Tennis: Coaching Cue for Watching the Ball

Meghan Juuti

Players Can Look Up After Seeing the Blur of the Racquet Through the Contact Zone

Tennis players are usually advised to keep their eyes on the ball until it makes contact with their racquet, but it's a rare player who can actually see the racquet and ball make contact.

As a result, players may not know how long to wait before looking up. Here's a coaching cue that simplifies this advice.

Blur Cue
Tell your players to keep their eyes on the ball until they see the blur of the racquet come through the area of contact. By the time they see the blur, it's too late to adjust the their swing anyway, so they can direct their attention to the path of the ball as it flies towards the opponent.

This increases your players' likelihood of making solid contact with the ball and ensures that they're ready for their opponent's return.

Reference: Ken DeHart. "Master Class: Tips from the Nation's Top Pros." Tennis, April 2007. http://www.tennis.com

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