A tennis coach explains when slice actually works: from the baseline on high balls to keep bounces low, on serves at waist height for a flat trajectory, and at net on anything above the tape to finish points. Below net height, push up instead and wait for a better slice opportunity.
Chapters
So a good time to use slice from the back of the court is when the ball is about chest or shoulder height or above. This is when you can really hit down through the ball, you can make the angle, the trajectory of your shot going down at an angle so that if the ball does bounce, it stays low. As an example, a bajada might be a good opportunity to play with a bit of slice, and that way it's more difficult to defend. Or maybe there's a bouncy ball and it's easier in the court and you have a space down the middle to hit through. For example, you can actually come down ball on the slice. You also play slice on your serve when the ball is about waist height. This is a much more horizontal shot, but remember, they're not at net in this scenario, so you can keep the ball low off the rebound. When you're at net, you have more opportunities to hit with slice. Any volley that is above the net height that you can actually brush down on the ball, you can create slice and you can be more aggressive. Remember, your opponents are at the back of the court, so if you can force them to play with a low rebound, this can be really effective. Or if they've hit a shot and it's bounced in front of you and it comes above the net height, this is a great opportunity to hit slice and finish the point. Very often, if your opponents are in their normal positions, slice down the middle is a great way to go, but not every ball at net can be sliced. If you're playing below the net height, you can get maybe a little bit of underspin, but generally you would almost push that ball up trying to find space on the court and neutralize the shot. Because unlike a tennis, for example, very often you can be at net but still defending. So if that ball is lower than the net, push it into a good position and wait for the next one where you might be able to hit with more slice.
