Drills for keeping head still and eye on the ball

[Chas Tennis]

I had a group lesson and this drill broke my old habit of not watching the ball.

1) If you look up and see the ball cross the net you have failed.

2) If you look up and see the ball bounce in the other court and not earlier you have succeeded.

This can be done by an instructor watching students but mostly by students themselves as a check. Players can do this anytime when things are not going well and they want to check ball watching.

After an old ball watching habit is broken, you might adjust the timing to look up a little earlier.

During play if you hit a great shot, try to recall how the ball looked around impact. Also, try to recall what the ball looked like when you hit badly. Sometimes I would especially remember the ball well when I hit a good shot and not have much of an idea when the shot was bad.

Federer is the model for looking at the ball for ground strokes and keeping his head still. But on serves, he may look at the ball to serve impact and the majority of ATP servers don't.

 

[Miki 1234]

As soon as you think or just a thought passes your mind you will not see the ball for the duration of that thought or very poorly meanimg you will not notice real pace , lenght and direction , just the part of the flight.
No way around that.
So to practice keeping the eye on the ball and really seeing it is not the same thing.
It will do no harm but it will not help either.
Since thought is needed to keep eye on the ball so it canceles a lot of efforth trying to see the ball.
That is why it doesnt work in long run.

 

[Bagumbawalla]

In addition to anything that has already been suggested, I juggling and showering. These two things force you to concentrate
on the ball, co-ordinate hand and eye, focus your eye and mind. Good luck.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

In addition to anything that has already been suggested, I juggling and showering. These two things force you to concentrate
on the ball, co-ordinate hand and eye, focus your eye and mind. Good luck.

You're juggling your balls while showering? Dare I ask for details? No, never mind.

 

[Fintft]

In addition to anything that has already been suggested, I juggling and showering. These two things force you to concentrate
on the ball, co-ordinate hand and eye, focus your eye and mind. Good luck.

I have dificulties stretching on one leg, with my eyes closed, while I shower...

 

[NLBwell]

I had a group lesson and this drill broke my old habit of not watching the ball.

1) If you look up and see the ball cross the net you have failed.

2) If you look up and see the ball bounce in the other court and not earlier you have succeeded.

This can be done by an instructor watching students but mostly by students themselves as a check. Players can do this anytime when things are not going well and they want to check ball watching.

After an old ball watching habit is broken, you might adjust the timing to look up a little earlier.

During play if you hit a great shot, try to recall how the ball looked around impact. Also, try to recall what the ball looked like when you hit badly. Sometimes I would especially remember the ball well when I hit a good shot and not have much of an idea when the shot was bad.

Federer is the model for looking at the ball for ground strokes and keeping his head still. But on serves, he may look at the ball to serve impact and the majority of ATP servers don't.

One of the things I did which had at least some success was to hit against the ball machine with the strings in my racket all cut (but still in the racket). Since the ball was going through the stringbed, there was no reason to look up to see where the ball was going. Since the strings were still in the racket I could feel and see the ball pass through them.

 

[ballmachineguy]

You're juggling your balls while showering? Dare I ask for details? No, never mind.

I had to read that twice. What Bagumbawalla wrote not what you wrote. I was sorry I read that once.

 

[BevelDevil]

Intuitive Tennis (youtube coach) argued against emphasizing the "still head." He thinks it can lead to insufficient shoulder turn, or something like that. He's made several videos about the pitfalls of copying Federer.

 

[ballmachineguy]

Intuitive Tennis (youtube coach) argued against emphasizing the "still head." He thinks it can lead to insufficient shoulder turn, or something like that. He's made several videos about the pitfalls of copying Federer.

Probably something to that. Feds forehand doesn’t need rotation past shoulder parallel to baseline. A typical bent-armer rotates past that.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

@J011yroger

I agree. Exception may be when watching the player's split-step closely (i.e. not only in one's peripheral vision).

Don't understand. Why would you be watching your opponent's split step closely? They should be executing their SS in the latter part of your forward swing (or upward swing on your serve). The ball will be in close proximity to you at that time. I would imagine that you would either be focused on the ball or on your expected CP rather than closely watching their SS.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

@ballmachineguy

Intuitive Tennis (youtube coach) argued against emphasizing the "still head." He thinks it can lead to insufficient shoulder turn, or something like that. He's made several videos about the pitfalls of copying Federer.

I suspect that Roger & Rafa have better than average flexibility & ROM in their neck. It appears that Nadal started to emulate the Federer gaze technique in the early 00s.

Roger rotates his head quite a bit to fix his gaze on his expected CP (or behind his CP). On top of that, he keeps his head still longer than most. I believe the basic idea -- keeping the head still just prior to contact and for a while after contact -- is a good practice. But Fed does keep his head still longer than most would feel comfortable.

I sometimes will have students adopt an Andre Agassi gaze technique. He fixes his gaze somewhat forward of his expected CP. This means he does not have to turn his head quite as much as Roger does. Andre still keeps his head still before and after contact... but not quite as long as Rog does.

 

[BevelDevil]

@ballmachineguy
I actually will have students adopt an Andre Agassi gaze technique. He fixes his gaze somewhat forward of his expected CP.

How do you communicate this with your students?

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

How do you communicate this with your students?

I demonstrate it to them in addition to verbalizing it. I'll indicate that it is important to keep the eyes / head "quiet" just before contact and for a short time afterwards -- avoid the temptation to look up to where they intend to hit the ball. More often than not, trying to follow the ball off the racket results in head movement (and often mishits) during contact (phase).

I actually mention both Federer's gaze preference (CP or behind the CP) and Agassi's preference (somewhat forward of the expected CP). I usually leave it up to them to pick which one they prefer.

As the player is dropping the racket or executing their loop, they are tracking the incoming ball. However, once they start their forward swing they should "quiet" the eyes & head and fix their gaze on their chosen point (close to their expected CP). I ask them not to look up, in an attempt to follow the ball or watch the opponent, until they are well into their follow-thru.

We first practice this gaze sequence with shadow swings. And then with easy feeds. I employ a fairly simple drill to make certain that students are not looking up too early. We will stand about 7-9 meters (25-30 ft) from the back fence and hit balls into that back fence. I instruct them or not to look up to follow the ball until they have heard it hit the fence. If they see the ball hit the fence, they've looked up too early. Much harder to do for some students than it sounds.

 

[J011yroger]

@J011yroger

Don't understand. Why would you be watching your opponent's split step closely? They should be executing their SS in the latter part of your forward swing (or upward swing on your serve). The ball will be in close proximity to you at that time. I would imagine that you would either be focused on the ball or on your expected CP rather than closely watching their SS.

I think he is talking about teaching, when you want to make sure your student splits.

J

 

[Fintft]

@ballmachineguy

I suspect that Roger & Rafa have better than average flexibility & ROM in their neck. It appears that Nadal started to emulate the Federer gaze technique in the early 00s.

Roger rotates his head quite a bit to fix his gaze on his expected CP (or behind his CP). On top of that, he keeps his head still longer than most. I believe the basic idea -- keeping the head still just prior to contact and for a while after contact -- is a good practice. But Fed does keep his head still longer than most would feel comfortable.

I sometimes will have students adopt an Andre Agassi gaze technique. He fixes his gaze somewhat forward of his expected CP. This means he does not have to turn his head quite as much as Roger does. Andre still keeps his head still before and after contact... but not quite as long as Rog does.

But I try to follow Roger especially on the 1HBH with his head still. Or Andre.
Don't remember him doing that on the FH (although I do try).

 

[Fintft]

@J011yroger

Don't understand. Why would you be watching your opponent's split step closely? They should be executing their SS in the latter part of your forward swing (or upward swing on your serve). The ball will be in close proximity to you at that time. I would imagine that you would either be focused on the ball or on your expected CP rather than closely watching their SS.

Maybe he meant the opponent's racquet "b/c the ball will appear" (as a coach told me once)?