Hit The Center!

[LeeD]

Lots of times, for flat first serves, I try to hit the ball nearer to the top of the racket than it's sweetspot.
On most groundies, slightly below center seems most solid.
For normal volleys, as close to center as I can. On touch volleys, nearer the top than the sweetspot again.

[directionals]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Lots of times, for flat first serves, I try to hit the ball nearer to the top of the racket than it's sweetspot.
On most groundies, slightly below center seems most solid.

What are the reasons for the different positions for serves and groundies? I'm trying to learn..

[LeeD]

Serves. Ball is static, I threw it up there. More leverage, more angle, higher racketspeed near the top of the racket.
Groundies. Ball is incoming with different speeds and spins, hit by the other guy, who's usually trying to beat me. Less leverage, more control, but more torsion and more mass behind my shots.

[Power Player]

Originally Posted by OldFedIsOld

You hit directly on the sweet spot for only some shots, for regular ground strokes you want to aim it so the leading edge contacts first to maximize the brushing effect and racquet head speed use.

You still are hitting the sweetspot either way, and it will still be a clean hit if you are doing it properly.

[LeeD]

Oh, I thought we were supposed to refer to the center here.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Serves. Ball is static, I threw it up there. More leverage, more angle, higher racketspeed near the top of the racket.
Groundies. Ball is incoming with different speeds and spins, hit by the other guy, who's usually trying to beat me. Less leverage, more control, but more torsion and more mass behind my shots.

And easier to bring the ball down for shorter folks

[LeeD]

Yeah, I figure for a static ball, I don't need much racket mass to hit it hard.
For a spinning incoming ball, I need the heaviest swingweight I can handle to plow thru my mishits.

[Off The Wall]

Looking at the manufacturer's diagram of a racquet SS, it's all over the place. I think a manufacturer's SS is way over stated. A player's SS is much smaller. And it shrinks with greater playing level.

For me, hitting strokes above the horizontal axis is not sweet. Hitting strokes below dead center is not ideal. I like the hitting the ball toward the top (of the racquet), slightly below the horizontal.

[LeeD]

Nice, so you hit your hardest groundies near the same spot as your most deft touch drop shots.
And your first flat serves the same spot as you'd hit a super hard incoming groundie.

[Off The Wall]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Nice, so you hit your hardest groundies near the same spot as your most deft touch drop shots.
And your first flat serves the same spot as you'd hit a super hard incoming groundie.

I purposely didn't mention serves. Though I don't go dead center there either.

And I don't consider drop shots to be standard strokes.

But you bring up a point I didn't address...slice strokes. I was describing upward swings. Downward swings would be the opposite...above the horizontal. Still top end of the racquet.

[LeeD]

Sounds like you are too rigid and one dimensional. You think ONE thing at a time, and keep the parameters to yourself, yet you'll argue your're correct to the very end.

[vil]

I hit low ball forehand topspins almost with the tip of my racket. Is that normal? 'Cos I think it's nowhere near the sweet spot.

[LeeD]

Normal and good.
Why scrape your knuckles on the ground to hit that low ball?

[boramiNYC]

This discussion about aiming slightly off center for different shots is silly. For any shot you try to hit smack in the middle. That's where most power, control, and feel can be had. Plain and simple. You can hypnotize yourself you're hitting off center for different spins and so on but smack in the middle is where best things will happen. This is really a non issue.

[vil]

Originally Posted by boramiNYC

This discussion about aiming slightly off center for different shots is silly. For any shot you try to hit smack in the middle. That's where most power, control, and feel can be had. Plain and simple. You can hypnotize yourself you're hitting off center for different spins and so on but smack in the middle is where best things will happen. This is really a non issue.

Generally you are right but you'd be surprised how many pros are not hitting to the centre and it's not because they are unable to do any better. There's a reason for it. Have you ever seen Federer in slo mo hitting forehand? He hits it in lower part of the racket and rarely in the middle.

[Off The Wall]

Originally Posted by boramiNYC

This discussion about aiming slightly off center for different shots is silly. For any shot you try to hit smack in the middle. That's where most power, control, and feel can be had. Plain and simple. You can hypnotize yourself you're hitting off center for different spins and so on but smack in the middle is where best things will happen. This is really a non issue.

Smack in the middle doesn't deliver the best power or feel...at least once you've felt the power of another inch/inch+a half toward the tip of the racquet.

[LeeD]

Post 34 is exactly correct..... IF we only want to hit the ball it's hardest, with the most control, but not with the most feel. With the LEAST feel, since it's the sweetspot also.
However, Poster 34 is talking lower levels of tennis, where a tennis racket is any other tennis racket, balls make no difference, and you selection of shot is small and limited.
At higher levels, you can see players using different parts of their rackets to hit the ball. They don't ONLY want to hit hard and solid, they take advantage of the extra length, the solidity of a lower hit, and the extra touch of using the upper part of the racket.
It's like saying....you need ONE first serve and get the second serve IN.
Is that good enough for you? For some, it certainly is. For other's, it's not close to having a serve.

[Off The Wall]

The longer the radius, the faster the speed. Hence, dead center is not better for power over an inch further out in the sweetspot. I don't see how this is disputable.

That said, I like dead center for half-volleys.

[boramiNYC]

If the racquet is made of solid wooden block, the farthest point argument could make sense but strings are elastic which is why there is a sweet spot. Just try to hit the ball all the way at the tip of the string bed. It should produce most power but clearly it doesn't. String elasticity is a BIG part of power, control, and feel of a racquet.

[Off The Wall]

Originally Posted by boramiNYC

If the racquet is made of solid wooden block, the farthest point argument could make sense but strings are elastic which is why there is a sweet spot. Just try to hit the ball all the way at the tip of the string bed. It should produce most power but clearly it doesn't. String elasticity is a BIG part of power, control, and feel of a racquet.

Yes, of course. There is a point of diminishing returns. That's why I said inch/inch and a half.

I don't know of anyone who teaches this stuff, but most advanced players figure it out without thinking.

Experiment with it yourself.