Spin Control

Whether from the ground or on a serve, a flat stroke is great for finishing a point. Trouble is, it's also a low-percentage shot that isn't built to sustain a rally. To stay in the point you need to hit a rally ball that will help you set up that potential winner. That's where topspin comes in. Applying topspin to the ball makes your shots safer and allows you to play a controlled yet aggressive style. You can swing forcefully and hit the ball high over the net because the spin will bring the ball down into the court. And the resulting high bounce of a topspin shot will push your opponent farther back in the court, which opens up angles and all sorts of offensive options. It's the ideal rally shot. Here's how to start getting topspin on your strokes.

Handle with care

I'm a big advocate of the notion that the grip makes the shot. When it comes to topspin forehands, I advise using something between an Eastern and a semi-Western grip. This helps you close the racquet face during the backswing and get more of your hand behind the frame at contact. It also forces you to really swing up at the ball and incorporate the wrist, which helps generate topspin. Some players use a full Western grip, which can be great for hitting topspin, but I don't recommend it. It's a difficult grip to use on the run, hitting low balls, or returning fast first serves.

For a one-hander, I favor using a strong Eastern backhand grip, which places the base knuckle of the index finger on the top of the racquet handle. Again, this keeps more of your hand behind the racquet and forces you to swing up on the ball to get the racquet face square at contact.

On a two-handed backhand, I think the dominant hand should be in a Continental to Eastern backhand position, and the non-dominant hand should be in an Eastern forehand grip. In this position, the non-dominant hand helps close the racquet face and gets you to swing up the back of the ball to generate topspin.

Pre contact swing shape: The turn

You've got the grip, so let's move on to the swing. When players first learn to drive the ball, they do so on a level swing plane--racquet back and then straight through contact. When applying topspin, you still want to swing through the hitting zone but you want your swing to be a little more upward-moving.

It all starts with a loop backswing. Turn your shoulders and bring the racquet back between shoulder and eye level. On the one-handed backhand and forehand, you can use your non-dominant hand to lift the racquet above your hitting wrist and facilitate the shoulder turn. If the racquet is going to pause anywhere in the swing to wait for the incoming ball, it should be at this point. Because as soon as the racquet drops, the swing should accelerate smoothly through the hitting zone.

Another point of controversy among players, coaches, and tennis professionals has been which type of backswing provides more racket velocity and control. It was thought that the traditional straight backswing provided more control, and the loop (large and small) backswings provided greater racket velocity. Although a large-loop backswing has been shown to increase racket velocity, racket control and timing are more likely to be affected.. In contrast, the small-loop backswing seemed to increase racket velocity without affecting the timing and control of the stroke. Regardless of the type of backswing used, for more power and efficiency, the transition between the backswing and forward swing should be a fluid motion since it enhances the player's ability to utilize the pre-stretching of the muscles.

In tennis, power starts from the ground up. Just like a boxer throwing a punch, you want your legs, hips, and trunk involved in the swing, not just your arm. So as the racquet goes back and the shoulders turn, you should coil your hips and trunk and sink down a little on the back leg. Now all your energy is loaded up and ready to release into the shot.

As the ball approaches, drop your racquet one to two feet below the level of the ball and make sure that the face is closed (almost parallel to the ground). This will allow you to hit up on the ball and use your wrist to give it topspin. As the swing starts forward, the uncoiling begins. The legs straighten slightly, the hips and trunk rotate toward the ball, and your weight comes forward, bringing the racquet along for the ride. Because your hitting shoulder is behind you on the forehand, it's particularly important to get good rotation in order to make contact out in front of your body. As you swing, pretend the ball is the face of a clock--to apply topspin to it, accelerate the racquet from 6 to 12 o'clock and extend through the hitting zone.

It's common for players to ease up on their swing or to try to come over the top of the ball. They fear such an upward motion will cause the ball to fly, so they compensate. In reality, on a topspin shot you've got to swing even harder than you would on a flat drive. If you brush up the back of the ball but don't come through the shot, you'll get the spin you want, but you won't get any pace or penetration. The goal is to get what I called "Pop Top." This is a topspin shot that's got some juice behind it because you've swung with force and extended fully through the hitting zone. To properly finish, allow your racquet to slow down naturally on the follow-through. If you have an Eastern to semi-Western grip, your racquet will probably finish in the area of your opposite shoulder. If you use a Western grip on your forehand, the racquet will more likely end up around your opposite hip.

A Top Spin Serve

Players don't have as much control over a shot when it's above their shoulders. That's why a high, kicking topspin serve is an extremely effective weapon. Not only is the height of the ball trouble for the returner, but the spin gives the serve a margin for error. This is why players need to have a kick, especially for the second serve.

The first thing I do when I'm going to hit a topspin serve is alter my grip. When I hit a flat serve I use a Continental grip, but I find getting topspin on my serve more effective if I rotate a little toward an Eastern backhand grip. This makes it easier to brush up the back of the ball and cover the hitting surface with the racquet face. Also, I'm going to need to adjust my toss slightly. For a flat or slice serve, the toss should be in front of and a little to the side of your hitting shoulder, somewhere around 1 or 2 o'clock (10 or 11 o'clock for lefties). For a topspin serve you need the ball tossed at 12 o'clock, and you need to bring it closer to your body. If the toss is too far forward, you can't hit up on the ball. Try to toss the ball so that if you let it drop, it would bounce on your front foot

Right after the toss leaves my hand, I bend my knees a little bit and arch my back slightly. That helps me get underneath the ball and in position to launch up at it. Once the swing begins, the motion is identical to a flat serve until you drop the racquet behind you, into the back-scratch position. At that point you want to accelerate the racquet up the back of the ball from 6 to 12 o'clock. Keep your grip and hitting arm relaxed. Many players have trouble generating topspin on their serves because they squeeze the racquet with a vise grip. Hold the racquet just tight enough so it doesn't fly out of your hand. And remember, just as with a ground stroke, you've got to trust your swing on a topspin serve. Don't let up. At first it may seem strange to swing up at a ball and not expect it to fly out of the court, but the spin that you're using is the safety factor. Don't slow your swing down; if you ease up on a topspin serve, it's going to flutter softly to your opponent or end up in the net.

When I teach a player a topspin serve I have him choke up on the racquet handle about two inches, almost to the top of the leather. Then I start his racquet from the back-scratch position and have him toss the ball and practice swinging and brushing up the back of it from 6 to 12 o'clock. All he's working on is getting the toss in the proper location and mastering the swing. Once he gets familiar with those aspects, he can begin to incorporate the rest of the service motion.

Topspin Made Easy

Many players, especially beginners, have a tough time understanding and recognizing different types of spin. They say it all looks the same to them. What you may not realize is that you've been familiar with topspin--the spin that advanced players use to keep the ball in the court--since you were a child, probably before you picked up a tennis racquet.

Remember all those times that you rolled a ball back and forth across the floor to a playmate? Have you ever rolled a wheel or a tire down the sidewalk? To do each of these activities you have to make the top of the ball (or wheel) roll (or spin) in the direction it's traveling. Essentially, that's topspin.

To visualize this effect on the ball, imagine trying to roll a big beach ball forward using your hand. The spin that you'd see on the beach ball is topspin. And the motion you'd use to roll the beach ball, a low-to-high sweep of your hand, is very similar to what you'd use to put topspin on a tennis ball with your racquet.

Power dominates today's professional game so much that the importance of spin may be lost on many casual observers. But ball rotation is still a crucial element in the arsenal of any good player, whether he or she is competing in a club league or in a Grand Slam. If it weren't for spin, Lleyton Hewitt's passing shots wouldn't pass, Mikhail Youhzny's drop shots wouldn't drop, and Andre Agassi's kick serves wouldn't kick.

The ability to massage the ball with various spins can be an effective way for recreational players to befuddle opponents and keep them off-balance. Experiment with spin as you practice so you can grow more comfortable with it and get a feel for all its varieties.

Here are two good reasons why using spin will help your game:
Spin produces tricky bounces: While many players can comfortably handle shots with moderate spin, they become unsettled when facing a ball with heavy spin. Severe slices that hug the court and looping ground strokes that bounce high can be enough to force an error, or at least a weak reply, from intermediate players.

Returning spin requires good timing: In addition to creating challenging bounces, spin alters the ball's flight path--topspin causes the ball to drop faster and underspin makes it stay in the air longer--which forces players to adjust their timing. Many recreational players are unable to make these last-second changes, and they commit errors