Moonballing vs heavy topspin loopers?

[topspin182]

What are the advantages of hitting a heavy looped topspin shot vs just opening the racket face and moonballing the backhand corner of someone with a weak one-handed backhand?

It certainly takes much more effort to do a topspin shot vs a moonball, and you can get the moonball to bounce up just as high in your opponents strikezone to force a weak reply, then step in and punish them...?

Or is there no real distinction between heavy topspin and moonballs? Some people even call Nadal a moonballer...

 

[olliess]

Well if you give them more time, then they have more time to set up (a lot of players with weak one-handers can hit a solid shot when not overly pressured) or do something else about it (like run around the backhand to hit inside-out).

 

[maverick66]

Or is there no real distinction between heavy topspin and moonballs?

Topspin makes the ball jump when it hits the ground. most likely forward and it puts a lot of pressure on the other player.

Moonballing just puts the ball high and they can take their time returning it.

At low levels both will work as just putting the ball in play works but as people get better the moonballing will be less effective.

Some people even call Nadal a moonballer...

Those people are incorrect.

 

[Manus Domini]

What are the advantages of hitting a heavy looped topspin shot vs just opening the racket face and moonballing the backhand corner of someone with a weak one-handed backhand?

It certainly takes much more effort to do a topspin shot vs a moonball, and you can get the moonball to bounce up just as high in your opponents strikezone to force a weak reply, then step in and punish them...?

Or is there no real distinction between heavy topspin and moonballs? Some people even call Nadal a moonballer...

Topspin: takes power to give power. Less power but more potential for power. Make sense?

thought not. So you apply spin which slows down the ball. At the same time, though, you can apply more pace because you have a larger margin for error

Moonball: slow and high, but effective. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6q_o6L6N48

 

[LeeD]

From my observations, a flat moonball can work up to some players at the 4.0 level, but after that, everyone just knocks it into a corner making you run full out just to get your racket on the ball.
A topspin looper would work to a higher level, because it makes the returner go back farther with it's forward spin, and it also grooves your passing shots in case he volley approach's your shot. I'd say a good topspin moonballer can make it all the way to college level, or low 5.5 tournament level, and use his game with some effectiveness.
Higher than that, everyone knows the answer.

 

[only4theweak187]

pace and spin of heavy topspin loop over a moonball always.

a moonball is slow and easily hittable if you can take the ball early.

 

[dozu]

this is one of the most effective style in the rec levels... very safe, yet puts a lot of pressure on the opp. and also does not break down under pressure.

use a lot of spin, top and side, so that the opp cannot take it early, due to crazy bounces... and also the same swing path can dip the passes well, so you are not vulnerable to net rushers.

One partner of mine use to play D1 with this style.. I am basically playing this style now.... when this thing is constantly jumping above the opp's head, it wears people out.

if the technique is good, it really doesn't burn a lot of energy to generate heaviness... good body turn with high take back to get a lot of free energy from the drop, plus some spinny strings poly or gut, and some heavy racket (mine is 12.5, not too crazy), you can generate heavy balls all day no sweat.

 

[tlm]

Topspin makes the ball jump when it hits the ground. most likely forward and it puts a lot of pressure on the other player.

Moonballing just puts the ball high and they can take their time returning it.

At low levels both will work as just putting the ball in play works but as people get better the moonballing will be less effective.




Those people are incorrect.

This is correct, these guys that say Rafa moonballs have no idea what they are talking about. There is a huge difference between a looping topspin shot as opposed to a moonball.

 

[dozu]

right, all the pros know they should take it early, but they can't... it takes super accurate footwork, plus luck to hit a ball like this flush when taking it early.. it curves during flight, and explode off the bounce... and exaggerate any surface irregularity on the grass or clay.

 

[tlm]

this is one of the most effective style in the rec levels... very safe, yet puts a lot of pressure on the opp. and also does not break down under pressure.

use a lot of spin, top and side, so that the opp cannot take it early, due to crazy bounces... and also the same swing path can dip the passes well, so you are not vulnerable to net rushers.

One partner of mine use to play D1 with this style.. I am basically playing this style now.... when this thing is constantly jumping above the opp's head, it wears people out.

if the technique is good, it really doesn't burn a lot of energy to generate heaviness... good body turn with high take back to get a lot of free energy from the drop, plus some spinny strings poly or gut, and some heavy racket (mine is 12.5, not too crazy), you can generate heavy balls all day no sweat.

I agree with most of what you are saying, but saying that it does not take more energy to create heavy topspin is very doubtful. I believe it takes a lot more energy to hit high jumping topspin. Also a heavy racket actually makes it more difficult to generate high enough racket head speed consistently. If you are playing someone who hits with good pace you will be late trying to hit heavy topspin loopers. Topspin is all about racket head speed + brushing up+across the ball.

 

[DeShaun]

I find easier hitting flat against heavy topspin than replying to topspin with topspin of my own because of how much racket speed is needed to impart topspin on a ball that has already heavy topspin. Slice would seem the easiest reply to heavy topspin but also the least effective.

 

[tlm]

I find easier hitting flat against heavy topspin than replying to topspin with topspin of my own because of how much racket speed is needed to impart topspin on a ball that has already heavy topspin. Slice would seem the easiest reply to heavy topspin but also the least effective.

Exactly you have to use very fast racket head speed to put heavy top on a ball that is kicking up with its own topspin, but it can definitely be done. But you must be ready to rip a topspin ball.

 

[dominikk1985]

Sabatini was a topspin moonballer.

You can play on quite some level with topspin moonballs. of course those moonballs are not like 30 feet high but rather 8 feet over the net or so and still with some pace. just lobbing it up won't cut it.

 

[equinox]

i see national 12 year olds ripping the ball with modern equipment.

10 years ago those kids in particular the girls were moonballing each other to boredom.

a regular moonball doesn't cut it nowdays. just get taken early on the rise or out of the air spanish drive volley drill style.

 

[larry10s]

since the mmonball floats some you have time to take it out of the air as a swinging volley
since the moon ball bounces up more than foward you have space to go back and let it drop if you choose
the heavy topspin looper is falling faster (dipping) so tougher to get to at the proper height
the looper bounces forward so you may have to climb the fence if you wait for it to drop
the spin when the ball lands gives timing issue more difficult compared to the more natural bounce of the moonball

 

[dozu]

I agree with most of what you are saying, but saying that it does not take more energy to create heavy topspin is very doubtful. I believe it takes a lot more energy to hit high jumping topspin. Also a heavy racket actually makes it more difficult to generate high enough racket head speed consistently. If you are playing someone who hits with good pace you will be late trying to hit heavy topspin loopers. Topspin is all about racket head speed + brushing up+across the ball.

the optimal racket weight depends on the player's physicality, and the level he plays at.

Rafa, superhuman, with unlimited energy, hence the light racket.... his style does burn a lot of energy.

now take an amateur like myself, no muscle strength, no flexibility, decent cardio for the age, playing against a wide range of players, typically 4.5 - 5.0 level.. need that weight on the frame to dominate the juice on the incoming ball, but don't wonna burn a lot of muscle energy, hence have to rely on more plough-thru with a heavier frame, and a more up&down swing path to generate spin..... there is no way I can play like rafa with a light frame.

 

[mikeler]

Well if you give them more time, then they have more time to set up (a lot of players with weak one-handers can hit a solid shot when not overly pressured) or do something else about it (like run around the backhand to hit inside-out).

If somebody tries to moonball me on the backhand side, I'll typically run around my 1 hander to hit an inside-out forehand.
As a righty, this gives me my stronger shot going cross court into their weaker righty backhand and puts me instantly in control of the point unless I hit a crappy forehand.

 

[MNPlayer]

I've always thought of high topspin shots as "moonballs". I suppose it's a matter of degree. I'm sure my "heavy topspin" is a moonball to a pro

My main hitting partner is a hard hitter and he has trouble with deep, reasonably high topspin shots. I still have to make them fairly "heavy" to give him trouble but it works better than my normal rally shots. He just out-powers me if I try to play that game.

So I agree with the heavy looper strategy. It's a great way to stay in a point against an aggressive player. It is very difficult to hit a winner off of a shot like that and eventually you'll get a short ball to attack or they'll miss. The higher softer ball, on the other hand, is very attackable by a good player with a volley or even overhead. Or they just set up, let it drop, and blast away.

dozu, how do you get 4.5 and 5.0 players to play with you? I'm a strong 4.0 and even though I can give them some game, most 4.5s around here don't want to play down.

 

[dozu]

as a 3.5 I have to bribe them.

seriously - the 3.5 rating is just an badge of honor I got on this board... I stated I have 50-95% win rate against my regulars (can count on 1 hand - 2 former D1s, 1 former D3, 2 2-star senior recruits, and a couple of 4.0 level guys I am coaching informally)

finding higher level player is indeed a challenge, you just have to get better, one way or the other... and before you get there, just gotta offer some incentives for the better player.

For me, the incentive to play with the couple of 4.0 guys, is that either they have some game (a big serve etc), or some junior who's willing and hungry to improve..... if I see that they are making changes for the better, that's a great satisfaction for me and I am willing to put in the time to hit with them.

I have encountered greater number of 3.5-4.0 type guys, who just want to hit, but never listen to what I have to say... and usually they will never get me to answer their calls.

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

Dozu, you can't expect people to rate you highly when all you post are just decent rally videos, then clearly state that your serve is a weakness.


OP, as people have already stated, the moonball gives the player enough time to take the ball early, possibly even out of the air if they have a swinging volley.

 

[dozu]

understood... my video was meant to be "Hi, this is me, a dude playing tennis", instead of "Hey, look, what a hot shot tennis player I am" (for this I'd shoot one indoors with loud echo, with a partner who can feed 20 straight balls into my strike zone, plus some heart-pumping music - I guarantee you I would get a much higher rating)...

I don't really care what rating I am getting here, I know who I can beat.

It's actually more amusing to get a 3.5.... so much so I put it in my sig.

 

[olliess]

the looper bounces forward so you may have to climb the fence if you wait for it to drop

LOL!

This is why we as "modern" tennis players should watch some baseball outfielders for technique hints!

 

[Power Player]

I hit with dozu briefly. He is very consistent. You will need to put the balls into corners with pace and be ready to run. He would beat a 3.5 on consistency alone.

Only thing is that for me, it was pretty tiring to hit with heavy spin every shot unless the opponent used pace as well. I have switched sticks from the super spinny tfight and to the Pure storm tour so I can drive the ball more when I want to. also switched my grip as well.

 

[dozu]

hey PP

I was trying to be nice as a guest and sent every ball down the middle... and you guys ran me all over

next time, I need to do some homework on how to move better on that green stuff... I remember a few balls you pulled me wide, and it was difficult to recover with so much sliding.

 

[Power Player]

If you figure it out..please let me know..the green stuff is tough..honestly those specific clay courts are really hard to read.

 

[Sreeram]

Yesterday i played a match against a 3.0, me being a 3.5. I was well placed in a set with 4/0 lead so I dint want to take any risk and win the set with ease. Plus my shoulder is not in a good shape so I dont go for it unless it is required. I played safe with lots of spin, moving him both the direction. I hit with lots of spin and looping shot. At some stage he thought I am pushing the ball and hence started moon balling it. I had no other go than to go hard at them for a winner. I dint mind his moon balling but I was worried if he mistook my topspin loop to pushing. I wonder how people love Nadal but when you apply his style against them they hate it.

 

[Sreeram]

Yesterday i played a match against a 3.0, me being a 3.5. I was well placed in a set with 4/0 lead so I dint want to take any risk and win the set with ease. Plus my shoulder is not in a good shape so I dont go for it unless it is required. I played safe with lots of spin, moving him both the direction. I hit with lots of spin and looping shot. At some stage he thought I am pushing the ball and hence started moon balling it. I had no other go than to go hard at them for a winner. I dint mind his moon balling but I was worried if he mistook my topspin loop to pushing. I wonder how people love Nadal but when you apply his style against them they hate it.

I am I wrong here, do you guys consider topsin looping shots as a push? It happend to me twice, I was once playing a match after some tired workout. I was late on most of my shots and hence was forced to play more reverse forehand. My hitting partner openly said I am pushing and did not win him by my merits. I tried explaining him about topsin loop but he is a stuborn guy.

 

[dozu]

there is no style points in tennis... whoever wins is the better player.

I am actually encouraging this style on somebody getting ready for the varsity selection.... at nervous moments, this style will not breakdown, you can still swing hard enough to avoid deceleration... sky is literally the limit on how high you wonna loop it.

and most people hate playing against this type of ball... they all grew up hitting waist high stuff... even the neck gets tired after looking UP all the time.

Anatomically speaking - looking up creates this tension in the neck area that restricts the airflow into the lung, causing fatigue to the entire body...

also, if a player has technique issues, trying to hit a high ball will be hell.

 

[mikeler]

If you figure it out..please let me know..the green stuff is tough..honestly those specific clay courts are really hard to read.

Are they the courts you and I recently hit at? Just remember to slide with the leg on the same side as your arm holding the racket.

 

[dozu]

Are they the courts you and I recently hit at? Just remember to slide with the leg on the same side as your arm holding the racket.

ok, let me write that down.

seriously, sliding with the other leg would be an X-game move.

it may just be a matter of getting used to a surface, as the time I hit with PP and gang was like the 3rd time I ever play harTru... with cement underneath, you've got all these tiny ball bearings that keep you going for ever.

on red clay however, the surface is soft, allowing you to 'dig in' a little big, so you can change direction faster.

 

[mikeler]

ok, let me write that down.

seriously, sliding with the other leg would be an X-game move.

it may just be a matter of getting used to a surface, as the time I hit with PP and gang was like the 3rd time I ever play harTru... with cement underneath, you've got all these tiny ball bearings that keep you going for ever.

on red clay however, the surface is soft, allowing you to 'dig in' a little big, so you can change direction faster.

You can slide with your off leg too. After 2 knee injuries, I shed that habit.

 

[Power Player]

Are they the courts you and I recently hit at? Just remember to slide with the leg on the same side as your arm holding the racket.

No, the OTC ones..pretty much the same though..just highly annoying until I figure out how to properly slide like you are saying. I need to spend more time at it.

 

[mikeler]

No, the OTC ones..pretty much the same though..just highly annoying until I figure out how to properly slide like you are saying. I need to spend more time at it.

Those are the toughest ones to slide on IMHO. Your clay courts have a thicker clay layer and it is easier to control your slide. The OTC courts are very slick.

 

[schwuller]

What are the advantages of hitting a heavy looped topspin shot vs just opening the racket face and moonballing the backhand corner of someone with a weak one-handed backhand?

It certainly takes much more effort to do a topspin shot vs a moonball, and you can get the moonball to bounce up just as high in your opponents strikezone to force a weak reply, then step in and punish them...?

Or is there no real distinction between heavy topspin and moonballs? Some people even call Nadal a moonballer...

well nadal is no moonballer! have you ever seen him in person? his balls do rise high and arch down like a moonballer's would. the difference is his balls are spinning, which is creating the arch, and so his balls are moving FASTER than any moonballer's and they JUMP when they land.
a moonball is a ball hit flat and upward. that requires it to be hit SOFT. guillermo vilas was not moonballing, he was hitting big spin for a wooden racket. the tactic is: i am going to use spin to clear the net by FEET, because of the spin, i will have depth even on balls that land short, and i am going to let you play all the low-percentage tennis because i can do this all day and if you come in on me i will flatten it out and pass you! that's basically what guillermo vilas did and what bjorn borg did. moonballing is more of a rhythm changing thing that can, at club level, elicit errors or give you time to recover from their good shot or whatever. it's surprisingly effective. i know a woman who hits HARD and FLAT, and i will throw up a flat lob (moonball) and i swear she just looses all of her timing and 80% of the time she will miss. throw up a ball 20 feet that lands near the baseline on their backhand side (a moonball) and see how many club players will totally screw up wildly!

 

[arche3]

hey PP

I was trying to be nice as a guest and sent every ball down the middle... and you guys ran me all over

next time, I need to do some homework on how to move better on that green stuff... I remember a few balls you pulled me wide, and it was difficult to recover with so much sliding.

And no video? It is a rule tt peeps video all hitting sessions.
As soon as winter is over I am on hartru till next winter. I like the stuff.

 

[dozu]

And no video? It is a rule tt peeps video all hitting sessions.
As soon as winter is over I am on hartru till next winter. I like the stuff.

oh it's a rule?

then I'd have to tape something this evening (with a TTer not to be disclosed lolol)... except that my phone is dead, so may have to wait for the phone, as well as the approval from the TTer

(stupid Palm Pre Plus, piece of crap but with some impressive features.... dropped on the ground and it's now on life support, had to buy a used one from the bay.... in a week or so I will be able to take vids again.)

By the way, I know your area has more hartru courts.... used to hang out with some people at White Plains, where I got my virgin hartru experience.

 

[Frank Silbermann]

Try to find some old videos of Harold Solomon. He invented the concept of moonballing, as well as its name. He did put on the ball what in those wood-racket days was considered heavy topspin.

And no -- no ball carrying a topspin is a push. A push, by definition, has little if any backswing or follow-through. A push is like a block against an incoming ball that was never all that fast to begin with.

Yes, I know that nowadays some people use the term that way, but that's like calling your brother an idiot -- his IQ is not really that low and the moonball is really more than a push. Your friend who calls you a pusher is not speaking facts, he's just name-calling.

 

[only4theweak187]

I have encountered greater number of 3.5-4.0 type guys, who just want to hit, but never listen to what I have to say... and usually they will never get me to answer their calls.

No wonder, you have hardly any body rotation, any feel for the ball, and no forawrd momentum into the ball.

you hit constant FORCED reverse forehands when you're not swinging with anywhere near the amount of racket head speed to even feel like you should be finishing around your head.

You also hit off the back foot on your forehand, i don't see how you can claim to give anyone advice.

You have a little work to do on your forehands. Loosely explode forward into the ball fluidly

 

[dozu]

^^ yup, yet all this crappy stroke is giving much trouble to good players in the zip code.

I have explained before why I hit the way I do... I can do the standard hitting off the front foot thing just fine.... yet the brain knows, thru trial and error, what generates the most juice on the ball, with the most margin for error, and the most comfort for the body, and gives the most trouble to opponents.

so if that is the crappy strokes, crappy it is.

 

[only4theweak187]

Well, not crappy. we all will hit shots off the backfoot in rallies when pushed back for whatever reason why we cant hit that specific ball on the rise.

But you wont have any nice bite or hard pace on the ball if you cant put forward momentum into it.

with heavy looping topspin reverse forehands, couldnt hurt to have some extra bite on that ball coming at your opponent, and also might help produce a bit more spin.

def work on that muscle memory to move into the ball explosively on most shots, especially short balls and easily attackable baseline balls.

 

[dozu]

^^ understood... like i said, been there, done that... and the vids were taken when hitting with somebody who produces balls that bounce irregularly.

like I said, I let the central nervous system decide what the best option is... against this particular player, I had to let the ball come in... otherwise I may whiff on the ball if I take early.

with that being said, if an opponent does have orthodox strokes and produce regular bounces, I may still hit the way I do, depending on what hurts him the most.

If you have played pingpong like me since age 8, 30+ years later the muscles and joints are already grooved for that steep motion, you'd prefer the reverse action.. at my age with limited flexibility, hitting the standard WW shot is something my body will complain about...

I have a deeper shoulder turn in the backswing, so although I finish just past square to the net, my shoulder rotation from the end of the back swing to the end of the follow thru is still close to 180 degrees... there is enough core rotation.

with an Eastern FH grip, the contact is naturally delayed to the side of me, allowing a very long strike zone, without the right side having to come all the way around counter clock wise, and the reverse finish is the most comfortable when the body does not go so much counter clock wise.

I can hit clean winners just fine with this stroke and there is plenty of forward momentum.

Rafa hits plenty of reverse FH winners.

I am no Rafa, but the guys I play with are no pros either.

thanks for your input... but I know my swing.... and you can see I have enough understanding of the game to give advice to plenty of 3.5-4.0 guys out there... and some of them have been actively seeking them from me for improvement.

 

[danno123]

Here's a moonball done right: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfrUVH6MBwk

Nadal ain't a moonballer. Neither was Borg.
I wish I had the touch to moonball. I really have to practice that.

 

[dozu]

wow that's rare to see in the pros.

I have put guys on the back fence many times, but the community courts are smaller... that must be some crazy high moon Seles threw up.

now why did these girls don't take the ball on the rise? can be many reasons, but generally speaking, in neutral situations if you throw up a loopy ball, the opp won't have enough time to get to the spot and hit early... it takes very precise footwork, and some luck if playing out doors or on clay to hit early and consistently meet the ball on the sweat spot.... and if you've got wind on your back, you can really push guys back with this jumpy stuff.

guys I hit with (former D1s and current 2 star recruits) have tried to hit my balls early, and usually they shank enough shots to decide it's not a wise option.... seems the only time I get killed is when there is a 10+ mph wind in my face, that's when I have to keep it low.

Now, at the rec level, there is 1 combo that is quite under-used... that is a rush to the net after a moonball, especially to the bh. Guys may get pushed so far back, that there will be no angle for a pass if you close in.

 

[danno123]

wow that's rare to see in the pros.

I have put guys on the back fence many times, but the community courts are smaller... that must be some crazy high moon Seles threw up.

now why did these girls don't take the ball on the rise? can be many reasons, but generally speaking, in neutral situations if you throw up a loopy ball, the opp won't have enough time to get to the spot and hit early... it takes very precise footwork, and some luck if playing out doors or on clay to hit early and consistently meet the ball on the sweat spot.... and if you've got wind on your back, you can really push guys back with this jumpy stuff.

guys I hit with (former D1s and current 2 star recruits) have tried to hit my balls early, and usually they shank enough shots to decide it's not a wise option.... seems the only time I get killed is when there is a 10+ mph wind in my face, that's when I have to keep it low.

Now, at the rec level, there is 1 combo that is quite under-used... that is a rush to the net after a moonball, especially to the bh. Guys may get pushed so far back, that there will be no angle for a pass if you close in.

At the rec level, you will win virtually every match if you simply hit a deep moonball to the backhand and move forward every time (provided you can volley and hit an overhead). Few rec players can hit a deep or hard return off a backhand moonball.

 

[dozu]

^^ probably so.... just surprising that not many people play with this strategy... I guess it's monkey see monkey do... since no pros on TV do it, then the amateurs dont do it.

 

[danno123]

^^ probably so.... just surprising that not many people play with this strategy... I guess it's monkey see monkey do... since no pros on TV do it, then the amateurs dont do it.

I know the strategy works but rarely employ it because it gets my opponents so mad that they wouldn't want to play with me any more.

 

[dozu]

I know the strategy works but rarely employ it because it gets my opponents so mad that they wouldn't want to play with me any more.

you know that's interesting.... I've got a couple of 4.0 level guys, who stopped calling me after a couple of hitting sessions where I looped them all over the court...

(let me clarify, I didn't give out any 'unsolicitated advices' or anything like that would offend them

But their facial expression and body language after the hit tells me that those balls really put a tax on their body.

danno since you are so tall, I can imagine loopy stuff from a high elevation can really get people mad

 

[Power Player]

No wonder, you have hardly any body rotation, any feel for the ball, and no forawrd momentum into the ball.

you hit constant FORCED reverse forehands when you're not swinging with anywhere near the amount of racket head speed to even feel like you should be finishing around your head.

You also hit off the back foot on your forehand, i don't see how you can claim to give anyone advice.

You have a little work to do on your forehands. Loosely explode forward into the ball fluidly

This just shows you how pointless it can be to post videos on here. Since I have seen him in person, I can tell you that he does have body rotation and is very consistent. I think in the video Dozu may be working on other strokes because he always rotated his body and had nice base form. He also did not hit a lot of reverse forehands if I remember correctly.

It is real tough to judge guys off of video unless it is a match situation, and even then it is not going to tell you as much as you think it will.

 

[dozu]

thanks PP

the video was really meant to be like -

"hi, this is me, a dude crazy enough to play tennis in sub freezing weather with gloves and hats on... and fortunate enough to have another crazy guy to be the partner"

so it's basically a couple of sets of not-young-no-more bones trying to get a work out in, without killing each other.

so it would be expected to receive 3.5 ratings, if this is compared to those orchestrated college recruiting videos LOL.

 

[only4theweak187]

This just shows you how pointless it can be to post videos on here. Since I have seen him in person, I can tell you that he does have body rotation and is very consistent. I think in the video Dozu may be working on other strokes because he always rotated his body and had nice base form. He also did not hit a lot of reverse forehands if I remember correctly.

It is real tough to judge guys off of video unless it is a match situation, and even then it is not going to tell you as much as you think it will.

Yeah, i was acting "tough" chill the **** out idiot. Like i said, it was from observation only.

And yes, he is hitting off the back foot. i suggested he could get much more pace and he could if he put weight into the ball.

Relax it's not that serious

No need to defend your boyfriend like i was insulting him