Top 3 Drills For A Better Backhand Slice

One of the most common problems when hitting a backhand slice in tennis is over-rotation.

The video above shows 3 very effective drills that help the player correct their backhand slice technique very quickly.

The first drill is walking through where the player very naturally keeps the body sideways through the slice shot.

The second one is hitting backwards which is also a very effective drill for correcting the one-handed backhand technique.

And the third drill is hitting downwards which is one the key drills for developing proper backhand slice fundamentals in tennis.

[pilecajuha]

Once again, very instructive video. I really like your "engineering approach" in coaching, i.e. pinpointing the incorrect movement then explaining what and how to improve it. Thx Tomaž

[racolcol]

That was amazing!! From a defensive BH slice at the start to a sharp penetrating BH slice at the end of the video. Love your tips, always learn something from your videos. Thanks Brother!

[richardfederer]

this is awesome! I think this kind of videos showing direct student training are so useful and definitely "under done" in tennis instructional channels.. They are also very good for coaches looking to refine or improve their lessons..
I would love to see more of them, possibly showing the development of one or more students over time..

[smasoumi]

Hands down, Tomas is one of the best coaches on youtube

[waynemiller]

Thanks for this.  Face similar issue with many players using a two handed backhand more so then then one handed.  Will share with my younger players as the demonstration and  coaching was first class...Wayne Miller Talent Development Coach Tennis Aus

[edersantosargandona]

muy buena la explicación. tiene un segundo vídeo q muestra otras muy buenas variantes. felicitaciones!!!!

[keeganandersson]

My problem usually stems from having too much wrist action. I find that keeping my wrist completely locked through the whole stroke usually solves the problem, but it’s just a matter of making that a natural habit

[tennisvn]

Great video, good analysis from Thomas, the coach. I coach some of those drills also, but I found that the main problem is that students over turn because their head is turning too fast. One great drill is to simply ask the student to keep their eyes at contact when executing the slice backhand. If that does not work I even set up a target to look at on the side fence. When the student executes the stroke they have to keep their eyes on that target on the side fence. Usually the results are pretty good.Very often the head is the problem.

[TheEarlyAdoptr]

Love your drills. They are amazing! Plus, there are no ads at the back which take up 30% of the entire video :)

[ampiciline]

Her BIGGEST problem is that she lifts up her chin so quickly before she finishes her shot chin MUST be kept down all the way through out the shot .... Great Coach T

[tamagusko]

Amazing video! Congratulations on your excellent work! This video helped me a lot!

[svij]

Great exercises! Althought I think slice is more about touch than power. To me it looks like she is trying to hit the ball a bit too hard, almost like a normal groundstroke instead of just letting the racket go with its own weight. Imagine if she wanted to turn one of those slices into a drop shot, without soft hands its not too easy to do.

[johnnytang]

My BH slice is defensive, not penetrating enough ...

[chessbrilliance]

No matter what the drill is the girl is always moving her head and shoulder toward the target.

[shaunacole]

I wish you could coach me in real life. I watch all your videos

[karlopeternel]

Thank you, shoulder still sidways and facing the contact point is a huge help, enormous one, especially PUT YOUR SHOULDER BLADES TOGETHER & STRETCH YOUR CHEST MUSCLES, dear God bless this man

[tennistennis]

She doesn't feel the contact point. She dosn't hit the ball in the highest point that is why balls go up in the sky.

[Gidoza]

After watching many backhand slice videos and many tennis channels in general I still feel that Thomaz explains things on a deeper level. Best online tennis instructor in my opinion

[tonyprzygienda]

so far the only proper lesson on hitting a backhand slice. small observation is that I usually correct closed the front foot to prevent blocking the kinetic chain when the body tries to punch through the ball. And I like to emphasize that you want to hit the backhand as high as you can, i.e. shoulder high if you manage. Ultimately, nothing wrong with the last 2-3 feet 'floating' as long the ball is within 3 feet of baseline. that can push your opponent around nicely, espeicaly unstable fast flat hitter since the ball unbalances & does not come of the ground to put topspin onto it easily. Overall, most excellent video & it was very enlightening the rotation vs. lateral move part, I was always correcting for excessive rotation without understanding the background explained here.

[daivietquocxa]

Firstly, she looks like Ivanovic and then looks like Djokovic's wife!!