Have you ever heard these words before, “Watch The Ball”? I know you think you are watching the ball, but are you really watching the ball all the way to your racquet?
In the game of tennis it is more a game of errors than points won. In an average league player 85% of the points are errors and the other 15% are earned points. The better players the percentage drops to 60% errors and 40% winners.
So the key is getting the ball back just one more time so your opponent will have a chance to make an error.
If 85% of our shoots are errors what causes these errors?
- 80% from taking your eye off the ball
- 15% from poor footwork
- 5% from poor stroke mechanics
80% of our errors are caused by taking our eye off the ball, that is an incredible statistic. You see your eye is like a camera. You know when you take a picture it is either clear on the object you are taking a picture of or clear in the background? Well you eye is the same. It will never give a clear background and moving object at the same time.
Now the tennis ball is your moving object while the net, the court, and your
opponent are your background. To hit the ball cleanly you can’t look at the the net, the court, your opponent, and the ball. You must concentrate on the ball alone, and watching it all the way to your racquet.
