A pure slice serve will skid low and sharply sideways when it hits your opponent's court. You can use it to pull your opponent off the court, curve the ball into her body, or force her to hit a weak, stretch return.

Difficulty Level: hard      Time Required: 20 minutes

1. Stand six feet from the net.
2. Hold the racquet by the bottom of its throat, using a continental grip.
3. While holding the ball in your left hand (for righties), practice brushing your strings across the right side of the ball (at 3:00 on an imaginary clock face).
4. Hold your racquet with your elbow bent so that the racquet head is almost touching your upper back.
5. Toss the ball one foot higher than your head, around 18" straight to your right, and strike the ball by brushing across it at 3:00.
6. Practice with this choked-up grip and small toss until you can see the ball spinning around its vertical axis as it goes over the net. Don't worry about getting it into the service box.
7. Take a giant step back.
8. Slide you hand an inch closer to the end of your handle.
9. Toss a few inches higher and strike the ball as before.
10. Practice from this position until you can get the ball over the net and see its sidespin.
11. Repeat steps 7-10 until your hand reaches the bottom of your handle, and your toss reaches two to three feet higher than your head. (You don't stretch way up as you would on other serves.)
12. Without changing your grip or toss any further, continue the stepping back process until you reach the baseline.
13. Now try to get the ball into the service box from the baseline.
14. Add your normal wind-up to your swing.
    

1. If serves fail to go over the net, toss less forward.
2. Use this serve sparingly. The topspin-slice, hit at a higher point of contact, is more powerful and consistent.
3. The features below will tell you how and when to use this new weapon.
   

Related Features:

• Playing in the Wind
• Playing in Cold Weather
• Pick on Someone Bigger Than You
• How to Beat a Two-Hander