How do you get the "pop" sound on your shots?

NE1for10is? · Jan 22, 2012

I notice when I watch the college players, and of course the pros, they always get that solid pop sound on every groundstroke. I was even watching a 10 year old girl hitting with a pro yesterday and she got the pop on every shot. I get that sound maybe once in every 50 shots. Not that this is critical to winning in tennis I suppose, but just out of curiosity, how does one get that consistently to happen?

Chyeaah · Jan 22, 2012

Hit the sweetspot hard with spin.

Can't think of a name · Jan 22, 2012

As you would imagine, the pop happens because the ball is being hit hard. Harder than what most amateurs are used to. Good college players and pros have the fundamentals down in their swing mechanics and you will usually hear that distinctive pop or thud. Most rec players tend to "arm" the ball and the only force they put into a swing is the arm muscles and maybe some shoulder. The power from a heavy pro ball starts with the legs, then torso and shoulder rotation, followed by the arm. Get that kinetic chain down and you'll have heavy strokes too

Chyeaah · Jan 22, 2012

Take the shock absorber off and you'll get a pop sound

Tennis_Monk · Jan 22, 2012

May be there is a device (runs on batteries) that can be stuck onto the racquet and makes whatever sound one desires everytime a ball is stuck.

stormholloway · Jan 22, 2012

Chyeaah said:
Hit the sweetspot hard with spin.

No. Spin implies oblique. The more perpendicular the force the more the strings will pop.

The flatter the shot the more it will pop.

Bergboy123 · Jan 22, 2012

Do string-types come into this?

5263 · Jan 22, 2012

stormholloway said:
No. Spin implies oblique. The more perpendicular the force the more the strings will pop.

The flatter the shot the more it will pop.

I agree, flatter gives more of a pop usually.

Chyeaah · Jan 22, 2012

stormholloway said:
No. Spin implies oblique. The more perpendicular the force the more the strings will pop.

The flatter the shot the more it will pop.

Spin will keep the ball in. If you hit it flat, hard enough that it will pop I would assume the ball will fly to the fence.

I assume the BLX Tour is a spin friendly stick, and hitting flat with a spin friendly stick would not work very well.

Bartelby · Jan 22, 2012

Babolats seem to sound good more easily.

BobFL · Jan 22, 2012

Yeah, when you hit the ss with nice and relaxed form you are going to hear that beautiful "twaaack"

Power Player · Jan 22, 2012

Chyeaah said:
Take the shock absorber off and you'll get a pop sound

What are you talking about? The ball pops for me and everyone else just fine who uses a vibration dampener.

Chyeaah · Jan 22, 2012

Although if you dont have a shock absorber it will go "PIIIIIING"

Can't think of a name · Jan 22, 2012

i'll say it again.. the pop comes from proper technique, not vibration damperner / lack thereof, or the brand of racquet you use.

Limpinhitter · Jan 22, 2012

I'll take the beautiful "CRRRACK" sound of natural gut and wood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvpckZmLaEc&feature=related

Power Player · Jan 22, 2012

Chyeaah said:
Although if you dont have a shock absorber it will go "PIIIIIING"

Wrong again.

Chyeaah · Jan 22, 2012

My racquet pings like crap when i take the shock absorber off... And if you take the shock absorber off its easier to get the pop sound.

kiteboard · Jan 22, 2012

I have the smack a lings for sale. Makes the ball explode with sound.

TheOneHander · Jan 22, 2012

Chyeaah said:
My racquet pings like crap when i take the shock absorber off... And if you take the shock absorber off its easier to get the pop sound.

That's because you're still a beginner (from what you've said in your posts). Good technique creates the pop sound among other things.

stormholloway said:
No. Spin implies oblique. The more perpendicular the force the more the strings will pop.

The flatter the shot the more it will pop.

Yep.

Bergboy123 said:
Do string-types come into this?

I think in general, equipment does. My Tours are stealthy and silent, but my KPS88 cracks like Guillermo Coria under pressure.

Chyeaah said:
Spin will keep the ball in. If you hit it flat, hard enough that it will pop I would assume the ball will fly to the fence.

I assume the BLX Tour is a spin friendly stick, and hitting flat with a spin friendly stick would not work very well.

Wrong. You can hit flat with a spin friendly stick if you have proper control. And if you can't hit flat balls that pop, then why do flat hitting professionals exist? Heck, anyone with decent experience can do that.

stormholloway · Jan 22, 2012

So the OP is watching 10 year olds for cues on how to get 'pop'? I also like how he plays with a Wilson 90.

Methinks OP overestimates his ability.

stormholloway · Jan 22, 2012

Chyeaah said:
Spin will keep the ball in. If you hit it flat, hard enough that it will pop I would assume the ball will fly to the fence.

I assume the BLX Tour is a spin friendly stick, and hitting flat with a spin friendly stick would not work very well.

He asked how to get pop. Pop comes from direct, perpendicular shots. That's just science. It sounds like he isn't making good contact. I'm figuring there's an issue with mechanics.

Any racquet can hit flat. Is there such a thing as a flat "non friendly" racquet?

charliefedererer · Jan 22, 2012

Can't think of a name properly emphasized that the "kinetic chain" sequence of powering you shots from a leg thrust and core rotation, not just your arm:

So that "pop" does indicate a "slap" has occurred.

Both on the serve and on groundstrokes, the butt of the racquet is directed at the ball and not released until the last second with a sudden pronation movement [NOT a wrist slap].

Notice in pic 3 that Fed has the butt of the racquet still pointed at the ball even though it is very close to the contact point.

See pic 5 for the same on the backhand

The pronation process on the serve courtesy of Toly http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=393401&page=2

The Modern Forehand – the secret is the Lag By Jim McLennan
http://www.tennisnow.com/News/Featured-News/The-Modern-Forehand-–-the-secret-is-the-Lag.aspx

How to practice pronation so you can incorporate it into your serve (note the nice "pop" from pronation):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iONY6fcqZGg

TheOneHander · Jan 22, 2012

stormholloway said:
So the OP is watching 10 year olds for cues on how to get 'pop'? I also like how he plays with a Wilson 90.

Methinks OP overestimates his ability.

He plays the Wilson Tour, not the Tour 90. You know, the incredibly popular racquet that was spawned from the 5.2?

Mhmmmm.

I do agree with your second post, however. It's difficult to find a racquet that prevents flat hitting, although it's very easy to find some that enhance it

Funbun · Jan 22, 2012

I always thought the "pop" came from the acoustics of the court.

I might be confusing that with a "crack". Either way, I think you just want to hit hard, with or without spin. You're gonna get a sound as long as you makes clean contact, I suppose.

Chyeaah · Jan 22, 2012

TheOneHander said:
That's because you're still a beginner (from what you've said in your posts). Good technique creates the pop sound among other things.

Yep.

I think in general, equipment does. My Tours are stealthy and silent, but my KPS88 cracks like Guillermo Coria under pressure.

Wrong. You can hit flat with a spin friendly stick if you have proper control. And if you can't hit flat balls that pop, then why do flat hitting professionals exist? Heck, anyone with decent experience can do that.

I can't seem to hit flat with my BLX Pro Open still strung with Head PPS. Well his 4.0 level I'm pretty sure you can get a pop sound?

And I know you can hit flat but its way harder to control. Say a APD and a Radical. It's so hard to hit flat with the APD unless you get it right in the middle of the sweetspot.

Chyeaah · Jan 23, 2012

charliefedererer said:
Both on the serve and on groundstrokes, the butt of the racquet is directed at the ball and not released until the last second with a sudden pronation movement [NOT a wrist slap].

You made my day. Never knew this. I know that your racquet has to be facing back abit but never knew that it has to be as extreme as the butt facing the ball.

ace_pace · Jan 23, 2012

Lol I used to ask that question my self back when I jjust started tennis. Then one day it just happened.

Its the sign that you are hitting the ball cleanly and heavily. Does not in any way mean your hitting it RIGHT though. Just remember to try and use your whole body, not just swinging your arm at the ball. Im beginning to question that 4.0 rank of urs.

Swingweight · Jan 23, 2012

I find it also depends on string choice. Poly at high tension will give you that noise a lot of the time I find. Multis and syn gut more of a ping. But then again they will both pop if you hit the ball hard enough.

NE1for10is? · Jan 23, 2012

A little clarification seems to be in order. I'm playing with a BLX Tour and not a 90, and it doesn't have anything to do with the sound, nor does the vibration dampener.

The sound I'm referring to is more of a heavy thud that sounds very intimidating when you hear it, because you know that it's solid contact with the ball. I've rarely hear that sound from anyone at my level. I've only heard it from college level players and above and the occasional junior player.

I like what Charliefederer says about the swing mechanics. (Great videos, by the way.) I have been working on pronating the wrist more and without slapping at the ball. My challenge is to still use the kinetic chain, and pronate, but not be late to make contact with the ball. It makes me wonder if the big difference is the ability to be completely relaxed in the wrist to get the whip that is more difficult to acheive unless you have learned it at a young age.

Interestingly, I do get the pop, or thud, or whatever we want to call it, every time I hit an overhead and I'm sure it's intimidating to an opponent.

Noltae · Jan 23, 2012

Stood watching Rafa practicing serves at the WTF 2011 and was surprised how little audible pop I could hear - lots of variables involved regarding that pop/thud - the "loudest" racquet I've used was a dunlop MFIL foamtech - which is of low mass and came strung with a multi at mid tension - quite different to my preference for Babolat PST with low tension poly which also generates good noise - However my Prince rebel 95 with Technifibre BC poly was relatively quiet? Not sure TBH is there is an exact science behind that rather addictive sound - playing indoors helps!

NE1for10is? · Jan 23, 2012

stormholloway said:
He asked how to get pop. Pop comes from direct, perpendicular shots. That's just science. It sounds like he isn't making good contact. I'm figuring there's an issue with mechanics.

Any racquet can hit flat. Is there such a thing as a flat "non friendly" racquet?

Can you explain 'direct perpendicular shots'? How would one achieve that on a consistent basis?

thug the bunny · Jan 23, 2012

Hitting the ball with the racket traveling less on a tangent, and more straight down the intended trajectory, ie, flat. I hit flat shots by trying to make the racket finish more at the target rather than up and around.

I have found that the 'pop' sound is very racket and string dependent. My YTK Pres Mid and KPS88 made really loud pops that would echo across the courts. My Redondo makes a fairly good pop with multi, but when I put poly on, it makes more of a 'twang'.

LeeD · Jan 23, 2012

Pop...
Swing fast, hit center, and pop appears whether you shot is flat, topped, sliced, or sidespun. Just don't brush the ball.

charliefedererer · Jan 23, 2012

Chyeaah said:
You made my day. Never knew this. I know that your racquet has to be facing back abit but never knew that it has to be as extreme as the butt facing the ball.

As Jim McLellan emphasizes on that forehand, the lag in releasing the racquet coming forward from that butt facing the ball until the last possible moment channels all that force into a brief burst of power with that big "pop" the result.

[Indeed in physics, power = energy/time. So to get more power, release the energy over a shorter period of time.]

Nick Bolletieri told his players to imagine the butt of the racquet was a flashlight, and to aim their "flashlight" as if they were aiming a light to shine on the incoming ball.

The same thing is happening on the serve. The picture I posted above was of the pronation movement coming out of the "'aiming the butt of the racquet at the ball".

But in the sequence below, you can see that from the full racquet drop in pic 5, the first two feet of racquet movement is almost straight up at the ball with the butt of the racquet still aimed at it in pic 6.

Then comes the release of the hand/racquet in the pronation movement to achieve maximum power and "pop".

(I too often see players start to pull their racquet handle forward too early from the deepest racquet drop position, instead of aiming the butt of their racquet up at the ball as the initial movement out of the drop.)

NE1for10is? · Jan 23, 2012

I hit with the ball machine today and practiced some serves, and due to all your advice, focused on aiming towards the ball with the buttcap till the last second with a relaxed wrist and arm, and also the kinetic chain.

I probably had solid contact and heard the 'pop' about 40% of the time, which is about 39% of the time more than I usually do, so this is indeed progress. When I connected well the balls were really flying off the court more than usual for me. The most surprising part was that the backhand (one-hander) was also popping fairly often. That's an entirely new and addictive experience for me. I never get the pop on the backhand in my life before today. I discovered that leading with the buttcap towards the ball on the backhand and letting it fly at the last second was an entirely different feeling than I'm used to. Once that happened a few times, I began to notice how tight my arm and wrist were when I didn't do that.

Though the forehand was more likely to get a pop, especially when I took the ball slightly earlier, the biggest problem was when I laid the wrist back I was often late and would mishit entirely. I assume that there is a part of my kinetic chain that is lagging or late. Probably opening the shoulders or hips too soon.

I also practiced serves with the pronation mentioned in the video. It took a little while, but eventually I started getting a few pops and the balls were flying off the court. I have never ever gotten a pop on the serve in my life before, so again this is new territory.

It's going to take some time and practice with this, but I think that once I get used to it I will get the pop, and obviously more solid contact with the ball, on a more consistent basis.

By starting this thread with this question I wasn't really expecting to get such results so quickly. Wow. Hats off to you guys.

DjokovicForTheWin · Jan 23, 2012

charliefedererer said:
Both on the serve and on groundstrokes, the butt of the racquet is directed at the ball and not released until the last second with a sudden pronation movement [NOT a wrist slap].

Any guess as to the distance from the ball before Fed releases with the sudden pronation?

Can't think of a name · Jan 23, 2012

DjokovicForTheWin said:
Any guess as to the distance from the ball before Fed releases with the sudden pronation?

11.6 yoctometers

LeeD · Jan 23, 2012

11.5 yoctometers, depending on angle of attack and language used.

stormholloway · Jan 23, 2012

NE1for10is? said:
Can you explain 'direct perpendicular shots'? How would one achieve that on a consistent basis?

For the record I don't think you should hit such a shot, and please pardon my judgment earlier. You aren't, in fact, playing with the 90.

My point was that pop simply comes from force against the sweet spot. The flatter the shot the more pop there will be, all other things being equal. My honest guess is that you're just not hitting the sweet spot.

zcarzach · Jan 24, 2012

kiteboard said:
I have the smack a lings for sale. Makes the ball explode with sound.

Sounds like a breakfast cereal!

kiteboard · Jan 24, 2012

Two pieces of material on either side of the strings at the bottom, connected by grommets, make them smack into the string bed.

ttbrowne · Jan 24, 2012

Noltae said:
Stood watching Rafa practicing serves at the WTF 2011 and was surprised how little audible pop I could hear - lots of variables involved regarding that pop/thud - the "loudest" racquet I've used was a dunlop MFIL foamtech - which is of low mass and came strung with a multi at mid tension - quite different to my preference for Babolat PST with low tension poly which also generates good noise - However my Prince rebel 95 with Technifibre BC poly was relatively quiet? Not sure TBH is there is an exact science behind that rather addictive sound - playing indoors helps!

And you could bring some mics & speakers, drag them from one end of the court to the other on your changeovers. You'd get that BIG TV SOUND!

jdubbs · Jan 24, 2012

True story I heard from another member.

Andre Agassi played at our indoor club a few years ago. The sound coming off his racket, coupled with the indoor natural amplification, caused every other court to stop playing and check out where this sound was coming from. They got to watch me spank Agassi in straights.

(Last sentence may be slightly wrong/exaggerated).

NE1for10is? · Jan 24, 2012

It's one day later after practicing the serves with the pronation and my deltoid is REALLY sore. Clearly I'm using entirely different muscles than I'm used to using and I'm going to need to do some opposing muscle excercises for the deceleration phase of the serve and shoulder stretches to loosen up the shoulder capsule. Clearly, I'm also going to need to severely limit the number of serves I hit until the muscles and flexibility develops. I'm very glad I only served for 10 minutes or so yesterday.

mucat · Jan 24, 2012

Can you make the sound effect yourself? Because that's what I do and everyone loves it!!!

Anyway, you can also try hit harder, physics doesn't know right or wrong tennis techniques. You want loud banging sound, you will have to bang it hard.

dominikk1985 · Jan 24, 2012

the pop comes from hitting it hard.

but very important is also the speed of the incoming ball- hard to create that against a pusher.

rufusbgood · Jan 24, 2012

Switch to a Kevlar hybrid like Prince Pro Blend if you like a really distinct pop sound.

r2473 · Jan 24, 2012

jdubbs said:
True story I heard from another member.

Andre Agassi played at our indoor club a few years ago. The sound coming off his racket, coupled with the indoor natural amplification, caused every other court to stop playing and check out where this sound was coming from. They got to watch me spank Agassi in straights.

(Last sentence may be slightly wrong/exaggerated).

The way I heard the story, it was the sound coming off your racquet, not Andre's that got the attention of the other courts.

And I heard Andre retired before you beat him in straights.

jdubbs · Jan 24, 2012

r2473 said:
The way I heard the story, it was the sound coming off your racquet, not Andre's that got the attention of the other courts.

And I heard Andre retired before you beat him in straights.

Well, I didn't want to seem like I was bragging here.

I remain your glorious soaring tennis Norse God,
Jdubbs

dennis10is · Jan 24, 2012

I have my man-servant fire the Barrett .50 cal at my opponent. Makes a big pop and I usually win the match right there. For a killer forehand you need to have 3rd party finger flexion in addition to your laid back wrist, forearm pronation, and WW finish. That finger flexion is key.

I usually tip the custodian and extra $20 for the clean up.

I love it in the indoor season when I would loudly remind my man-servant to adjust for windage. My opponents would have this strange look on their face, windage, why is that sniper rifle pointing at me.

How do you get the "pop" sound on your shots?

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