Tip of the Week: Let The Racquet Follow The Path of the Ball

Although spin has become a big part of the modern game of tennis, it is still very important to let your racquet follow the ball towards your target.

The best players in the world are very aware of the racquet head just prior to contact, as the ball is being hit and immediately after the point of contact. The better you get the racquet to follow the path of the ball, the more likely it is that you will have a solid hit with your shot heading towards the target. If there is too much low to high or high to low in your swing, it is much more likely that a miss-hit will occur and the shot may not go where you want it to.

There have been many studies done on the racquet path of the best players in the world. Even though the players all have a different amount of spin and each has their own unique backswing and follow through, the swing path through the point of contact is almost identical. This illustrates the importance of the “contact path”, and also is one of the reasons why the best players in the world have the most success when the pressure is on and the match is on the line.