To Flip or Not to Flip

All good players use topspin or overspin to one degree or another. Nearly all second serves of high-level club players and pro-level players are heavily top spun deliveries!

Passing shots can be executed with a soft underspin touch shot, but they are primarily struck with overspin to allow the defender to play an aggressive shot with a high margin of safety.

I have used the terms topspin and overspin interchangeably because they are the exact same thing.

The problem with these terms is that they give the false impression that one should do something to the top of the ball or roll over the ball with the face of the racket to execute those shots.

NOOOOO! Wrong!

With all due respect to the retired world-class players who generally man the broadcast booth, you don't cover or come over the ball (that is locker room jargon) to successfully execute a topspin shot.

Yes, you'll generate plenty of spin if you attempt to play that way, but you can't generate any lift, which is the primary reason to play a topspin shot to begin with.

The correct technique demands a low to high swing path with a vertical or very near vertical racket face that aggressively brushes up the back of the ball as the forward motion of the strings compresses the ball toward the intended target.

The more you brush up the more lift you get (creating safety over the net) and the more dramatically the ball will dip down into the opponent’s court. The more you compress the ball the less lift you’ll get (lower over the net) and the later it dips (deeper shot) into the opponent’s court.

Don't be fooled by your eyes when you swear that player at Wimbledon has just whipped the racket head over the ball! What catches your eye is the exhaust from the explosion and not the explosion itself.

To be a better player and be more consistent think Brush Up not Roll Over!