Do most of you swing HARD?

[gb.tennis.junky]

hum...
well, i wouldn't want to seem pretentious or anything, but as some people are naturally heavy hitters and don't have to go all out, which would be unconsiderate.
i see some hit the ball at about 95% of their strength, it's a risky game!
focusing too much on power means less control and thus leading to too many unforced errors.
i suggest only hitting at 75% max, unless you're in a good day, you can go for a little more.

[shojun25]

my swings are usually up to long-medium strokes depending on the speed of the ball. for my backhand its easier to do full swings (being 2handed bh), but more my forehand, it seems as though i unwillingly go for more medium swings to control the ball

[thejackal]

Originally Posted by Mick

I would swing with even less power until I am in the position to put away a forehand shot. Then I would swing at about 70% of my strength

I also completely agree with what BB said. When I try muscling the ball, the results are worse because i'm not actually hitting as hard or as efficiently.

[heycal]

I agree that not swinging as hard as possible is better for your game, but don't you guys find it a bit torturous to have to hold back on your swing all the time? Almost makes it no fun... Don't you just want to smack that ball whenever you get a chance?!

[Bungalo Bill]

Originally Posted by blubber

Bungalo Bill, it's nice to see you post again, I haven't read one in a while. I just wanted to thank you for some of the advice you've written on these boards over the last few years. When I find something interesting or helpful in the forums I usually copy and paste it in a word document. When I was going through those clippings recently I noticed a lot of the stuff I copied was from you. One piece of advice that helped with my fh motion was to think of petting a dog. That really helped me visualize things despite not having pets. This tip allowed me to get the butt cap pointing in the direction of the ball. As a result I'm pulling rather than pushing the racquet forward, creating a fast and powerful stroke.
With your help I made a big jump in my game this past year.

Thanks, glad you are using the tips wisely.

[Bungalo Bill]

Originally Posted by heycal

I agree that not swinging as hard as possible is better for your game, but don't you guys find it a bit torturous to have to hold back on your swing all the time? Almost makes it no fun... Don't you just want to smack that ball whenever you get a chance?!

You can accelerate the arm going forward from your legs and torso (especially the stomach muscles. These are the muscles that really should be working. If you have a relaxed arm, the swing of the arm should be accelerating because it recieved a lot of energy to go forward. If you muscle the ball with the arm it is very difficult to use the energy your body created. Most of the time your swing actually slows down.

[Kabob190]

im always told that i am swinging too hard by my coach. but you just cant beat that feeling of hitting the ball as hard as you can, getting it right in the center of your strings.

[ubel]

I try my best not to.. Swinging hard gives me the mental image of someone muscling the ball, which is imo not the most helpful way to think of your swing. I do, however, try to swing relatively fast and my optimal consistency is at about 70-75% of my maximum swing speed, as people have stated

[Bungalo Bill]

Originally Posted by Kabob190

im always told that i am swinging too hard by my coach. but you just cant beat that feeling of hitting the ball as hard as you can, getting it right in the center of your strings.

True, you can't beat it, but how many times do you actually win a point that way? What is even better is when you learn to generate energy from the ground up to flow through your body and hit a ball with a fast swing speed but with very little "muscle".

For the most part, it is timing and learning to generate pace from your legs and torso that provides a player with the best shot feeling of all. It feels like butter as the ball pops off the strings.

[Fintft]

Trying to swing fast (with proper form) seems a good idea to me, first to push the opponent back, second to keep the ball in play and lastly to ...protect your arm.

I.e. I've done some calculations when swinging at 1 m/s vs 10 m/s and in the first case your arm actually get pushed back at 1.38 m/s while in the second it still maintains its forward momentum at 1.42 m/s!

http://www.tennis.com/gear/2013/01/c.../#.UQwqtx1bNes

Law of Conservation of Momentum:
What that means is that the two momentum (of the racket and the ball, after the impact) have to be equal and with a heavier racket, the ball's speed will be increased, while the racket will not slow down as much (being more stable in your hands, as opposed to lighter frames).

Now that got me thinking? Which one of the two would be affected more?
The crux of the problem being:

1. Would we be hitting much harder with a heavier racket?
or
2. Would the heavier racket be drastically more stable?

What's your guess?

So, I've dusted off my rusty physics (ahem, googled it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elastic_collision) and the answer is:

2. We’d be hitting about 18% harder and the heavier racket(by 100g) would be about 13% more stable.

Follow-up, a bit more realistic calculations, with the ball at around 60g and considering that the pros hit in average around 75-85 mph and the hardest at around 100 mph, so they probably are able to swing the racket faster, say at 10 m/s:

Example A:
Ball: mass = 0.06 kg , velocity = 30 m/s (around 60 mph)
Racket: mass = 0.5 kg, velocity = -10 m/s

After collision:
Ball: velocity = -41.4 m/s (about 93 mph)
Racket: velocity = - 1.42 m/s (The racket continues to swing forward at around 73% of the original speed)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Example B:
Ball: mass = 0.06 kg , velocity = 30 m/s (around 60 mph)
Racket: mass = 0.6 kg, velocity = -10 m/s

After collision:
Ball: velocity = -50 m/s (around 100 mph an increase of 18% when hitting with the heavier racket)
Racket: velocity = -2.7 m/s (The heavier racket continues to swing forward at around 86% of the original speed. Hence more stable, less impact on the arm and inducing longer swings/easier to go more through the ball as opposed to coming over too soon)

I’ve done some calculations (based on the equations bellow) and it seems that by adding 100g to a 500g racket, one makes it 27.5% more stable when hitting a ball that weighs about 20gs and comes at us with about 30m/s, while we swing at it with 1 m/s. If you want to check my calculations here they are:

Example A:
Ball: mass = 0.02 kg , velocity = 30 m/s
Racket: mass = 0.5 kg, velocity = -1 m/s

After collision:
Ball: velocity = -29.61 m/s
Racket: velocity = 1.38 m/s
--------------------------------------------------------------
Example B:
Ball: mass = 0.02 kg , velocity = 30 m/s
Racket: mass = 0.6 kg, velocity = -1 m/s

After collision:
Ball: velocity = -29.67 m/s
Racket: velocity = 1 m/s
---------------------------------------------------------------


Equations
One-dimensional Newtonian


Consider two particles, denoted by subscripts 1 and 2. Let m1 and m2 be the masses, u1 and u2 the velocities before collision, and v1and v2 the velocities after collision.
The conservation of the total momentum demands that the total momentum before the collision is the same as the total momentum after the collision, and is expressed by the equation

m1u1 +m2u2 = m1v1+m2v2

Likewise, the conservation of the total kinetic energy is expressed by the equation

m1u1u1/2 +m2u2u2/2= m1v1v1/2+m2v2v2/2

These equations may be solved directly to find vi when ui are known or vice versa. However, the algebra involved can be cumbersome[dubious – discuss]. An alternative solution is to first change the frame of reference such that one of the known velocities is zero. The unknown velocities in the new frame of reference can then be determined and followed by a conversion back to the original frame of reference to reach the same result. Once one of the unknown velocities is determined, the other can be found by symmetry.
Solving these simultaneous equations for vi we get:

v1= (u1(m1-m2)+2m2u2)/(m1+m2)

v2=(u2(m2-m1)+2m1u1)/(m1+m2)

[MarinaHighTennis]

I hit 60-70% more focused onpoint construction, moving the ball or giving my opponent a hard time i only hit 100% for a winner

[MarinaHighTennis]

Originally Posted by heycal

I agree that not swinging as hard as possible is better for your game, but don't you guys find it a bit torturous to have to hold back on your swing all the time? Almost makes it no fun... Don't you just want to smack that ball whenever you get a chance?!

Not really, fun to me is outfoxing

[slowfox]

I try to swing as soft as possible yet still hit a decent ball. One guy on an adjacent court said that it looks like I'm not doing anything. Most will also say that I have good groundstrokes. But since I have no vids to post, y'all can say I suck. haha

[NLBwell]

Originally Posted by Fintft

I.e. I've done some calculations when swinging at 1 m/s vs 10 m/s and in the first case your arm actually get pushed back at 1.38 m/s while in the second it still maintains its forward momentum at 1.42 m/s!

1 m/s is at most a drop shot hit from close to the net. Yes, the racket will go backwards in that case as you take the speed off the ball.

[luvforty]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NehyqjhDbsM

a must watch.

[TennisCJC]

I hit between 70% and 90% depending on situation. My average is probably about 75%. I go for the 90% shot only when I have a good ball to work with or when serving with a lead.

Rally balls are in the 70-80% range to maintain consistency.

Key is always accelerate form 0 to 70% or 0 to 80% etc...

Also, it is more fast than hard. As in 0 to X MPH of racket head speed.

I think from 0% to 75% of max speed can still hit a deep penetrating ball if it is timed well.

[Topspin Shot]

The kinetic chain is a must for effortless power, but the pros don't hit every ball as hard as they can. They still hit hard because they're pros, but they can hit harder than they do. You don't want to hit too hard or too soft; hit at the right pace for whatever tactic you're using. Control >>power.

[TheCheese]

I swing fast, not hard. What changes is my swing path, depending on how much margin I want to put on the ball and how much speed I want to give it.

[TonyB]

Wow, way to resurrect a SIX year old dead thread.

[hyperion99]

[quote=Ronnie92;1211999]


(Ronnie92's Question) For the most part, do you guys swing full out, or do you swing casually?

On pro&high level competition most people don't swing casually.
In life there's always a balance.
Same thing with tennis.
On terms of racket speed it depends what type of ball is coming your way.
If there's a ball floating on the service line feel free to hit it hard but if there is a ball landing near the edge of the baseline near your feet you can't hit a hard ball.

If you try you will probably make an error.
You should try take away some power and add more spin and height (shot selection) to get back in the point.
It all depends on what type of shot your going and where you are on the court.


(Ronnie92's Question) I've been told I swing too hard, but I'm positive that most pros swing very hard.

In terms of speed comparing how the ball is being hit compared to a club player then yes.

But even in the pros they can't go full speed every time they hit the ball becuase it depends where they are on the court.

It all comes down to SHOT SELECTION.
If you don't have good shot selection you are going to miss a lot of balls.

Hope this info helps.