is good [lots of brush to create topspin], then the ball will clear the net and come back down the other side.
Ball spin
You also need to consider what type of spin is on the ball.
Topspin
If your opponent plays a topspin shot you have the option to either topspin or flat hit. This is because the ball is likely to jump up a bit [because of the topspin], so there will be some margin to flat hit if you want to. What’s the better option? It all depends on how high or low the ball is and your playing style, but both options will work.
Light backspin
If your opponent plays a light backspin ball, the more consistent option will be to topspin the ball. It is still possible to flat hit these [especially if they are a bit floaty], but you will have less margin, as the backspin will keep the ball lower and the backspin will drag the ball down when you hit. But if it is light backspin, you might be able to hit through ball and the backspin won’t have too much effect.
Heavy backspin
If your opponent gives you a heavy backspin ball, the best option [by far], is to topspin the ball. It’s incredibly difficult – almost impossible to flat hit a heavy backspin ball consistently. This is because the ball is likely to be very low [so you have no margin] and the heavy backspin will make the ball drag down a lot more when you try to hit it. You might squeeze the ball over occasionally, but you will miss a lot more than you hit. So you need to lift these balls over the net with some topspin.
I think either option – a topspin or a flat hit – is entirely valid if used in the right situation.
Players get into trouble if they always try to flat hit everything. But sometimes, if the ball is higher, a flat hit may be a better option than playing topspin.
It’s useful to be able to play both shots – topspin and a flat hit. This will add more variety to your attacking game.
If you normally topspin everything, try throwing in the occasional flat hit. The different speed, spin and timing of the shot can easily catch your opponent out.
If you normally flat hit everything, learn how to topspin too. This will give you many more attacking options and allow you to consistently attack low balls.
When you are playing tennis it’s all about getting the ball over the net and trying to hit a shot your opponent can’t return. At the start, you’re content with just hitting the ball flat but as your skill level progresses you need to add variation to your game. For that reason, it’s vital to add different types of shots to your repertoire. The most common variations are the slice and the topspin. But what is the difference between these two groundstrokes?
Basically, a slice causes the ball to rotate backward [toward the person who hit the ball]. A topspin shot, on the other hand, rotates forward toward the opponent as it travels through the air. A player can add slice or topspin to shots by hitting the ball in different places.
What Is Topspin In Tennis?
Modern-day tennis players utilize topspin frequently, as it can appear that the ball will sail over the net and out of bounds before dropping well within the lines of play.
Topspin has changed how tennis is played due to the fact that you can generate much more power behind your shot with a proper topspin forehand. Many of tennis’ greats, such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have relied on their vicious topspin forehand to win world championships and countless titles.
There are many variations of the topspin forehand where players will choose a desired Western or Eastern grip depending on their style of play. Generally, when practicing a topspin forehand, players will implement a semi-Western grip, as you are able to apply a greater amount of spin to the tennis ball using far less effort.
A player can add topspin to a shot by hitting the ball in a “down-up” movement, which causes the ball to rotate towards the opponent.
What Does Slice Mean In Tennis?
Backspin is most commonly achieved when using a slice shot technique. During a slice shot, the racket travels in a downward motion, before slicing underneath the tennis ball.
Using this technique, you can make it very difficult for your opponent to return your shot with topspin, making the slice a great defensive shot. Since many modern tennis players rely on their topspin forehand to dictate the pace of the match, the slice is most commonly seen as a defensive shot that can be used as a last-ditch effort.
When To Hit Topspin vs Slices
Topspin shots are used by most tennis players as their general groundstroke because it forces opponents to go backward. Good topspin shots will land just in front of the line and bounce towards the opponent so he has a tough time generating power and needs to have good footwork to cope with it.
Topspin shots are also used to come towards the net as previously mentioned it pushes the opponent back, which gives you time to advance to the net.
A slice is often used when you return a serve and then come straight to the net [known as “Chip and Charge”] because it gives you time to do so. The same can be set for other net approaches. When you’re moving forward toward the net and you want to drive a low-bouncing ball into the corner of your opponent’s court. This leaves it tough for the opponent to hit it back with much pace.
Another instance when you are using a slice is if you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. It is also the most commonly used shot when you are in a defensive position. When you’re scrambling to retrieve a good, angled shot by your opponent you can swipe the ball back with a slice and buy yourself a little time to get back into position.
The Importance of Variation In Tennis
Implementing finesse into your shots when competing against other tennis players is a great way to throw off your opponent by forcing them to change their game plan on the fly.
Nuanced shots can effectively deceive your opponent, causing them to approach the ball incorrectly while increasing the likelihood that they will not be able to return your shot. By using the proper topspin or backspin techniques during your next competitive match, you will be able to easily keep your opponent on their toes, making it much more difficult for them to adjust to your techniques throughout the entirety of your match.
Final Thoughts
To be a complete tennis player and to be competitive you need to master every shot and you need to know when to use them. If you look at the top players in the world they know exactly how to use topspin and slice shots to their advantages.
Rafael Nadal for example knows that with his extreme spin on the forehand he can make it difficult for a player like Roger Federer with his one-handed backhand to generate power. With the topspin, he forces Federer and other opponents to either be pushed too far backward or to take a risk and hit the ball extremely early.
The same can be said about Federer’s use of the backhand slice. He knows like no other how to disrupt the opponent’s rhythm by using the slice in almost every rally or how to completely catch them off guard with a drop shot.
Topspin and slice shots are a necessity in tennis. They are something you should work on and get better at but in the end, are extremely fun to use.