Gary Duane
G.O.A.T.
Before you conclude that this is a "Captain Obvious" question, check your perception.
Think about a ball that is hit 70 mph or more, backhand or forehand, then picture that ball hit with a lot of spin. Then picture that ball spinning with 5000 rpms. 5000 is incredibly high, much faster than most shots, but let's use that as a kind of limit.
What does that ball do as it bounces? Does it pick up more spin, lose spin, or stay about the same?
All my life I've had a perception that high topspin grabs the court and increases the forward pace of the ball. Same thing in table tennis. My impression was that topspin makes the ball take off, leap forward. It takes away from your time. It's like the ball gets to you too soon. In tennis it's like the ball is suddenly past you. You're swinging late.
But is this true?
If this video is correct, a couple things stick out. First of all, on the HC shown the ball is actually move at 33 mph after the bounce and 27 mph on clay. That's a lot slower than I had pictured. Obviously the ball loses speed from the time it is hit, but it loses more speed than I had realized after the bounce.
Even so, is the ball ever really spinning faster than it is moving horizontally?
What do you think? I believe I have an answer, and the answer is not what I expected.
Think about a ball that is hit 70 mph or more, backhand or forehand, then picture that ball hit with a lot of spin. Then picture that ball spinning with 5000 rpms. 5000 is incredibly high, much faster than most shots, but let's use that as a kind of limit.
What does that ball do as it bounces? Does it pick up more spin, lose spin, or stay about the same?
All my life I've had a perception that high topspin grabs the court and increases the forward pace of the ball. Same thing in table tennis. My impression was that topspin makes the ball take off, leap forward. It takes away from your time. It's like the ball gets to you too soon. In tennis it's like the ball is suddenly past you. You're swinging late.
But is this true?
If this video is correct, a couple things stick out. First of all, on the HC shown the ball is actually move at 33 mph after the bounce and 27 mph on clay. That's a lot slower than I had pictured. Obviously the ball loses speed from the time it is hit, but it loses more speed than I had realized after the bounce.
Even so, is the ball ever really spinning faster than it is moving horizontally?
What do you think? I believe I have an answer, and the answer is not what I expected.