Tip of the Week: Hit a Specific Part of the Ball

When I learned to play tennis, my coaches always repeated the “watch the ball” mantra. In my mind, I assumed that my racquet should be making contact with the back center of the ball for the best possible hit.

However, if you are trying to hit the ball to a specific area of the court or trying to hit a particular spin, it is extremely helpful to hit the part of the ball that encourages that shot. For instance, right-handers should make contact with the ball slightly on the right hand side to hit a good crosscourt forehand. The contact point should be slightly on the left side when hitting an inside out forehand or a crosscourt backhand (left handed players should reverse these contact points). In addition, if you are trying to hit topspin, make your contact point on the lower portion of the ball.

Hitting a good slice starts with the racquet making contact slightly on the top side of the ball. Hitting the ball on the lower right hand side of the ball can help you create a sharply angled topspin forehand or a ball that curves from outside the court back into the court when the player is pulled off the court to the right.

Try experimenting with these ideas in practice. Because you will be focused on a specific part of the ball, you will be able to hit shots with a lot of movement. This will also increase your ability to watch the ball all the way through the contact point resulting in more solid hits.

Steve Annacone, USPTA Elite Pro, is the Director of Annacone Tennis, www.annaconetennis.com and MyHamptonsPro, www.myhamptonspro.com throughout the Hamptons, NY. Sam Alexander, Steve, and Gill Gross run the TOP (Tennis Optimization Players-Top Team) program at the Tucson Jewish Community Center (Tucson, AZ) for high level players ages 8-18. Please contact Steve at sannacone@tucsonjcc.org or 865-300-7323