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The Main Uses of the Slice as a Means to Advance to the Net Navigation   Browse Other Pages Homepage A Viewpoint on the Game How It Began A Viewpoint on the Game 2 A Viewpoint on the Game 3 Concentration; Practice Condition, Physical and Mental Keep Your Eye on the Ball Footwork and Weight Control Women's Tennis The Grips The Service The Drive The Chop and the Slice The Volley The Subtle Shots Courage Your Opponent's Weaknesses General Tactics Outside Conditions Pressure on Your Opponent Doubles and Mixed Doubles The Coaching Job Legendary Tennis Players Olympic Tennis Does Youth Rule Tennis Hall of Fame Amateurism to Open Tennis Some Defects in Tennis Doping Olympic Review Technology and Sport The Slice Service Flat Serve The American Twist The Drive The Backhand Drive Drive - The Main Uses The Volley Net Position The Volley Position The Overhead Smash The Half-Volley The Drop Shot The Mechanics of the Slice The Main Uses of a Slice The Grips Doubles and Mixed Doubles To Open the Court Doubles In Europe and US Legendary Tennis Players (1940's) Questions in Australian Tennis History of Australian Tennis History of Australian Tennis 2 History of Australian Tennis Players Women's Tennis in Australia Australian Tennis: Nature Ages of Tennis Players The Careers of Women Players The same rules of direction, depth, and power hold true as those set forth previously for a drive in this situation. The chop behind which one advances to the net is the only chop or slice that should be hit hard. It might well be called a slice-drive, since its trajectory must be low, like a drive, and without the floating quality that marks the defensive slice. It should be used only in mid-court shots that bound at least as high as the waist. It is particularly effective for bounds up to the shoulders or head. Its greatest advantage lies in the fact that it can be hit from almost any position, and usually from a point closer in to the bounce of the ball than a drive, so the advance to the net is a shade faster. It also has the advantage of being hit with the same grip as the volley and smash, so there is no need to change grip for your first net shot. The drive, which has a distinct grip of its own, requires a shift to the volley grip. Do not forget that: 1. The drive is the key stroke and the most important of all, since it is used in attack and defence. 2. The chop or slice is secondary in importance by itself, but is vital to defence and to the ability to vary your game. No player is completely well rounded without both shots in his repertoire. A player is actually only as strong as his ground strokes, no matter how great his net game is, since only behind ground strokes can he reach the net. 1. To vary pace on your opponent, mixing it in with a drive, and to take pace out of great speed and slow up the tempo of a point (defence). 2. To return great speed on service (defence). 3. To handle shots that catch you out of position, particularly shots that bound too high to drive (defence). 4. As an advancing shot behind which to go to the net (attack).  Next Page:  The Net Game: The Volley; The Overhead Smash