A common occurrence is to feel the ball slide or shear as it contacts the racquet. Below, we illustrate the most common reason for this and how to avoid it.

In the figure above are illustrated two examples of a racquet path as the racquet is brought into contact with the ball. On the left is the path that will produce the most efficient contact between the ball and racquet. This path differs from the one on the right in that the spot on the racquet where the ball will be struck never crosses the broken line which represents the path the ball would take if it were not struck. This is another one of the most common differences between the clean hitter and the not-so-clean hitter.