“Watch the Ball, Bend your Knees, That will be $20, Please!” This was a book by Ed Collins published in 1977 but the message is pretty much the same. I would like to talk about the first phrase, “watch the ball”.
In tennis it is vital that a player keeps their head still while moving and hitting a tennis ball. Moving or tilting the head before contact can produce mishits. On low balls, it is important to bend the legs and go down with the ball so the head remains upright.
The reason man was created with two eyes is for depth perception. It is very hard to track a tennis ball with one eye closed. This shows how important it is to have the head facing towards the ball and not sideways. When your head tilts the eyes lose the speed of the oncoming ball. Try driving your car or riding your bike with your head tilted at an angle. Be careful you don’t run into anything. Eyes that are not horizontal have trouble with the speed and closing rate of objects coming at them.
A modern example of this is Roger Federer. If you watch slow motion of the world’s number one hit a tennis ball, you’ll notice how still his head remains during contact. His eyes remain focused on the contact point long after the ball has left his strings.
The application of this knowledge is to slow the body down when hitting any ball. Taking smaller steps as you get closer to the ball allows your head time to stop bouncing around, which helps stabilize the eyes. Secondly, bending the knees and going down to hit low balls is preferred to leaning over with your body.
Remember the eyes have the most important role. You can’t hit what you can’t see!
Doug Hofer, USPTA & USRSA February 21, 2007
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