Spacing: Part 3

Dave Hagler

In the first parts of the series we addressed spacing on shots where a player is moving laterally and hitting with topspin. (Click Here for Part 1.) Click Here for Part 2.) Now let's look at some drills for spacing on slice.

Sliced groundstrokes are a great illustrator of how different spacing facilitates different spin variations. Slices may be hit with almost pure underspin, but usually they have a sidespin component as well.

Typically the sidespin is inside spin. A right handed player's slice backhand will move to the left to varying degrees. But it can also be purer underspin where the trajectory is the same in flight as after the bounce.

I remember watching a pro point where Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori were hitting backhand slice to backhand slice. Nishikori's backhands had almost pure underspin – the flight of the ball after the bounce stayed on the same path it was on prior to hitting the ground.

Murray's slice backhands took (from his perspective) a fairly sharp left turn after the bounce. They had a lot of inside spin. Andy has a lot of left to right component in his swing because he tends to be physically closer to the ball when he makes contact.

I'm going to assume Andy and Kei both hit their slices the way they wanted to, especially since each hit similar shots repeatedly. But players who aren't this good may hit varying amounts of sidespin.

Their spacing forces them to change their swing path and the amount of sidespin varies. Especially when a player is moving sideways and away from the net and/or his racquet head is higher than his hitting hand at contact, the ball will be hit with outside spin.

This is particularly likely to happen on the return of a kick serve, when the hand is normally about the ball at contact. If the ball is hit with outside spin, a righty slice backhand will move in the same direction as a lefty's slice serve.

Slice and Spacing

So what does this have to do with spacing? More than you might think! At times you will see 2 players slicing cross court or down the line from the baseline.

Frequently these shots are similar in speed and trajectory, but the amount of sidespin will really vary. By doing spacing drills, players learn to adjust their position to the ball and learn intentional control over the type and amount of sidespin.

To work on slice I advise doing the same drills as the last two articles except the player slices every ball. As with the topspin drills, do these from midcourt, then 3/4 court and then the baseline.

It's important to practice these drills with your own spin preference or preferences. Earlier I stated pro players were better at spacing and at adapting. Slices are an example of how players who aren't anywhere near professional level can learn to adapt and hit the type of underspin they desire that is appropriate to the ball they are dealing with and their shot intention.

Of course, if you have the chance to drive the ball and hit a winner from this area of the court you should! But mixing drives and slices will make each more effective. When you slice an approach, you can adjust your spacing and/or swing path in ways that help you control your shot and the way the ball will bounce.

You can combine side and underspin to keep the bounce low, slide the ball away from or into an opponent, or hit a ball that drops and stops shorter in the court. You will see this more on the backhand side but some pro players are very effective hitting forehand slice. I suggest you use the drills to work on both!