Such thing as too much racket head speed?
- Thread starter New Daddy
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travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
If you can’t control where the ball goes, then you have too much racquethead speed (for you).
Some people will tell you that you should just swing even harder. I think the people that say that probably don’t win many tennis matches.
Topspin can be a useful tool, but only if it helps you get better control. If it doesn’t do that for you, then you are better off just focusing on pointing your racquet face toward the target.
Some people will tell you that you should just swing even harder. I think the people that say that probably don’t win many tennis matches.
Topspin can be a useful tool, but only if it helps you get better control. If it doesn’t do that for you, then you are better off just focusing on pointing your racquet face toward the target.
Pete Player
Hall of Fame
There is not, but for the particular shot there may be, if the hit is too flat and produce the wrong (too little) amount of topspin.
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No more on pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter are still subject to disclaimer
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No more on pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter are still subject to disclaimer
Dragy
Legend
If the contact is always clean and the ball you strike is not low and relatively close to net, it’s your racquet face angle. But trying to go big sometimes actually tightens up your arm and shoulder and hinders RHS. So check also how you feel here and whether you actually produce bigger and more reliable shot with more flow rather than go-big effort.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
The serve (especially the first serve) is an exception - the more racquethead speed you have to work with, the better, as long as you have a reasonable expectation that your shot will find the service box.
It sounds like you either hitting leaning back or you're hitting flat. A big flat winner is an impressive shot but if you go for 100% it is going to be a low percentage shot.
How many people can make a high number of balls hitting as hard as they can? I certainly couldn't.
NuBas
Legend
Yes, its definitely possible and probably goes along with another problem such as an open racquet face or not producing enough spin with that swing speed.
Racquet head speed is only beneficial when you can produce a consistent swing with your racquet face traveling fluidly on a smooth plane or path.
Swinging with fast racquet head speed without recognizing your racquet face swing path doesn't do any good.
The swing path has to be first clean and smooth before adding speed. Think like playing a piano, does playing a song fast necessarily mean it will sound good? No.
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Dolgopolov85
G.O.A.T.
The point at which your quest for RHS either ruins your swing path (not hitting up enough) or leads you to open the face or even close it too early is the point at which you are using too much RHS for your technique. IMO lining up the right moment to trigger the shot is much more important. The right moment is the moment the ball is in your ideal contact zone. At the right moment, the ball will also feel stationary mid air and you will feel able to execute the stroke properly and effortlessly. Needless to say, that moment is relatively elusive for recs, especially in match play.
bitcoinoperated
Professional
No, just incorrect/inconsistant swing path.
No, you want to hit fast on every shot and dial down the pace when needed rather than hitting slowly and never daring to hit at full power. This will maintain your consistency so you know where the ball is going.
Other than getting more topspin which is the obvious change, if you like to hit flat one thing you can do is change your strings and racket.
Get a control racket, use poly strings, use a higher tension. This will all dull down the power. Its possible to create a setup where if you swing at full speed it will only just about reach the back of the court, which will give you better control. Youll know if you swing out it should still stay in.
To put racket head speed in context as well, Nadal will usually blast every ball with great power and it can still land near the service line.
Other than getting more topspin which is the obvious change, if you like to hit flat one thing you can do is change your strings and racket.
Get a control racket, use poly strings, use a higher tension. This will all dull down the power. Its possible to create a setup where if you swing at full speed it will only just about reach the back of the court, which will give you better control. Youll know if you swing out it should still stay in.
To put racket head speed in context as well, Nadal will usually blast every ball with great power and it can still land near the service line.
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fuzz nation
G.O.A.T.
Something you can experiment with on the practice court is finding your best swing tempo when you hit the ball with both a normal and also a bigger stroke. This might sound like a nothing-burger, but it's easy for many of us to let our mechanics and synchronization unravel when we try to take a faster swing.
The problem is that a faster or "bigger" swing takes just slightly longer to execute than our normal swings. If we don't start the forward swing at a slightly earlier time relative to when the incoming ball arrives, then we're stuck accelerating the racquet on the same schedule as we would for a normal swing - so that bigger swing can get late and break down in a rush to contact.
Take a few "ghost strokes" (without hitting a ball) at normal speed and then take a few a higher speed. Make sure that these practice strokes are comfortable and that you swing with decent balance. Pay attention to the difference in the timing from when you start that forward swing to when the racquet releases through the strike zone. The bigger swings should be about as comfortable as the normal ones, even when you're swinging at a ball. Just make sure that you "get everything going" a little earlier when you want to take that bigger swing.
It's impossible to know exactly what's going wrong with your shots, but this timing aspect is a gremlin that undermines players all the time when looking to take bigger and longer swipes at the ball. You can also experiment with a slightly stronger grip position (so that your racquet face is a little more closed down) when you want to take your faster swings. That may keep the ball from launching too high and also help you make the topspin you need to keep a faster ball down on the court.
dominikk1985
Legend
This. In theory you just need more spin but in practice the steeper and faster you swing the shorter the racket will be in the "strike zone". This means swinging faster and steeper/more across does work but only if your timing and footwork is good enough to compensate for the shortened timing window.
Long term the goal should be to swing faster while maintaining control but only swing as fast as you currently can handle and increase that slowly over time.
I know that some suggest to just rip it until you make the shots but that won't work unless you play 3 hours every day...
No... There is NOT such a thing... Forget this concept, instead of that focus to the following:
1. Target
2. How to do it - with what Ball Characteristics
Then... it is all about TIMING
If your decision regarding 1. and 2. is correct, and 2 involves maximum racquet head speed, if you can not do it then your problem is most probably related to timing (if athletically you are fine... then it is all about timing)
Dragy
Legend
That's a very good question.
I consider it a big issue for self-learners that we set end goals and accordingly visualize a method of performing that end goal - like swinging faster. While another person, although seeing the end goal, may guide us through intermediary goals and condition-based practice.
Back to the harder shots, it's not likely that practicing hitting harder is a good way to own higher RHS in a consistent, repeatable, moderately energy-consuming and injury-free way. In the meantime, practicing to engage more leg drive, to focus on the ball and produce clean hits, to release the racquet into the contact and generally strive for smooth unrestricted swings - is likely to put you to the state where you realize your shots became heavier.
You totally did not get my reply.
Your lovely formula actually endorses my explanation... simply because a heavier racquet (up to a point) can improve his timing... since the mass of the racquet may enforce him to use more efficient the mass of his body and hopefully abandon the concept of HRS in order to achieve the desirable control at maximum efficiency... but not going to analyze it more.
And your formula, focusing to mass coming from the racquet is like offering peanuts to the guy... rather than focusing to the big picture... since the racquet is a part of him...
zalive
Hall of Fame
'In theory', it makes sense to adopt a full kinetic chain with all the mechanisms of getting the RHS with consistency as a base. Then apply as much of execution speed is at it makes sense to keep consistency. Or some more when you need to risk it in the point, where you will be less consistent but you need some risk. Make it naturally faster only as you acquire skill to do it. This way you're not trying to make it faster, the pace (and spin) originate from technique and shots will became harder as your skill grows. Forcing it beyond your technique and skill ability and you're risking injuries and some horrible tennis lol.
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