Reaction Time, Ball Control and the Essence of Tennis
Most of the time when we learn to play tennis, we focus a lot on what we call basics of the game: Match Awareness, Court Position, Groundstroke Consistency, Body movements and so forth. These attributes are all linked to what we call mechanical instructions.
Unfortunately, most people believe that the mechanical side of the sport is the only issue that must be addressed during practice.
However, only sending mechanical orders to your body does not guarantee the desired end result, which is playing the game the best of your abilities.
Here are some other important factors to be aware and practice in order to become a better player:
- IMPROVE REACTION TIME
In tennis, reaction time is the amount of time it takes a tennis player to form a response strategy after seeing the ball hit the opponent's racket.
Having a fast reaction time and being able to respond faster in the game of tennis means that a player can have more time to:
- Hit the ball the right way.
- Better decide your next court position
- Achieving better body balance before striking the ball.
- Develop a very efficient and crip stroke technique
We build specific drills to enhance quick reflexes training that are essential to the body and mind, so they are ready to react to different situations and build the game around great anticipation. With this powerful element mastered, you'll have plenty of time to hit the ball with good placement, power and control.
- MASTER BALL CONTROL
Ball handling control is unique to each player, from recreational to Professionals! We all have been there- we play a certain player and our game just does not flow. Sometimes we compete against an opponent that only hits flat balls and we are able to control the points really well during the rallies. But when an opponent that loves to spin deep, we start to have issues to send the ball where we want it to go.
The fundamentals of ball control are defined by direction, height, speed, depth and spin and summarized by the USTA below:
a) Direction
The ability to change shot direction and the understanding of the tactical advantage, or percentages, of so doing is important to overall success. The following are general principles for shot direction:
Crosscourt shots are easier and require less recovery but also have the greatest margin for error.
Down-the-line shots are often more effective offensively but are more difficult. They must be stroked firmly to cancel out the lateral momentum of the ball and to avoid a higher net. These shots also require the athlete to recover a larger distance to stay in the middle of the opponent’s shot options.
b) Depth
One of the most important shot placement objectives is depth. Strokes that land near the baseline are much more difficult to return, limit the angles the opponent can play, and provide more time for a player to recover for the next shot. Players using excessive topspin must be careful to maintain depth during rallies.
c) Height
One of the best ways to achieve depth of placement is to aim groundstrokes high over the net. Under the pressure of a match players who hit the ball flat may tend not to lift shots over the net, aiming near the tape, so their shots often lack the depth necessary to prevent attacking play by their opponents. (Keep in mind that about 70% of groundstroke errors go into the net.) Good players use topspin to achieve high net clearance and keep their shot out of the opponent’s hitting zone. They also use a higher ball to neutralize opponent’s natural aggression.
d) Speed
The speed at which the ball is stroked is another important variable the tennis player controls. Greater ball speeds place more pressure on an opponent by decreasing the time needed to get to and prepare for the shot. Ball speed also limits the opponent’s options and makes it more difficult for him or her to produce the shot. The negative aspect of ball speed is that the margin for error is lower, so it is more difficult to control the placement of the ball.
The speed and spin of the ball after a stroke are closely and inversely related, meaning more of one (speed) means less of the other (spin). The more direct the impact of the ball and the racket, the greater the ball speed will be leaving the racket, while the more glancing the collision is, the more spin the ball will have.
e) Spin
Ball spin is clearly one of the most important factors related to ball control in tennis. Putting the correct spin on the ball can increase a shot’s margin for error and affect the bounce of the ball. All tennis shots are made with some ball spin; even “flat” serves and groundstrokes have some spin. However, it is the greater amounts of spin (1000 to 4000 rpm) produced by racket trajectory variations at impact that have the most dramatic effects on ball flight and bounce.
Topspin. Topspin is created by upward motion of the racket through impact. For heavy topspin forehands, the path of the racket through impact is from low to high, usually between 40 and 50 degrees upward. Skilled players may use even steeper racket paths and some small closing of the racket face. Remember that the steeper the racket path, the lower the margin of error in contacting the ball and the less speed or pace the ball will have.
Example—Topspin strokes require greater effort to generate spin than slice strokes because the rotation of the ball must be reversed, so emphasize the use of vigorous upward stroke paths.
Backspin or slice. Slice forehands and backhands are created by downward racket motion through impact. Research has shown that most slice strokes follow a 15- to 30-degree downward (high to low) path, again with only small amounts of opening of the racket face. A steeper downward path and clear open racket face are used for drop shots.
Example—Tell players to emphasize the “forward” of the forward and down trajectory of slice groundstrokes to maintain stroke speed. They should emphasize the downward trajectory only for the drop shot.
Sidespin. Sideward motion of the racket through impact creates sidespin on the ball. Slice serves and inside-out forehands are good examples of sidespin. Research has shown that in slice serves the racket usually moves forward and to the sideline at 15 to 40 degrees from the center service line.
Example—As the player generates virtually all the sidespin on shots, emphasize the use of high racket speeds to the side through impact to generate speed and ensure adequate ball speed.
Ball flight. The spin of the ball carries a small layer of air near the fuzzy surface of the ball. This rotation creates pressure differences called the “Magnus Effect”.
Example—Tell players that this additional force in the air makes balls curve in the direction of the spin. Topspin strokes curve downward because the front side of the ball is moving downward. Slice backhands have flatter trajectories than topspin because the Magnus force acts upward to reduce the effect of gravity.
Ball bounce. The differences in the speed of the sides of a spinning ball affect the friction force during the bounce on the court.
Example—The effect of spin on the trajectory of the ball tends to dominate the effect of spin on the bounce. Groundstrokes hit with topspin tend to bounce higher than slices because topspin balls curve steeply down toward the court. Slice shots bounce lower than shots with topspin because of the very flat trajectory of these shots. The higher bounce of a drop shot is the only time you see an underspin bounce high, because of the trajectory of the shot.
- TRUE ESSENCE OF THE GAME
Tennis, in its most basic form, consists of two players or two teams of two on a court using rackets to hit a ball over a net. The goal of the game is to hit the ball over the net in such a way that it cannot be returned by your opponent (back over the net and within the court markings).
Within the description above, tennis teaches you a lot about yourself, including the depth of your inner strength, discipline, persistence, and emotional mastery. It all comes down to how dedicated you are to improving yourself and winning.
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With a successful coaching career at the NCAA Tennis Championship and developing junior players at the national level in Canada, Coach Ernesto Ponce uses the SISTEMA development system to help make all players as great as they'd be.
The program is aimed to develop players at the most complete state: stroke techniques, strategies, skill development, physical and mental conditioning that can be applied to your game for long term improvement.