What do you focus on during a point: ball or target?

[portpass1974]

I've always been taught that watching the ball is the single most important thing to do during a rally. It helps you focus and maintain balance in relation to the ball and make decent contact.

In fact, for my ground strokes, I try to look at the writing on the ball to even focus even more (which helps a lot). As a secondary thought, I focus on ball flight and target.

As for serves, I don't really focus on the writing on the ball, but on keeping a soft, loose grip (probably the most important thing to do for harder serves EVER, by the way) and on ball flight and the target.

How about you? Do you focus on the ball? The target? Ball path? Neither?

 

[ChrisCrocker]

right before i make contact with the ball on ground strokes my eyes look towards the sky, for some reason i shank a lot

 

[Charlzz]

I'd imagine few people focus on the target. You might focus on it briefly, and then track the ball until you hit it. I think it is possible to watch the ball until just before it hits and still it OK. You see pros that don't look at the ball when they hit it (which is why Federer's example is used so often, since he does stare at the racquet for a long time--doesn't prevent unforced errors, but still is a good model to follow anyway).

Although someone pointed out that you might telegraph your serve, the "quiet eye" idea is intriguing. It says you should briefly look at where you want to serve to for a second or two, then serve. Somehow the mind is able to make the body hit close to the target. Works better if you can already serve. I think it helps associate your body mechanics to the target. I find it helps to have several balls to serve in rapid succession so I can duplicate the motion over and over.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

I've always been taught that watching the ball is the single most important thing to do during a rally. It helps you focus and maintain balance in relation to the ball and make decent contact.

In fact, for my ground strokes, I try to look at the writing on the ball to even focus even more (which helps a lot). As a secondary thought, I focus on ball flight and target.

As for serves, I don't really focus on the writing on the ball, but on keeping a soft, loose grip (probably the most important thing to do for harder serves EVER, by the way) and on ball flight and the target.

How about you? Do you focus on the ball? The target? Ball path? Neither?

That is good. You focus on the ball and you aim with your minds eye. That is a good way to do it. Not many people practice this.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

I'd imagine few people focus on the target. You might focus on it briefly, and then track the ball until you hit it.

It depends on what you mean by "focus". When I play, I focus on the ball but hit through my minds eye to the target.

I think it is possible to watch the ball until just before it hits and still it OK. You see pros that don't look at the ball when they hit it (which is why Federer's example is used so often, since he does stare at the racquet for a long time--doesn't prevent unforced errors, but still is a good model to follow anyway).

When the ball is about 5 feet away, your eyes lose track of the ball which makes it seem like the pro is not "looking" at the ball. However, a couple things are happening when you see those "photos" of a pro not watching the ball.

1. A player is considered legally blind when the ball blurs which takes place about 4 - 5 feet from contact. If you measure this distance (give or take a foot or so) from where you normally hit the ball, you will notice most pros eyes are focused on this point where the ball started to blur.

2. Through practice, the brain fills in the blanks concerning the contact point, where the ball is, how fast it is coming, etc...By the time the eyes blur, the mind is intelligent enough through other senses and experience to allow the racquet to meet the ball on time.

3. There are techniques, that can help you "keep" your eyes turned to the ball when they blur, such as Federers technique to turn the head back at a certain point.

4. Watching the ball into the strings has more to do with keeping your head still during contact than anything else.

Although someone pointed out that you might telegraph your serve, the "quiet eye" idea is intriguing. It says you should briefly look at where you want to serve to for a second or two, then serve. Somehow the mind is able to make the body hit close to the target. Works better if you can already serve. I think it helps associate your body mechanics to the target. I find it helps to have several balls to serve in rapid succession so I can duplicate the motion over and over.

Yes, this is what you should do. It is also called the "minds eye". You do not need to look at the service box to see where you want to hit too.

 

[Charlzz]

It depends on what you mean by "focus". When I play, I focus on the ball but hit through my minds eye to the target.

By focus, I mean staring at it with your eyes. I do have an idea where I want to hit the ball (down the line, cross court), though I wouldn't say I think about it very precisely. Usually, it's only as accurate as down the line, regular crosscourt, and sharply angled crosscourt (maybe inside out too).

Alternately, I'll sometimes think (mind's eye) about aiming for a part of the net and a certain height above the net, but mostly on a passing shot.

It makes me wonder if I should be thinking about where the ball lands more precisely. On serves, I try to hit aim more precisely (with varying degrees of success). Makes me wonder if I should do the same with groundstrokes too. Hmmm...

 

[tailofdog]

Under

I just focus on hitting under the ball on every shot. It is almost as if i want to hit part ball part air. If i do this i am able to hit out on every ball. I dont think about where to hit it(except the serve) and just let that happen.

 

[Mashafun]

Somewhere i have read that there are couple of psicho-types.

1.Player is concentrated on the ball. Ball is a main opponent for the player.
2.Player is concentreted on himself.
3.Player is fighting the opponent.

For example i am the first type. I think mentalyty is the key. If you are, like me, player one you probably will naturally follow the ball. PSecond player may have problem with concentration- his concentration probably is unstable (ups and downs). Playuer from third group will be lookin' after a target... During whole point thinkin' about the winner in the end. That how i would build it.
In my opinion - thoughts are following our eyes. The same thing is happenin' when a man is entering the room. If he is heteresexual he will always give a first look to a most attractive women.

 

[Charlzz]

In my opinion - thoughts are following our eyes. The same thing is happenin' when a man is entering the room. If he is heteresexual he will always give a first look to a most attractive women.

Which of the three categories are you in this situation?

 

[Mashafun]

Which of the three categories are you in this situation?

LOL i'm a heterosexual man but i think you have missed the main topic.

 

[Morrowreze]

From when I hit the ball to when my opponent hits the ball I am watching him for the most part. When he hits it I keep a loose focus on the ball. I know where it is but I'm not looking at it that closely. I just sort of keep tabs on it and I think more about positioning myself for the shot and where I'm going to hit it and making sure to bend my knees and etc.

 

[dennis10is]

My eyes is tracking the ball.

My third eye is "looking" at the target, aiming it actually.

My mind this deciding what "flavor" the current point should be.

 

[dennis10is]

LOL i'm a heterosexual man but i think you have missed the main topic.

Since you've brought this up and bring up the topic of psychology.

Here's a finding that may interest you.

They attach sensors to men's penis to measure how much sexual arousal he feels when watching pornographic videos.

Here's the interesting finding. They have the men fill out a questionnaire on their views of homosexuality.

Men who strongly stated that they are hetero sexual AND that they do not approve of homosexuality, basically this is the majority of men out there, they were more sexually aroused when they watched videos of men engaging in homosexual acts compared to men who stated that homosexuality is a non-issue for them.

So, when you see a guy walking around, huffing and puffing, trying to show how macho, hetero he is, and making fun of gays, well, he probably gets an erection if he watch two men going at it. Something to think about. As we've learned with the current economic collapse, things are not as they seem eh.

 

[futuratennis]

My eyes is tracking the ball.

My third eye is "looking" at the target, aiming it actually.

My mind this deciding what "flavor" the current point should be.

hit the nail on the head mate

 

[tenzinrocks]

It all depends if I want to hit my target or not lol

 

[Bagumbawalla]

The more you play the more you develop a sense of where you are on the court- sort of like a submarine that has been below for a month, but knows where it is, or an old man who wakes up to use the bathroom in the dark. After a while, you don't need to be looking to the point where you want to hit the ball just to make sure it's still there.

In general, it is best not to have too many thoughts going on in your mind at the same time during a point. The one thing you do want to concentrate on is the ball and the racket path through the ball.

The instant the opponent hits the ball back, most players already know where and how they want to hit it.

 

[southend]

"The instant the opponent hits the ball back, most players already know where and how they want to hit it."

This is what I'm trying to work on -- raising my tennis IQ rather than stroke technique. Rather than just stroking a good ball back cross court, I want to be smarter in my shot selection as far as placement goes. I think it will improve my game immensely.Any good books on this, any good drills, tips on how to do this?

 

[portpass1974]

1. A player is considered legally blind when the ball blurs which takes place about 4 - 5 feet from contact. If you measure this distance (give or take a foot or so) from where you normally hit the ball, you will notice most pros eyes are focused on this point where the ball started to blur.

2. Through practice, the brain fills in the blanks concerning the contact point, where the ball is, how fast it is coming, etc...By the time the eyes blur, the mind is intelligent enough through other senses and experience to allow the racquet to meet the ball on time.

3. There are techniques, that can help you "keep" your eyes turned to the ball when they blur, such as Federers technique to turn the head back at a certain point.

4. Watching the ball into the strings has more to do with keeping your head still during contact than anything else.

Interesting stuff. I know what you mean about that "blurry" part that happens a split second before impact. I agree that really focusing on the ball is about keeping your head still and maintaining good balance between body and ball.

In addition, I find that trying to read the writing on the ball helps a lot more. Everyone "watches" the ball, but it is watching it in the impact zone that makes a big difference.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Interesting stuff. I know what you mean about that "blurry" part that happens a split second before impact. I agree that really focusing on the ball is about keeping your head still and maintaining good balance between body and ball.

In addition, I find that trying to read the writing on the ball helps a lot more. Everyone "watches" the ball, but it is watching it in the impact zone that makes a big difference.

Yes, that is fine. Many people think they are watching the ball but they crowd out the ball focusing thoughts with peripheral thoughts. Or, they may drop their focus too soon.

It is very easy to train the brain to think you have enough information about the ball when you really dont. It takes work to stay focused through your shot.

HIT-BOUNCE-HIT can be a lifesaver for many players.

 

[Lotto]

I always seem to zone out and daydream after the first shot. I'll hit my serve and zone out and then play ****e because I was day dreaming of something completely tennis unrelated. On the return I'll be focused until they throw the ball up and then I'm gone. I have the worst attention span and concentration ever. When I am fully focused though the ball normally goes where I tell it and I'm normally focused the ball.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

I always seem to zone out and daydream after the first shot. I'll hit my serve and zone out and then play ****e because I was day dreaming of something completely tennis unrelated. On the return I'll be focused until they throw the ball up and then I'm gone. I have the worst attention span and concentration ever. When I am fully focused though the ball normally goes where I tell it and I'm normally focused the ball.

That is perhaps because you practice one shot at a time or think this way. You may have trouble realizing that the reason why you practice is to string a set of shots together to win a point. What I mean by realizing is making it real on the court so it is crystal clear vs. just knowing you need to do that but leaving it unrealized during match play.

For example, if you want to close the point out with a volley, well, you will need to practice your serve and your volleys. However, what about the transition shots? Half-volleys, mid-court volleys and knowing how to close off the net in case you dont win the point on your first volley?

Constructing points takes practice and having an understanding about how to start and end a point along with what happens inbetween.

 

[Alexio92]

In matches I usually focus on neither which is why I hit the ball like someone 3 or 4 levels above my actual level in practice. Im trying to focus more in matches but I find it hard and I try to end the point too quick without building it up but I was starting to focus more and I had a few brilliant wins over what over in the usa would be a 3.0 rated player(me) beating two 4.5's.

 

[LeeD]

OK, first of all, the ball is moving.
The court is not.
The player moves, but the court is still in the same place. The player knows how much, where, and time of his movements.
Once again, the court doesn't move.
Why watch the other court?
Why watch the other player? You KNOW exactly where he is. He's splitting the court between your shot and the amount of court he has to cover.
So look at the ball!!
You know where his court is.
You know you shouldn't hit softies up the middle, right?
So hit crosscourt or down the line, and it don't matter where HE is or where he thinks his court is, you just hit YOUR shots.
Once in a while, hit one down the middle just for fun.
A sharpshooter sights thru the sights of his rifle, and the target is just the background, NOT the focus of his shot.

 

[portpass1974]

Actually, I played indoor tonight and tried something new. I didn't focus on the ball as much and instead thought of my target first. I made the target very specific (like a soccer-ball sized red dot in the court) and got way better results, including on my serve. I noticed that with such a small, specific target, it really forced me to follow-through and hit within myself and I also got good height over the net.

I'm not saying that I didn't focus on the ball anymore, I just didn't "read the writing on the ball" and instead thought of the target. Sure, I had slightly higher than average mishits, but I got better results overall.

 

[BeHappy]

Since you've brought this up and bring up the topic of psychology.

Here's a finding that may interest you.

They attach sensors to men's penis to measure how much sexual arousal he feels when watching pornographic videos.

Here's the interesting finding. They have the men fill out a questionnaire on their views of homosexuality.

Men who strongly stated that they are hetero sexual AND that they do not approve of homosexuality, basically this is the majority of men out there, they were more sexually aroused when they watched videos of men engaging in homosexual acts compared to men who stated that homosexuality is a non-issue for them.

So, when you see a guy walking around, huffing and puffing, trying to show how macho, hetero he is, and making fun of gays, well, he probably gets an erection if he watch two men going at it. Something to think about. As we've learned with the current economic collapse, things are not as they seem eh.

 

[LeeD]

Portpass.....
If the incoming ball was moving slow, you have time to look anywhere you want, and the target is somewhere you want to look, obviously.
I notice you didn't actually say you "LOOKED" at the target, you said you "focused" on the target.
Now we ALL know that EVERY shot you hit, you have a specific target, right?
NONE of us hit the ball and not worry where it's going.
So good of you to actually have a target!
But you still gotta see the ball.
And the court doesn't move.
And when you are forced to move, you KNOW how far you moved, right?
So look at the ball, have a target, and you can focus on your homework for next weeks mid terms.

 

[dozu]

eyes always tracking the ball, but the focus should be on the target, and anticipating opp's reply, and the next target off opp's reply

 

[Bungalo Bill]

BeHappy, who is your supplier, anyone that can find these pics has a good supplier. That was some funny pics.

 

[Failed]

I focus on the texture of the ball and on what I want to do with the ball. I don't actually look at the court but I visualize the flight path of the ball that I am going to hit. This should also boost your confidence. After hitting I focus on finding the correct recovery position. (This is during practise matches, during the real thing thinking too much might hurt your game because there are 'too many thoughts', but practising like this during practise is really efficent).