An overhead smash in tennis is a shot that is hit above the head with a serve-like motion. There are eight basic shots in the game of Tennis: the serve, Forehand, Backhand, volley, Half volley (pick-up ball For information on the forehand of a horse see Forehand (horse The forehand in Tennis is a shot made by swinging the racquet across one's body The backhand in Tennis is a stroke hit by swinging the racquet away from one's body in the direction of where the player wants the ball to go A serve (or more formally a service) in Tennis is a shot to start a point. A volley in Tennis is a shot that is hit before the ball bounces on the ground A half volley in Tennis is a shot that is hit immediately after the ball bounces A lob in Tennis is hitting the ball high and deep into the opponent's court. A drop shot in Tennis is tapping the ball just over the net A good drop shot travels such that the opponent is unable to run fast enough to retrieve it Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) A serve (or more formally a service) in Tennis is a shot to start a point. A smash can usually be hit with great force relatively safely and is often a shot that ends the point. A point is the smallest unit of scoring in Tennis. Play of a single point The players (or teams stand on opposite sides of the net Most smashes are hit fairly near the net or in mid-court before the ball bounces, generally against lobs that have not been hit high enough or deep enough by the opponent. A lob in Tennis is hitting the ball high and deep into the opponent's court. A player can also smash a very high ball from the baseline, generally on the bounce, although this is often a less forceful smash.

Smash commonly refers to the forehand smash; backhand smashes are rarer and more difficult to execute, especially for beginners, since they are basically high backhand volleys generally hit at an awkward angle. Rod Laver and Jimmy Connors, both left-handers, were known for their very powerful backhand smashes. For the arena in Melbourne Park used for show matches in the Australian Open, see Rod Laver Arena Rodney George "Rod" Laver James Scott "Jimmy" Connors (born September 2 1952 in East St

McGregor hitting a smash in the early 1950s

Pete Sampras popularized the jump smash, where he jumps and then hits the smash in mid-air. Petros “Pete” Sampras (born August 12, 1971) is a former World No The regular smashing shot, along with the downward force of a falling body, make this type of smash nearly undefeatable. The shot is often also called a slam dunk, as in basketball. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m

Nowadays, many consider Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, and Andre Agassi to have the most consistent and effective smashes. Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30 1982 is an American professional Tennis player and a former World No Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29 1970 is a former World No 1 professional American Tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments Martina Hingis has a less powerful but very effective slice smash that she frequently uses. Martina Hingis (born September 30, 1980 in Košice, Czechoslovakia) is a retired professional Tennis player who spent a total of 209

In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, who had a fine overhead himself, devotes a page to the best tennis strokes he had ever seen. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) John Albert Kramer (born August 1, 1921, in Las Vegas, Nevada) was a champion U He writes: "OVERHEAD—Schroeder just tops here, ahead of Rosewall and Newcombe. Frederick Rudolph "Ted" Schroeder ( July 20, 1921 – May 26, 2006) was an American Tennis player who won the two most prestigious Kenneth Robert ("Ken" Rosewall AM MBE (born 2 November 1934, in Sydney, Australia) is a former amateur John David Newcombe AO OBE (born 23 May 1944 in Sydney Australia) is a former World No

In the Japanese anime/manga series The Prince of Tennis, Takeshi Momoshiro is known for his Dunk Smash. is a popular Japanese Manga written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. is a fictional character in The Prince of Tennis franchise He prefers to go by the name "Momo" instead of his family name "Momoshiro"

External links

• Video: Tips for a good smash