Fix Netted Tennis Errors
by Randy Lynn Rutledge - a previously certified USPTA Tennis Teaching Professional
( Note: retired in good standing, but stopped making USPTA dues payments )
( Note: retired in good standing, but stopped making USPTA dues payments )
This article is about fixing one of the three basic tennis errors.
There are three basic errors in the game of tennis: Ball goes into the net, ball goes long, and ball goes wide.
Net clearance is the primary target to consider when making racquet face bevel adjustments to match a chosen racquet head speed so that a tennis stroke can be successful. A successful stroke clears the net and lands within the appropriate boundary lines of the tennis court.
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PROBLEM: Ball Goes into the Net
The main reason a tennis ball goes into the net is because it is struck with a racquet face that is closed (beveled down) too much to allow for net clearance. The closed bevel causes the string-to-ball impact to happen too high up (vertically) on the ball.
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CORRECTION: Open the racquet face to achieve a lower vertical string-to-ball contact.
A Relatively Flat Stroke Requires More Speed
Sometimes the tennis ball goes into the net because the tennis racket speed does not match the requirements of a certain racket face bevel.
Note: If the string-to-ball contact point of a relatively flat stroke will happen only slightly higher than the top of the net, then the racquet head speed needs to increase so that gravity will not pull the tennis ball down into the net. |
Imagine Your Tennis Racket as being a Rainbow Maker
Prevent a groundstroke with a low-to-medium speed from going into the net by lowering the string-to-ball contact point on the ball to make a higher rainbow.
Note: Rainbows come in all shapes and sizes. You precisely make the first portion of your rainbow. Gravity makes the last portion of the rainbow.
Note: Rainbows come in all shapes and sizes. You precisely make the first portion of your rainbow. Gravity makes the last portion of the rainbow.
Prior to the forward moving portion of a groundstroke, positioning the tennis racket farther below the level of the on-coming tennis ball will allow greater net clearance.
A relatively flat stroke (little or no spin) requires that racket face bevel changes be matched with stroke speed changes to achieve a consistent ball landing depth in the court.
Flat tennis strokes require that variations of racket-face bevel be matched with appropriate stroke speed variations
Adding extra net clearance allows for the occasional miscalculation while learning to match various racquet face bevels with appropriate stroke speeds.