The slice is the most under-taught shot in junior tennis. Coaches spend 90% of lesson time on topspin groundstrokes, so most kids reach 14 with a slice that’s either nonexistent or a panicked chop. Then they play their first opponent who hits heavy, deep balls, and they discover — usually mid-match, usually painfully — that they have no reset button.
Here’s what the slice actually is: a backhand hit with underspin (the ball rotating backward), so it stays low and skids through the court instead of bouncing up. It’s a defensive reset when you’re stretched wide, an approach shot when you’re coming to net, and a change of pace that drives rhythm players crazy. Every complete player has one. Your kid should too — not as a primary weapon, but as a tool they trust.
What you’re watching for: 5 checkpoints
1. Continental grip. Same grip as the serve and volley — base knuckle of the index finger on the top bevel of the handle, like holding a hammer. This is non-negotiable for the slice. If your kid tries to slice with a forehand grip, the racket face can’t stay stable, and the wrist takes a beating. (Wrist and elbow soreness from slicing is almost always a grip problem — worth knowing.)
2. High racket preparation. Before the swing starts, the racket head should be up — around ear or shoulder height, with the non-hitting hand holding the throat of the racket to help lift it there. Most junior slices fail before they start because the racket begins too low. There’s nowhere to cut down from.
3. The high-to-low-to-high path. This is the whole shot: the racket travels from high, down through the ball, and finishes high again. Not straight down (that’s a chop), not level (that’s a flat push). Think of it like an airplane landing and taking off again — down through contact, then back up. The finish should end up roughly as high as it started.
4. A firm wrist at contact. The wrist stays locked — the power comes from the shoulder and the body moving forward, not from flicking the wrist. Watch for the “flip”: if the wrist breaks or scoops at contact, the ball floats. A good slice looks almost stiff through the hitting zone. That’s correct.
5. They stay sideways. At contact, the chest should still be facing the side fence, not rotated open toward the net. Opening up early — letting the front shoulder fly open — is why slices spray wide. The cue: “stay sideways through the shot.”
The 3 mistakes almost every junior makes
Mistake 1: The floating slice. The ball pops up high with no bite, sits up begging to be crushed. This is the #1 slice problem and it’s always the swing path: the kid swings level or upward instead of high-to-low-to-high, or the wrist flips. The fix: the “finish high” rule. Whatever else happens, the follow-through must end high. Film it — kids are shocked how low their finish actually is versus how high it feels.
Mistake 2: Chopping straight down. The opposite error: the kid stabs down at the ball like they’re splitting wood. The ball dumps into the net or dies two feet past it. The fix: reframe it as “drive through the ball, not down at it.” The downward part of the path is gentle — the racket is moving forward through contact, with the high-to-low angle creating the spin. Forward first, down second.
Mistake 3: Using it only in panic. Most juniors only slice when they’re stretched and desperate, so they associate the shot with losing the point. The fix: practice it deliberately, in neutral situations. Approach-shot drills (slice and come in), or “slice-only” games for 10 minutes of practice. A shot you only hit in emergencies will always feel like an emergency.
What’s realistic at each ball stage
- Red ball (ages 4–8): Skip it entirely. They need topspin fundamentals, not specialty shots.
- Orange ball (ages 8–10): Introduce it as a fun trick shot — “watch what happens when you cut under it.” Keep it playful. The grip lesson (continental) is the real takeaway.
- Green ball (ages 9–12): Start using it as a defensive tool. When stretched wide, slice it back deep instead of going for a hero topspin backhand. This is where it starts winning points.
- Yellow ball (ages 11+): It should be a trusted option: the reset under pressure, the approach shot, the change-up against big hitters. If your 14-year-old has no slice, that’s a development gap worth addressing with the coach directly.
Watch and learn: 4 video lessons
- Perfect Backhand Slice in 3 Steps — Perfect Tennis (Episode 8) — Top Tennis Training (Coach Simon Konov). Beginner. Grip, preparation, power position, contact and finish — the fundamentals done cleanly.
- 4 Steps To A Great Slice Backhand In Tennis — TeamForman Tennis. Beginner–Intermediate. A 4-step progression with an important warning: wrong grips on the slice cause real elbow and wrist injuries. Worth watching for that alone.
- Stop Floating Your Slice! | Perfecting the Backhand Swing Path — My Tennis Drills (Coach Gus with Coach Paul). Intermediate. Diagnoses the floating slice: racket prep height, the high-to-low-to-high path, and keeping the wrist fixed. If your kid’s slice floats, start here.
- The slice backhand: TENNIS MASTERCLASS by Patrick Mouratoglou, EPISODE 4 — Patrick Mouratoglou. Advanced. Not just technique — tactics: when to slice, how the pros (Djokovic, Nadal) use it, and why it’s mandatory in the modern game. For the serious junior.
Next in the Stroke Library: The Serve — the only shot your kid fully controls, and the most technical one they’ll learn.
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