How to reign your nerves

Understanding how spin affects the ball is vital to mastering topspin and under spin. As you hit a ball towards your opponent the surrounding air will affect it. The more spin you put on the ball, the more the ball will be affected.  Topspin actually decreases the flight of the ball where as under spin will increase the flight of the ball. That is why players use topspin when hitting the ball with power and use under spin when hitting a touch or finesse shot.

Topspin

When hitting a ball with topspin the ball is rotating forward in the direction it has been hit. As the ball rotates and spins forward, it is met by the air surrounding hence forcing the ball downward.

Slice or under spin

The opposite is true when hitting the ball with under spin. Now the ball is spinning in the opposite direction it is traveling. As the ball rotates and spins backwards from the direction it is travelling the air surrounding it will keep the ball in the air longer. Learning to use under spin or slice when volleying will keep the ball low and in the court.

Besides helping you to get over your nerves, using more topspin on your ground strokes will help your game for three reasons:

1. Topspin means defense: it creates a safety net.

Hitting with topspin can also be used to play defense by safely hitting the ball well over the height of the net. Topspin will help you safely keep the ball away from the net increasing your margin for errors. Topspin can help you turn a defensive situation into an offensive situation.

 2. Topspin means offense:  it allows you to put pace on the ball.

You can't always count on gravity to bring the ball down in the court. Most player at the 3.5 level or below are called "pushers" not by choice but since they have not mastered how to put spin on the ball, they are limited to put any sort of pace on the ball. It is very difficult to hit the ball hard and flat with control unless it is hit just right. Hitting the ball with topspin is the only way to hit the ball with controlled power.

3. Topspin means planning: it will help you “set the table”.
The high bounce created by your topspin will force your opponents to uncomfortably swing above their ground stroke hitting zone resulting in a weak or shallow return that you can use to your advantage.

So, if your nerves are spinning out of control, send that spin to the ball. You can win with spin.

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