By Jay P. Granat, Ph.D.
The US Open will start in a few months and tennis players, the tennis
media, and tennis fans will be intensively focused on this annual event
based in New York City.
Tennis enthusiasts can probably have a lively debate as to the least utilized shot in tennis. Some will say it is the lob. Some might mention the offensive lob or the defensive lob.
Some tennis aficionados may say that it is the drop shot.
In order to get an answer from a top expert, I recently interviewed the legendary tennis coach, Peter Burwash. The head of Peter Burwash International, this tennis management company operates in thirty two countries.
Burwash is a Master Tennis Professional and a highly respected tennis coach and has worked with many or the world's top tennis players.
During his career, Peter has both played and coached in one hundred and thirty four countries.
Mr. Burwash, who is passionate about teaching people to play tennis for their lifetime, explained that the forehand slice is a very important and effective shot which is utilized by very few players these days.
While many players use a backhand slice, few are comfortable hitting the forehand with under spin.
Mr. Burwash believes that this shot can be a powerful weapon and it can make for a very effective approach shot which players can then follow into the net with the hope getting a ball that they can volley to end the point.
When executed properly this shot can stay low and force a tennis player to have to bend down low in order to get the ball back over the net.
Interestingly, my tennis club has about one hundred and thirty members and I can not think of any player who hits this shot with consistency. Some players do hit drop shots on both the forehand and backhand side, but none of the members execute the forehand slice with consistency and skill.
For some reason, the backhand slice is more natural for many club players. Perhaps this is because players are so accustomed to driving the ball with their forehands with topspin. The forehand slice is a very different kind of shot.
Interestingly, even at the pro level, very few players seem to have this shot in their arsenal.
So, take it from the man who has coached some of the world's top tennis players. Developing your forehand slice can help you take your game to that next level.
Tennis enthusiasts can probably have a lively debate as to the least utilized shot in tennis. Some will say it is the lob. Some might mention the offensive lob or the defensive lob.
Some tennis aficionados may say that it is the drop shot.
In order to get an answer from a top expert, I recently interviewed the legendary tennis coach, Peter Burwash. The head of Peter Burwash International, this tennis management company operates in thirty two countries.
Burwash is a Master Tennis Professional and a highly respected tennis coach and has worked with many or the world's top tennis players.
During his career, Peter has both played and coached in one hundred and thirty four countries.
Mr. Burwash, who is passionate about teaching people to play tennis for their lifetime, explained that the forehand slice is a very important and effective shot which is utilized by very few players these days.
While many players use a backhand slice, few are comfortable hitting the forehand with under spin.
Mr. Burwash believes that this shot can be a powerful weapon and it can make for a very effective approach shot which players can then follow into the net with the hope getting a ball that they can volley to end the point.
When executed properly this shot can stay low and force a tennis player to have to bend down low in order to get the ball back over the net.
Interestingly, my tennis club has about one hundred and thirty members and I can not think of any player who hits this shot with consistency. Some players do hit drop shots on both the forehand and backhand side, but none of the members execute the forehand slice with consistency and skill.
For some reason, the backhand slice is more natural for many club players. Perhaps this is because players are so accustomed to driving the ball with their forehands with topspin. The forehand slice is a very different kind of shot.
Interestingly, even at the pro level, very few players seem to have this shot in their arsenal.
So, take it from the man who has coached some of the world's top tennis players. Developing your forehand slice can help you take your game to that next level.
Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist, author and founder of http://www.StayInTheZone.com He has appeared in many major media outlets and had developed a mental toughness program for tennis players. http://stayinthezone.com/shop/sports-psychology-and-mental-toughness-system-for-tennis-players/
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