High ball, heavy underspin
Strokes
Douglas Hill Asked 14 years ago
At my low level of play it is common to encounter balls that pop up with lots of underspin, often because someone misreads a topspin serve and tries to push it back. It is awkward to loop them when they're high. Is it best to smash them? If so, do you aim toward the point you want to hit and adjust the paddle angle based on your estimate of the spin, or do you raise your aiming point so as not to hit the net? Many players at my level seem to put high underspin balls into the net again and again.
Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago
Hi Douglas,
I know exactly what you are talking about here. I have sat frustrated and watched many of my school students fall for that one.
If the ball is high enough you can smash it but you do have to adjust your bat angle to allow for the spin. Try to make a good crisp contact with the ball so that you don't allow the ball to sink into the rubber and spin. Probably the safest option though is to topspin the ball. Even though the ball is high you still need to lift the topspin a little to allow for the backspin.
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Vidhya G Posted 10 years ago
Hi Alois,
In my case, the return for the same balls always seem to go long, not on the net. And I try to hit them flat. Can you please tell me what could be wrong with this? I end up losing a lot of points in this.
Hi Vidhya,
In that case it sounds like you need to hit the ball downwards more. One key factor is to get into position early so that you are ready to make the smash. Start with your bat high and hit through the ball.
Take a look at our video on the forehand smash for more ideas. This stroke is not as easy as it looks! It takes some practice to get it right.
SirLoops Alot Posted 10 years ago
This is especially frustrating for me because I occasionally use a BH topspin serve that fools some players. I can usually anticipate when they're going to pop it up, and if it comes to my FH, and can smash through the backspin somewhat consistently.
However if they return it high but short over the net far to my BH side, there's rarely enough time to step around and play a fh. Trying to loop a ball like that is also really awkward.
Hi Dan,
It is frustrating to see a ball like that and not be able to put it away.
Make sure you don’t try and do too much with it if you are not in good position. Sometimes even a push out wide can win the point because they are expecting you to smash.
Ayesha Noon Posted 10 years ago
Would it be a good option to flick the ball if it's kind of high and has lots of backspin?