Think back to your very first tennis
lesson. After the instructor showed you which end of the racket
to hold, how to stand and demonstrated your first stroke, what
did he say next? I’ll bet you my autographed picture of Rod
Laver that the next words out of his mouth were "now be sure to
watch the ball."
"Watch the ball." It’s the first tip most of us ever received
and will always be the game’s most important piece of advice.
However, listening to the ball might be a close second. By
paying attention to the sound as the ball strike’s your
opponent’s racket, you can pick up how hard or soft it’s been
hit, if it’s been hit with excessive spin or if it’s been mis-hit.
Each has its own distinctive sound.
A hard hit ball sounds like a big "boom" while a ball hit softly
sounds more like a "tap." A ball that’s been hit with excessive
spin makes a "hissing" sound" and a mis-hit shot bears that
unmistakable, ear-cringing, noise that I often compare to
fingernails running down a blackboard.
By watching and listening to the ball you’ll pick up cues as to
where your opponent’s shot is going to bounce and what it’s
going to do after it lands. You can then respond accordingly.
For example, if you see that the ball is three feet or higher
above the net and sounds as if it’s been hit hard (boom) you
need to immediately begin backing up. Conversely, if the ball
comes off your opponent’s racket less than three feet over the
net and the sound is softer (tap), you need to quickly start
moving forward.
If you hear the sound of spin (hiss) and see that your opponent
has swung with a low to high motion, they’ve hit with topspin
which means the ball will jump at you and bounce up after it
lands. If you hear the "hiss" and the swing was a high to low
motion that means slice which will cause the ball to stay low or
even die as it hits the court.
If you’re opponent has mis-hit their shot (fingernails on the
blackboard) it’s very difficult to determine which way the ball
will dance after it bounces. If at all possible, try to move
forward and take it in the air so you won’t have to deal with
the unpredictable spin that the mis-hit has placed on the ball.
If you can’t reach the ball in time and must let it bounce, get
to the spot where you anticipate it will land as quickly as
possible and be prepared for it to jump one way or the other.
Most of the time, you’ll be able to react quickly enough to get
the ball back in play.
A few years back there was a big controversy surrounding
airplanes that flew over the stadium during the U.S. Open in New
York. Fans thought that the players were complaining that the
noise from the planes was disturbing the concentration when, in
fact, they were equally upset because they couldn’t hear the
ball as it hit their opponents racket. In response, then mayor,
David Dinkins, a huge tennis fan actually rerouted the planes so
that they would stay away from the U.S. Open site.
In fact, Joel Drucker writes on www.thetennischannel.com that
"the USTA orchestrated a 99-year lease that fines New York for
unnecessary flyovers by jets taking off from nearby LaGuardia
Airport. Under the lease, the city is liable for up to $325,000
if planes disrupt the tournament."
More recently, a controversy has arisen on the pro tour
surrounding grunting and its effect on the player’s ability to
hear the ball being struck. Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova
are two players whose habit of grunting loudly as they hit their
shots has drawn complaints from their opponents. They claim that
the noise disrupts their concentration as well as their ability
to hear the ball being hit.
The next time you play, put on a pair of earmuffs or stuff some
cotton in your ears. You’ll be amazed at how important hearing
the ball is for your preparation. By watching and listening
as your opponent strikes the ball you’ll get a much quicker
sense of where their shot is going and what it’s going to do
after it lands. This will then allow you to begin your
preparation that much sooner. And, as we all know, early
preparation is the key to sound stroke production.
