How to hit an overhead smash in tennis

Turn, point, cross-step. Then hit the serve.

Traced from real footage

See it, eight instants at a time.

Every frame is traced from real match footage, so you see the shape of the stroke, not a drawing of an idea.

A tour overhead, instant 1 of 8 — A tour overhead: eight instants traced from the footage, frame for frame. Hover or tap to flip.

A tour overhead: eight instants traced from the footage, frame for frame. Hover or tap to flip.

Key facts

1
Backpedalling to the lob is the single biggest cause of a missed smash, leaving you flat-footed, off balance and making contact behind the head.
2
The overhead uses the serve's throwing chain: legs, trunk, shoulder, arm and pronation, with a shorter swing.
3
The contact window is with the ball slightly in front of the hitting shoulder.
4
A common net-play drill volume is eight lob, smash and recover cycles.

Why it works

The overhead is the serve's throwing chain fired under a ball you didn't toss. The chain is the same: legs, trunk, shoulder, arm, pronation. The difference is that the ball is moving and so are you, so the swing is shorter and more controlled.

The whole shot is decided by whether your feet got you sideways with the ball slightly in front of the hitting shoulder. Turn immediately, point the off hand to track the ball, shuffle or cross-step back, then transfer forward and explode up.

When the lob is too deep to reach on your feet, the scissor kick trades a jump and a leg switch for the last metre. If you're facing the net when the ball arrives, you backpedalled.

The line to say on court
“Turn, point, and let it drop in front of you.”

Drill: Lob and smash

15 min · with a partner

Have your partner lob short, to the service line. Do ten reps: turn and point before the ball peaks, then hit a three-quarter serve.
Have your partner lob deeper. Do ten reps: cross-step back, keep the ball in front of your shoulder, then explode up.
Run eight cycles: lob, smash, recover to the net and volley the next ball.

Number to beat8 of 10 deep-lob smashes landing in from a cross-step

More drills like this: volley and net

Faults and fixes

Backpedalling

You face the net and chase the ball with your chest.

FixTurn sideways first, then cross-step.

Contact behind the head

You arrived late and the ball drifted past your shoulder.

FixPoint the off hand and keep the ball in front.

A full serve swing

It's too much motion under a moving ball.

FixUse a shorter, controlled swing. The throw is the same.

Admiring the smash

The next ball is coming.

FixRecover to the net on the follow-through.

Questions players ask

Why do I keep missing easy overheads?

Usually it's the feet, not the swing. Backpedalling leaves you flat-footed and off balance, with contact behind your head.

Should I let a high lob bounce before smashing it?

For a very high lob, especially with the sun behind it, let it bounce. The ball comes down slower, you can set up and you hit the serve you know.

Is an overhead the same as a serve?

It uses the same throwing chain, but the swing is shorter and more controlled because both the ball and you are moving.

What is a scissor kick overhead?

A jumping overhead for lobs too deep to reach on your feet. You jump and switch legs in the air to reach the last metre.

What this doesn't cover

There are no measured numbers behind this guide. No overhead has been tracked, so the comparison with the serve is by mechanism, not measurement. The full rules for when to let a lob bounce, by height, sun and wind, are a coach's call.

Sources

USTA: overhead instruction
Elliott (2006), British Journal of Sports Medicine: biomechanics and tennis, the throwing chain

StrikeHow to hit a volley in tennis: punch, don't swingTo hit a volley, catch the ball on the strings in front of you with a continental grip, keep the racquet ahead of your front shoulder, and step across into the ball. Don't swing. Depth at the net comes from your body moving forward plus the pace the other player gave you, not from your arm. A slightly open face adds a little steadying backspin.StrikeHow to hit a drop shot and a lob with disguiseTo hit a drop shot that works, set up exactly as you would for a drive or slice, then soften the hand and open the face only in the last instant before contact. Backspin kills the ball's forward momentum so it lands short and bounces low and back. The lob uses the same setup aimed the other way, so the opponent must cover both.Serve and returnHow to serve in tennis: the service motion step by stepA good tennis serve is a throw that starts in your legs, passes through your trunk and shoulder, and reaches the racquet last. Legs and trunk supply about 51–55 % of the serve's kinetic energy, and shoulder internal rotation about 40 % of racquet-head speed. Load the knees, let the racquet drop edge-on, reach up to a straight-arm contact and land inside the baseline.StrikeHow to hit an approach shot in tennisHit your approach shot deep and low rather than hard, then split step at the service line as your opponent strikes. Depth pushes them back and takes away their angles. A low, skidding slice makes them hit up, so the ball reaches you above the net. Then recover to the middle of the passing angles you left open.