Centering Yourself and the Ball

Dave Smith, Senior Editor

As both a player and instructor, one of the most common flaws I've witnessed has little to do with a defect in stroke mechanics but rather a problem making consistent contact within the sweet spot of the racquet.

Think about it — how often do you frame a shot? How many times do you mishit even the easiest of balls? While some shots are of course missed due to aim (in the net, wide, or long), many of these misses are due to elements associated with inconsistent contact in the center of the string bed.

There can be many reasons for this and we will discuss them and offer concrete recommendations to not just correct the problem, but improve the effectiveness of each shot you hit in the process.

The three most common flaws contributing to mishitting or framing shots are:

1. Footwork. Players who can't seem to anticipate or adjust to a ball’s potential location at contact will be somewhat like a baseball player swinging out of sync on a change up or a fastball. One of the elements that all pros spend a significant amount of time working on is footwork. It's as if they know a secret -- that the key to consistent contact is solid footwork. Recreational and club players seldom work on footwork or even bother to take a few extra steps because, lets face it, most players can hit many balls with only a step and a reach. We will talk more about footwork shortly.

2. Click photo: Dave Smith on the swing path.

   Swing pattern. The key to advanced play is to create a repeatable, reliable swing pattern. However, even this statement has some caveats. If a particular swing moves the racquet in a path that is counter to making solid contact, then of course, players will mishit similar shots that their swing is not in sync with. For example, I see many 3.5 players with relatively decent strokes, repeatedly mishit forehand returns off of sliced serves. Why? Because their forehand stroke is one that pulls across the body, the slice serve moves enough away from them that they will catch the tip of their frame almost every time unless they make some adjustment with their feet to off-set this pattern. We will talk about the swing pattern more in a moment as well.

3. Timing. Obviously, a player who has the best looking swing in the world may never be consistent because he has not discovered how to time that swing in order to repeatedly meet the ball in the contact zone. The timing of the swing must be adjusted to the variable speeds and spins that come from the opponent’s different array of shots. We often hear this: “That guy has the best looking swing but can’t win a match to save his life.” Both footwork and timing are usually the culprit in this example.
   
   

   Click photo: Dave Smith on timing the ball.

   Some players focus too intently on their swings and fail to develop the feel and timing because they are too rigid and focused on all the dynamics of the stroke. Yes, as players are working to develop a desirable swing pattern based on an advanced foundation, players must eventually let go and trust their swing and work to gain rhythm, timing and feel within that stroke pattern as well.

Footwork

One of the best drills/tips that I still use when I’m not moving well is to remember to try and get into position to hit each shot before the ball bounces on my side of the court. Through training and conscious application of this one drill/tip you can improve your footwork and better your chances of centering the ball on the racquet. The reason I like the concept is because it moves away from the more analytical type footwork (taking X number of steps, drop step, crossover step,  step into the ball, load, etc.) and the body to take the steps needed without conscious thought.

As with all training patterns moving from conscious commands to unconscious actions frees up both the body and the mind. And,while it is indeed a conscious intent to move enough so we are well-positioned before the ball bounces, it does not dictate a conscious effort of specific footwork patterns.

Swing Pattern

One of the problems I see concerning consistency is that a player may be stuck on a swing pattern that is not ideal for certain shots. Opponents recognize this, (unconsciously or consciously), and exploit the flaw. For example, I have seen many players who come across their body on the forehand side. This swing path makes returning a good slice serve difficult. With a ball that moves out away from the player combined with a swing that comes in and across the body. Players will frame these shots often.

Yes, with good footwork, a player can over compensate for this shot. However, in my experience, on service returns, players often only have time to turn or take a single step which prohibits them in many cases to get far enough outside the ball.

A swing concept that has helped hundreds of my students is the idea of hitting around the outside of the ball. This concept gets players to swing out to the ball, a little inside out, as opposed to outside in as when players swing across the body. Carving outside the ball also puts more crosscourt spin on the ball, making a well hit ball curve away from the center of the court. Very helpful when playing doubles especially!

Students of the game are always working on their swing. And well they should. Without a repeatable, reliable stroke, we can’t replicate proper swings unconsciously. The problem for many is that in competition, they try to override the natural developed swing they have worked on in practice, and control the stroke consciously in match play. Yes, in practice, knowing the correct swing pattern and making sure that your own “interpretation” of that swing isn’t causing issues, and consciously practicing that desired swing pattern is important. Work on hitting around the outside of the ball in practice so that it comes more naturally in competition. Hopefully, you find that you enjoy the effect this swing has and you gain a far more effective forehand, (or backhand), in the process!

Timing

Timing is a product of experience as it is rhythm and athletic motion. Timing is not just creating the opportunistic point of contact for directional control, it has a lot to do with spin, touch, and ultimately power. The swing pattern can contribute or detract from timing. A swing that uses a lot of wrist requires perfect timing on each shot. Likewise, a player who over rotates the body within the swing will also have difficulty creating good timing. Players who are most consistent lock out the wrist and stay relatively quiet at contact. (Yes, there is rotation within the stroke, but, as with the kinetic chain concept, the body parts slow down as the arm speeds up.) A lot of players open up at contact simply because they are trying to see where the ball is going or, as in doubles, often look to see if the net man is poaching.

A good drill to practice timing is to alternately hit shots to each corner off a fed ball or even a simple drop feed drill. Working on the stroke and footwork patterns described above and changing the ball’s direction on command will help players get a good feel for contact timing for various directional shots.

Conclusion

If you work on these three aspects of developing consistency, a player will gain confidence and competence in hitting various shots to various locations with better control and intent. When these aspects are indeed mastered, (or improved!), a player naturally adds more effect, (spin, depth, speed), to the shot simply due to confidence such play invokes.

Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne .

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David W. Smith has been a coach, tennis teaching professional, Director, Head Professional and General Manager of clubs and tennis facilities in California, Arizona and Utah. As a coach, Dave had one of the finest high school team tennis records in the U.S. winning over 800 team matches against fewer than 20 losses in 28 seasons of coaching boys and girls tennis teams. 

He is the author of two top-selling tennis books, TENNIS MASTERY & COACHING MASTERY. (http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Tennis_Mastery_-_Beyond_35_Level_Revised/descpageSGTA-MASTERY2.html) Dave is a Dunlop Sports Master Professional and a USPTA P-1 and has been a featured speaker at numerous divisional and world conventions. In addition, Dave created and authored the popular Disney Mysteries, "Hidden Mickey", adventures about Walt Disney and Disneyland. For over twenty-five years, Dave has published over 400 articles on tennis in magazines, web sites, and for international tennis publications. Today, he owns Synergy Books Publishing and helps authors realize their publishing dreams. For his information, go to www.synergy-books.com. You may also reach Dave at david@synergy-books.com.