As tennis players, a phrase that we always hear is to “bounce on our feet.” While some of us do this, most of us think it is useless and just end up flat footed. During a match, our opponent will hit balls at us that seem relatively easy to get to, but we end up messing up our shot. Later on, we believe we simply have to become a better player and decide to tweak our technique. However, for some reason we are still not improving on the court.
Instead, one of the most important elements that every player needs to get better at is ball recognition. That is why today we explore exactly what ball recognition is and how we can actually improve our own.
What is Ball Recognition?
When talking about ball recognition, imagine you are playing against someone and your opponent strikes the ball. It is now flying in your direction and you collect the information of this ball to make a decision regarding your setup process accordingly. I assume it cannot get easier than that.
Now, you can tell that some players have excellent ball recognition, for they can read the ball really well and know when the ball has very little penetration; thus, take a few steps forward. They will also be aware if the incoming ball is very deep, again, adjusting to the circumstances to hit it cleanly.
Quality Shots
Having said that, there will still be times when players will not be able to recognizethe ball correctly. To add, this is not a foolproof method by any means. Some opponents will be too good and hit the ball so fast that ball recognition will end up being useless.
For example, imagine you’re trying to return the serve of Ivo Karlovic or John Isner. No matter how skilled your ball recognition is, the ball will just be coming too fast to collect enough information. Go ahead and also think about chasing a forehand struck by Alcaraz or Nadal. There will simply be times when your opponent’s shot is just too good and there is nothing you can do about that.
Experience Pays Off
It is quite evident that players at the recreational level are the ones that most oftenly face this problem of ball recognition. Nonetheless, some people may wonder if high level players can read the ball precisely, why isn’t it the same case for them too? Surprisingly, the answer is very simple. The more experience you have the easier and more intuitive it becomes.
A great way to picture this is with a story I made up about driving. When this person got his driver’s license, he was about to pull out of a gas station and he saw a car coming. He still decided to pull out anyway, but the incoming car had to slam his brakes and stopped a centimeter from his car. The accident that almost happened was thanks to his poor recognition of the car’s speed.
The reason? He had a lack of experience, but is now a seasoned driver and can easily judge the speed of an approaching car. This works exactly the same when it comes to improving your ball recognition in tennis.
Making A Mental Effort
Unfortunately, it will still take more than just experience to improve your recognition completely itself. In other words, you will have to make a mental effort to recognize the incoming ball correctly. This is exactly what a big quantity of players don’t understand. They show up on the court with a nonchalant attitude to playing tennis. These players will be on their heels and will have a low intensity in their entire body.
On the other hand, when you are moving your feet and keeping your heels off the ground, your body is more ready. What’s more, it will be key to be patient. The more you keep your intensity up, the better your ball recognition can become. This way, if someone hits a short and slicy ball you won’t end up scrambling and improvising to at least get it over the net.
Getting Started
However, loads of people wonder why players don’t decide to move around and stay on their toes. Well, it is just a lot more comfortable to just stand there waiting for the ball to bounce. Think about it this way. Is running a 5k as relaxing as just walking your dog? Absolutely not.
In addition, moving around while rallying can seem counter-intuitive. If a ball is somewhat slow and two steps away, your brain tells you there is no reason to exert that much effort into getting to the ball.
The tricky thing about tennis is that the easiest balls can actually be the most difficult ball. Sometimes because the ball is unpredictable you don't know exactly how it's going to get to you.
Implementing High Intensity
A great way to start implementing lots of intensity on the court is to stop being on your heels and start bouncing on your toes. Now, this is something that can feel weird at first, but you don’t exactly have to leave the ground. Just make sure you are never staying in the same place, but instead moving around.
For the return of serve, you can rock back and forth, you don't necessarily have to bounce up and down. Also, don’t forget that you will eventually have to set and plant your feet firmly into the ground when it comes to executing your shot.
Like anything else today, people might say that bouncing around looks kind of odd. This doesn’t matter, who cares what others think when it will benefit your game and not theirs.
Final Thoughts
Playing tennis certainly requires lots of concentration and decision making in the nick of time. You have to decide where you will hit the ball and forget about the past. However, recreational players always ignore high intensity and recognizing incoming balls. Therefore, to improve the way you play, you have to learn to collect information from your opponent’s shots. Personally, I believe it is one of the most important elements on your pathway to tennis success.
The more often you decide to do this, the more natural every movement will become. In no time, you will understand the ball all the way from its rotations per minute to the fluff covering it up.
