Fix Your Tennis - Randy Lynn Rutledge
  • FIX YOUR TENNIS - RANDY LYNN RUTLEDGE
  • ABOUT
  • FAITH
  • SEND A MESSAGE
  • TENNIS ARTICLE CATEGORIES
    • BASIC TENNIS ERRORS >
      • Fix Netted Tennis Errors
      • Fix Long Tennis Errors
      • Fix Wide Tennis Errors
    • BASIC TENNIS ERROR FIXES >
      • Fix Tennis Errors on the Ball
      • Four Racquet Parts for Fixing Tennis Errors
      • Basic Tennis Error Over-Correction
      • Corrective Tennis Methodology
    • MENTAL TOUGHNESS FIXES >
      • Fix Tennis Confidence
      • Fix Your Tennis Belief System
      • Your Tennis Zone Fix
      • The Tennis Zone Described
      • Tennis Dancing
      • Tennis Player Skills Fixed
      • Fix Your Tennis Flow
      • Fix Visual Input to Your Tennis Mind
      • Fix Your Mental and Physical Tennis
      • Fix Listening Skills to Enhance Tennis Learning
      • When a Tennis Champion Loses the Number One Spot
      • Fix Your Tennis on a Bad Tennis Day
      • Conscious and Subconscious Tennis Roles
    • STROKE PROGRESSION FIXES >
      • Tennis Stroke Progression Fixes
      • Functional Tennis Variation
      • Functional Variations of Tennis Teaching Styles
      • String-to-Ball Timing Fixes
      • Non-dominant Hand and Arm Fixes
      • Net Clearance Fix
      • Tennis Muscle Memory Fixes
      • Parts of a Tennis Stroke
      • Tennis Ball Spin Fixes
      • Hints for Tennis Fixes
    • TENNIS READINESS >
      • Breathe, See the Ball Better, Take Everything Early
      • Watch Your Tennis Opponent Prepare and Execute
      • Fix Your Tennis Cross-training
      • Each Day Tennis is Different
      • Grip Locator for a Right Handed Forehand
      • Grip Locator for a Left Handed Forehand
    • TENNIS STROKES >
      • One Hand, Sliced, Backhand Groundstroke
      • Fix Your Tennis Serve
      • Tennis Serve Sequence Photos
      • Ball Toss Fix for the Serve
      • Functional Tennis Ball Toss Variations
      • Serving Wrist Flexion or Snap
      • Fix Your Service Return
      • Fix Your Tennis Volley
  • TENNIS DRILLS
    • Tennis Drill: Back Court Rally
    • Tennis Drill: Hit the Light Pole
    • ​Tennis Drill: Improve Tennis Action Flow
    • Tennis Drill: Over-correction for Inadequate Footwork
    • ​Tennis Drill: Visual Focus
  • TENNIS GLOSSARY OF TERMS
  • TENNIS REFERENCE
  • USEFUL WEBSITE LINKS
  • TIME / STOPWATCH

​Tennis Ball Spin Fixes

 (Tennis article by Randy Lynn Rutledge - a former USPTA tennis teaching professional) ​
  ​Spin is applied by brushing multiple strings of a tennis racquet string pattern (face) against the outer surface of the tennis ball. 
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Approximate shape of the sweet spot = blue oval.
​The center of a tennis racquet's string pattern is called the "sweet spot."
​The shape of the crossing strings make a square pattern in the sweet spot which allows the tennis ball to more precisely rebound of off the racquet strings.
Picture
Imagine a piece of blue chalk in the center of the strings.
​Imagine a piece of blue chalk in the center of the sweet spot of a tennis racquet which could transfer chalk to the tennis ball. 
Picture
"Eyes" of the racquet face
​A square contact or a flat stroke happens when all parts of the tennis racquet are about the same distance from the primary target of height over the net at the string-to-ball contact point. The racquet face "eyes" are looking directly at the exact point where the ball is intended to cross over the net. 
Picture
A flat stroke would put a dot on the ball.
Moving the sweet spot and all parts of the tennis racquet directly towards the primary target of height over the net causes a square contact and draws a blue dot on the tennis ball. 
Picture
A brushing stroke (spin) would draw a line on the ball.
​Moving the sweet spot in a direction which does not cause the sweet spot to contact the ball squarely would draw a blue line on the ball. 
​Varying the string-to-ball contact point for each brushing motion, the direction of each brushing motion, the racquet path before and after each brushing motion, the racquet bevel before and after each brushing motion, or the speed of the racquet before and after each brushing motion can result in many valuable types of spin. 
Topspin
I always introduce topspin before attempting to teach other types of spin to my tennis students.
​I position myself about 6 to 10 feet away from the net to begin a topspin lesson. My tennis student is positioned on the sideline directly across from where my string-to-ball contact will take place. I demonstrate the topspin brushing motion using a slow racquet head speed.
​​I stand with my feet and shoulders facing the sideline. The tip of my tennis racquet points down in the direction of my back foot (the one farthest from the net). 
Picture
Racquet face slightly closed
I start with my tennis racquet face beveled slightly forward (slightly closed) to reduce the chances of landing the ball beyond the baseline. 
​A starting location very close to the net makes it obvious to the student that one advantage of a low to high racquet path is an increased chance that the tennis ball will successfully be brushed up and over the net.
​I toss my tennis ball to about shoulder height and land it about one step closer to the net than my starting location. The ball should rebound low enough so the net is a factor but high enough to give the student a high success rate. I side-step toward the net and stroke the ball using a low to high racquet path after the ball rebounds from the court surface and up to my ideal height for stroking, which is just below my belly button. 
Picture
Like spinning a bicycle tire
​I demonstrate a few low to high topspin strokes and point out that the tennis ball is rotating forward. The upper side of the racquet frame is slightly ahead of the lower side of the racquet frame at string-to-ball contact. I use the a low to high motion similar to spinning a bicycle tire with my hand. 
​​Experiment by changing the direction of the brush, the initial contact spot on the tennis ball, and the length of the string-to-ball contact to discover many spin variations. 
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                                                       ​     Fix Your Tennis - Randy Lynn Rutledge     ​
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  • FIX YOUR TENNIS - RANDY LYNN RUTLEDGE
  • ABOUT
  • FAITH
  • SEND A MESSAGE
  • TENNIS ARTICLE CATEGORIES
    • BASIC TENNIS ERRORS >
      • Fix Netted Tennis Errors
      • Fix Long Tennis Errors
      • Fix Wide Tennis Errors
    • BASIC TENNIS ERROR FIXES >
      • Fix Tennis Errors on the Ball
      • Four Racquet Parts for Fixing Tennis Errors
      • Basic Tennis Error Over-Correction
      • Corrective Tennis Methodology
    • MENTAL TOUGHNESS FIXES >
      • Fix Tennis Confidence
      • Fix Your Tennis Belief System
      • Your Tennis Zone Fix
      • The Tennis Zone Described
      • Tennis Dancing
      • Tennis Player Skills Fixed
      • Fix Your Tennis Flow
      • Fix Visual Input to Your Tennis Mind
      • Fix Your Mental and Physical Tennis
      • Fix Listening Skills to Enhance Tennis Learning
      • When a Tennis Champion Loses the Number One Spot
      • Fix Your Tennis on a Bad Tennis Day
      • Conscious and Subconscious Tennis Roles
    • STROKE PROGRESSION FIXES >
      • Tennis Stroke Progression Fixes
      • Functional Tennis Variation
      • Functional Variations of Tennis Teaching Styles
      • String-to-Ball Timing Fixes
      • Non-dominant Hand and Arm Fixes
      • Net Clearance Fix
      • Tennis Muscle Memory Fixes
      • Parts of a Tennis Stroke
      • Tennis Ball Spin Fixes
      • Hints for Tennis Fixes
    • TENNIS READINESS >
      • Breathe, See the Ball Better, Take Everything Early
      • Watch Your Tennis Opponent Prepare and Execute
      • Fix Your Tennis Cross-training
      • Each Day Tennis is Different
      • Grip Locator for a Right Handed Forehand
      • Grip Locator for a Left Handed Forehand
    • TENNIS STROKES >
      • One Hand, Sliced, Backhand Groundstroke
      • Fix Your Tennis Serve
      • Tennis Serve Sequence Photos
      • Ball Toss Fix for the Serve
      • Functional Tennis Ball Toss Variations
      • Serving Wrist Flexion or Snap
      • Fix Your Service Return
      • Fix Your Tennis Volley
  • TENNIS DRILLS
    • Tennis Drill: Back Court Rally
    • Tennis Drill: Hit the Light Pole
    • ​Tennis Drill: Improve Tennis Action Flow
    • Tennis Drill: Over-correction for Inadequate Footwork
    • ​Tennis Drill: Visual Focus
  • TENNIS GLOSSARY OF TERMS
  • TENNIS REFERENCE
  • USEFUL WEBSITE LINKS
  • TIME / STOPWATCH