federer "eye on the ball" tip???

[tom-selleck]

was wondering what people think of this analysis of federer and how he 1) keeps his head steady; 2) keeps his eye on the ball.. better than any other pro..... i've seen this at least two places, one of them being tennis.com (tennis magazine).

trying to work this into my game and it helps somewhat on square contact but hard to get power..... seems like a really key tenet of modern power tennis (and federer is the best) is to rip thru with the hip rotation... and a FIXATION ON "keeping your eye on the ball" seems to reduce the hip action on your shots.

my question is: how would you incorporate these fundamentals??? can you release the hips while keep your eye on the spot where the racquet hit the ball??? .... i realize we are talking about probably a 1/10th of a second, but i find it makes a difference......... does federer actually keep his eye on the contact point longer than other players? i doubt that myself... probably keeps his head steadier though.

to compare to golf, i think the whole "keep your eye on the ball" tip is horrible except maybe for the absolute beginner.... i think concentration on square contact is a much better tip.

any thoughts???? all replies appreciated.

 

[ABC]

He's not the only one too. Try Santoro.

I'd say he's got decent control on his shots.

 

[ABC]

And, for one thing, I would never try to do anything like Federer. Only people with similar DNA should attempt what he does.

 

[crosscourt]

You have to keep your eye on the ball all the time. From the point that you hit it, to your opponents shot, to the point that you hit it. You have to fix on the ball.

People will say that you can't watch the ball onto your strings. That may be right, but it misses the point: you have to try to watch the ball all the time. People say that you also have to watch your oppnent. That's right, but it misses the point. You have to watch the ball and your opponent -- peripheral vision.

Watching the ball is easier if you are feeling confident about your strokes so that you are (i) hitting out in front and (ii) not thinking too hard about your stroke.

If you aren't fixed on the ball you aren't properly engaged in the point.

cc

 

[tom-selleck]

People will say that you can't watch the ball onto your strings. That may be right, but it misses the point: you have to try to watch the ball all the time. People say that you also have to watch your oppnent. That's right, but it misses the point. You have to watch the ball and your opponent -- peripheral vision.

i appreciate the responses.... that is really what i'm asking, i.e. does he watch the ball onto the strings??? seen pictures where he does....... but might only be certain shots... i just find it hard to watch the balls onto strings and then get power.

agree with the one poster that "focus on the ball" is absolutely key.... really helps when playing better player and you need a jump on every ball hit to you and also to hit the ball early (which i'm coming to see is probably the #1 difference in player levels).

anyhow, as i said, i appreciate the feedback.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

Check this much better thread:

Watching the ball until the last moment trouble
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=33919

 

[kevhen]

Federer is the best at following the ball all the way into his strings. We all need to focus more on doing that.

 

[crosscourt]

I have looked at the other thread Marius refers to and there is an interesting discussion. If you like things very complicated, get involved in it. If not, concentrate on watching the ball all the time -- it has many benefits. If you like things complicated think about the benefits. If not think about watching the ball all the time.

cc

 

[Marius_Hancu]

Federer is the best at following the ball all the way into his strings. We all need to focus more on doing that.

Most pro players do that.

What is special about Fed is the fact that's he's keeping his head still, relatively long after the contact, continuing to look at the "last perceivable image" of the ball.

That's debatable.

Sergio Cruz, the former coach of Jim Courier, argues that this approach robs Federer of several moments of viewing and assessing the visual field in front of him. And that Fed's winning IN SPITE of this approach, not because of it:
---------
This is what Mr. Cruz says:
http://www.tenniscruz.com/login.asp
(free registration)
then go to:
http://www.tenniscruz.com/roger_vs_ken.htm

Personnaly, I like Roger and his game immensely and I think that he is a great champion but, his bio-mechanics should not be taught to young players. "BEWARE" of Roger's "extreme sideways" head position at ball contact! Even tough you can not beat success, DO NOT copy. I rather teach young players the Ken Rosewall stroke production.

Photo 7- Roger's racket head BEGINS TO FINISH, BUT HIS HEAD REMAINS TO THE SIDE (THIS MAY HINDER HIS RECOVERY, THOUGH THERE APPEARS TO BE LITTLE EVIDENCE OF THAT IN HIS MATCH PLAY).
---------

I think Mr. Cruz might well have a point here.

 

[tom-selleck]

I have looked at the other thread Marius refers to and there is an interesting discussion. If you like things very complicated, get involved in it. If not, concentrate on watching the ball all the time -- it has many benefits. If you like things complicated think about the benefits. If not think about watching the ball all the time.
cc

i agree....... just trying to figure out "focus on the ball" vs. watch your strings AS/AFTER you hit the ball........ i think we can all benefit from increased focus on the ball.

 

[tom-selleck]

marius, once again thanks for the links................. wow, federer really does keep his eyes on the spot of contact after the ball leaves.......... do you think that might be unique to the backhand slice??? i could definitely see that.

and i know you said not to emulate everything about federer... and i agree 100%.

 

[Tomek_Pl]

One thing that I like about this technique is that it keeps you from over rotating your self if you use a lot of body rotation to product a shot (I think that it happened to Courier sometimes but I can be wrong...).

 

[splink779]

Is it possible to watch the ball into your strings and keep your eye on it as it leaves the strings and over the net? At the pro level, I dont think so, the ball is moving too fast. Anyway there are plenty of pros who look at the ball into the strings, and plenty (if not more) of them that don't.

 

[Geezer Guy]

You have to keep your eye on the ball all the time. From the point that you hit it, to your opponents shot, to the point that you hit it. You have to fix on the ball. ...

I've been taught to concentrate on the ball as it's coming towards me, to concentrate on the spot where my racquet meets the ball - and hold that spot for a split second like Federer does. However, once the ball is well off my racquet I should concentrate on my opponent's movement, his grip, and his racquet stroke (and see the ball - as it's going away from me - with my peripheral vision). Once he hits the ball, I should start concentrating on the ball again (and see my opponent with my peripheral vision).

By concentrating on the player/gip/racquet before he hits the ball, I can better anticipate what he's going to do with the ball. I don't need to watch the ball as it's going AWAY from me. Heck, I hit it - I know where it's going to go (well, kinda). However I don't know what my opponent is going to do, so that deserves my attention.

That's what works for me anyway. Luckily we don't all have to do things the same way.

 

[Grimjack]

My suspicion (and it's just a suspicion, mind you) is that Roger's exaggerated head-stillness through the stroke production was a corrective measure coached into him at an early age.

It's a sort of biomechanical truism that where the head goes, the body will follow. As such, the big "danger" of looking up and admiring your shot too early is that it'll pull the rest of your body out of its good stroking mechanics. LOTS of juniors (especially good juniors, who take justifiable pride in their developing games) have a problem with this.

Perhaps Roger got caught up at some young stage admiring himself, and it was costing him depth and consistency. A good coach would have brow-beaten this out of him. Maybe forcing him to do a "one-thousand-one" type count before he was "allowed" to look up. Look up early, and you run some laps, junior! The very-still head thing seems to have worked out for him, so maybe he kept it.

It's only important that you not let looking up early distract your mechanics. So once the ball is hit and the follow-through is on autopilot, you SHOULD be able to look up with no harm. Roger's approach is simply a way of assuring that, perhaps at the cost of a split second of recovery time. But clearly it doesn't cost him so much time that it really has much effect more than one rally out of a hundred.

He does it right, but for longer than necessary, unless for psychological reasons.

 

[donnyz89]

take the ball early, concentrate on the balls. cant really explain when to watch the ball and because all this happens so quick u cant be thinking "i gotta watch the ball longer" or "i should watch it hit the strings" because there is no way you can do that feeling natrual. once you get the hang of it it becomes natrual. be relaxed, FOCUSED and once you develope a complete stroke and good technique, you will be watching the ball just fine.