How to Hit Topspin and Slice in Tennis

Spin is the difference between a ball that sails long and a ball that dips down inside the baseline and kicks up awkwardly at your opponent. It is what lets good players hit hard with margin instead of just hoping. The two spins that matter are topspin and slice, and once you understand what each one does, you can pick the right one for the moment instead of hitting everything flat. Deuce has the coaching cap on, so let us put some shape on the ball.

What spin actually does

Topspin makes the ball rotate forward. That forward rotation pulls the ball down, so you can swing hard and still land it in, and when it bounces it kicks up high and deep, pushing your opponent back. Slice (backspin) makes the ball rotate backward. It floats through the air on a flatter path, stays low after the bounce, and skids, which is why it is a nightmare to attack and a great way to keep the ball away from a big hitter's strike zone.

How to hit topspin

Topspin comes from brushing up the back of the ball. Three ingredients:

• Grip: a Semi-Western forehand grip makes topspin natural by closing the racket face slightly. See our grips guide.
• Swing path: start the racket head below the ball and swing low to high, brushing up the back of it. The steeper the up-swing, the more spin and the higher the arc.
• Finish: high, over the opposite shoulder. A high finish is the proof you swung upward.

A useful mental image: aim to clear the net by a metre or more, not by a few centimetres. Topspin is what lets that high, safe ball still drop in. It is the same low-to-high motion we cover in how to hit a forehand.

How to hit slice

Slice is hit with a Continental grip and a high-to-low swing path. Start with the racket head up around shoulder height, racket face slightly open (tilted up), and swing down and forward through the back of the ball, finishing out in front toward your target. The key to a good slice, and the thing beginners get wrong, is to hit through the ball, not chop down underneath it. Chopping makes the ball float up and sit invitingly high. Driving through keeps it low and skidding.

When to use which

• Topspin: your default rally ball, your passing shot, and anything you want to hit with pace and still keep in. Topspin is offence with a safety net.
• Slice: on the run when you are stretched, to change the rhythm against a big hitter, to keep the ball low at a net-rusher's feet, and on the backhand as a reliable bail-out. The backhand slice is one of the most useful shots in social tennis, see our backhand guide.

Groove it against a live ball

Spin is feel, and feel only comes from hitting lots of balls. Spend part of a hit deliberately exaggerating topspin on every forehand, then a few games slicing every backhand, until the brush-up and brush-through motions feel automatic. You need a steady partner for that, which is where RallyHub's Friends Ready Live earns its keep. As your spin improves, your unforced errors drop, your rallies get longer, and your RallyRank reflects the steadier player you are becoming.

Brush up for topspin, drive through for slice, and choose the one the moment calls for. Master both and you stop hitting hopeful flat balls and start controlling where every ball lands. Put it to work with smarter singles tactics.