Make up my own spin strokes
Strokes
Esteban Mendez Asked 12 years ago
Is it a bad habit to come up with my own strokes especially for a sidespin? I saw your video on sidespin and I thought it was too hard for me to do, so I changed the stroke up a bit and still came up with a decent sidespin. Do I have to do it exactly like you or can I make it my own?
Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago
Hi Esteban,
If it is working consistently for you then it is probably OK.
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DHS Lover Posted 12 years ago
Esteban Mendez Posted 12 years ago
The sidespin stroke. You know Jan Ove Waldner? His sidespin stroke was like a stab on the side of the ball. I saw him do it in a video of his 1987ish match. I found this easier to control than doing a hook.
Frendy,
The key is disguise. If your opponent knows it is a short sidespin serve, they will be able to flick it. Backspin is definitely a safer serve.
A long backspin serve can be good as a surprise. Waldner does it because of his extremely strong defense and blocking. He knows that they can't topspin through him. Where you have to be careful is if they have a strong topspin and can put you on the defensive.