THE #1 ERROR PLAYERS MAKE In my 25 years learning, doing research, and teaching tennis alongside Vic Braden, the #1 error we found players make on forehands and backhands was that players simply do not get the racket BELOW THE BALL. One reason for this is that we see our target by looking THROUGH the net. One has to be 6 7 tall to see any part of the opposite side of the court without looking through the net. This creates an optical problem causing players to line the racket up near the same height as the incoming ball. The result is a horizontal swing path and a ball that is hit wide, short, or into the net. Try covering the net with a tarp to create a solid wall and notice how your perception (and net clearance) changes. Another reason that makes getting below the ball difficult is that when the racket goes beyond your peripheral vision you lose kinesthesis or feel. The use of video or practicing in front of a mirror can help you realize just how low or high you are with your swing. Watch the attached 3D video clip of Rafael Nadals backhand and notice how low he gets the racket in relation to the ball (about 2 feet below the impact). This gives him a racket swing path that is inside-out and low-to-high. It also creates a longer hitting zone where the path of the racket goes to the path of the target. https://youtube/watch?v=ASFTBba8jXs
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 15:37:44 +0000