Are you watching the ball correctly? Hit cleaner and hit faster

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  • Опубликовано: 10 дек 2024

Комментарии • 101

  • @GS-gq5is
    @GS-gq5is Год назад +11

    More than 30 years ago, I used to go to a tennis drill in Atlanta (organized by John and Amy Evens). They introduced me to the "Yes Drill," which is basic and offers amazing results. Watch the ball on your racket. If you see it, say "yes." What I learned is when I actually see the ball on the racket (that is have my head still as I strike the ball), the ball goes where it should. But I also learn that when I say "yes" and don't actually see the ball, it most often goes into the net or long. So, it's automatic feedback on when you are seeing or not seeing the ball. It's the best single lesson I've learned over a lifetime of playing tennis. Thanks, John and Amy.

  • @luckyintheorder
    @luckyintheorder Год назад +3

    Put this into practice during a night match under the lights (harder to see for us older people) and hit FAR more shots on the sweet spot, reduced net volley errors, improved return of serve and crushed some unreal winners... just all around amazing tennis. It is a mental effort to keep the head on the ball. I play mostly doubles, so easy to get distracted with the opponents movement but it doesn't matter when you hit consistent screamers in the right spots. :-) Am a 3.5 not likely to get much better but hitting more of my better shots sure improves enjoyment of the game. Thanks for the concise, consumable videos.

  • @thierryspring1316
    @thierryspring1316 Год назад +2

    For years, I struggled with my forehand. No other video has helped as much as this one.
    Now, as I turn my head to follow the ball, my whole body turns naturally and the forehand is cleaner, with a better lift and control.
    Thank you so much

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад +1

      Thierry,
      Kind words like yours really motivate me to share more ideas.
      I ran a tennis academy for 17 years and every week I put up a prize to be won by either me or one of the coaches working at the academy. We would meet and see who had the best new idea. These years of creativity give me a huge library of unique ideas.
      Glad your enjoying the channel
      Please let me know how it goes?
      www.oneminutetennis.com

  • @brassedoff2437
    @brassedoff2437 Год назад +9

    My way is to try and see the seam of the ball as it comes towards you. You can't always see it, but it doesn't half focus your attention on the ball and helps read the spin too. The head movement as described in this video is obviously good strategy, but you can do more with your focus on the ball by trying to focus on the actual seam of the ball.

  • @tomsd8656
    @tomsd8656 Год назад +13

    Watching with the head is known to many players, even at the rec level. However, the common mistake is at the moment the player strikes the ball, the head might move slightly due to player looking ahead to the other side of the net. The head needs to lock on the ball and stay there until after striking the ball. A slight movement of the head would change the contact point of the racquet to the ball that the brain had precalculated. This slight movement of the head would result in a slight change of launching angle of the shot, and as you know, a small change in launching angle could send the ball long or into the net. A lot of time the ball goes to the net because the player looked up as he strike the ball.

    • @sunsioux444
      @sunsioux444 Год назад +1

      disastrous in golf too!

    • @willzsportscards
      @willzsportscards Год назад

      yup. big no no. you do that and you usually move the shoulder too and mess up your contact point.

  • @pvmilk
    @pvmilk Год назад +1

    Another great trick I got from my friend. Instead of just telling yourself to look at the ball, try to look for the seem of the ball or how the ball is rotating. This way, your focus (both concentration and consciousness) will be on the ball.

  • @aurelienlabonde7874
    @aurelienlabonde7874 Год назад +1

    Every one talks about watching the ball but no one explains what it really means. Thanks a lot from France +1 subscriber

  • @FIRSTWORLDSTATUSBY
    @FIRSTWORLDSTATUSBY Год назад

    been playing tennis for over 40 years now and not a single person spoke about this .. I feel like it will work - Can't wait to try it out next time i go on court... a huge thank you...

  • @farajmahdavi8289
    @farajmahdavi8289 Год назад

    Right on the money! Simple… direct to the point… easily understood.
    I hope it works as well.

  • @ylana4444
    @ylana4444 Год назад +1

    I’m using this advice for Pickleball. Lol..I used to play tennis and my coach would say “watch the ball into the strings” I would do it now and then but would forget often..when I would remember, I noticed my game would improve dramatically. This stuff really works and now that I’m playing Pickleball I’m going to use this technique . My Pickleball coach says “nose to the paddle” which I think is a similar way to put it.

  • @someoneinmyhead
    @someoneinmyhead Год назад

    Good one Man, it's so different from so many other sports where you "feel" the ball. In tennis if you don't watch it, you don't play it.

  • @peacemsnger
    @peacemsnger Год назад +2

    Instead of casually watching, I focus on which part of the ball face I am striking at, to impart top spin, slice or hit flat. Sure way that works.

  • @ethanchouinard4157
    @ethanchouinard4157 Год назад +2

    This helps so much! I've been thinking about this for a long time and tweaking my technique and this really ties it together well.

  • @heiyiplee2800
    @heiyiplee2800 Год назад +2

    This works immediately……Amazing and thanks again and again…

  • @eldartop1634
    @eldartop1634 Год назад +2

    Definitely worth trying. Thanks 🙏

  • @fao831
    @fao831 Год назад

    Great video. No one talks about this and is such an important concept.

  • @gerganakoleva4137
    @gerganakoleva4137 Год назад +2

    I would add that many times in games people's attention at the last moment will be at where they would like to put the ball instead of staying focused at the ball itself. this small distraction makes you mishit. You have to stay focused on the ball and with your peripheral vision keep aware were the other players are, not the opposite. It is tricky.

  • @cybergrail
    @cybergrail 8 месяцев назад

    Excellent content. Thank you, Kevin

  • @Better_Call_Raul
    @Better_Call_Raul Год назад +4

    Will have to try this out. I am guilty of hitting the ball looking at the corner of my eyes. My understanding is that once the incoming ball comes within 2 feet or so from the strings, the human eye is simply not capable of tracking the ball to the strings. Hence I tend to turn my head forward early. Now I will try to keep my head down and focus on the contact. Even if everything is a blur as ball approaches strings, keeping the head down like Fed, will help track the ball better.

    • @amieres
      @amieres Год назад

      I believe you are correct. I think you can either keep your head still, eyes looking towards where the ball bounced from and hit the ball without actually watching the contact, or you can anticipate the contact point and move your head and eyes towards it before the ball gets there and when you hit the ball you can actually see the ball and racket meet.

  • @waterfrank3710
    @waterfrank3710 Год назад

    very nice suggestion! Sometimes I feel the ball runs very slowly, that is the reason!

  • @orangecoolius
    @orangecoolius Год назад

    Great advice on forehand if you're left eye dominant, which most of us aren't.
    You're actually not supposed to "focus" on the ball but "track" the ball if you're right handed, right eye dominant on forehand. Federer "focuses" on the ball all the way until it hits his strings on forehand because he's left eye dominant. I could send you a picture of any other pro not actually looking right at the ball on contact but slightly in front because they are "tracking."

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад +5

      Hi Kameron
      Of course I know the research on left and right eye dominance and most players only watch the ball two a couple of meters before contact.
      But there are other thoughts...
      Binocular vision theory: This theory suggests that tennis players use both eyes together to track the ball, rather than relying on one dominant eye.
      Foveal vision theory: According to this theory, tennis players use the center of their vision (the fovea) to track the ball, rather than relying on eye dominance.
      Head position theory: This theory proposes that tennis players use their head position to track the ball, rather than relying on eye dominance. Players may adjust their head position based on the trajectory of the ball to maintain a clear view.
      Kinesthetic theory: This theory suggests that tennis players use their body's sense of movement and position to track the ball, rather than relying solely on visual cues. Players may use their proprioceptive sense to predict where the ball will go and adjust their positioning accordingly
      All of these ideas sit with my suggestions.
      I know that singular eye dominance is a popular theory, but non of them are proven.
      I hope that this is interesting and not too boring.
      It's great that your enjoying the site.
      www.oneminutetennis.com

    • @StuckOnAlgebra
      @StuckOnAlgebra 9 месяцев назад

      I am right-handed. I just learned about eye dominance and tried keeping my dominant left eye on the ball while hitting the backhand. It was an immediate, astonishing improvement. But what was most noticeable was a huge jump in depth perception. That gave me an intuitive read on the incoming shot, so I knew right where to move, which let me set up better. You have me thinking the difference was that, to bring my left eye into play, I had to keep my nose pointed at the ball, which was what really made the difference (the binocular thing).
      Just now I tried bouncing the ball on my hardwood apt floor and tracking with my head. Suddenly just watching the ball as I bounced it seemed more solid. Can't wait to get on the court! Thx! @@oneminutetennis

  • @xg3069
    @xg3069 Год назад +10

    Great tip! Also for proper head position it’s helpful to know which eye is your dominant eye especially on the serve

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад +3

      On the serve. I agree.
      On the other strokes, I'm not convinced by the dominant/passive eye theory.
      Look at Federer... What difference does it make which eye is dominant?
      Do you see what I mean ?
      Glad your enjoying the channel.
      Do you have any other tennis issues that I could help with? If so let me know
      www.oneminutetennis.com

    • @xg3069
      @xg3069 Год назад +1

      @@oneminutetennis thank you! I agree with you. I have at least 10,000 issues but one at a time and tonight I will practice the elbow movement on the serve (one of your recent amazing videos!).

    • @affluencethirdy4894
      @affluencethirdy4894 Год назад

      you're watching too much of a French coach... :D

    • @xg3069
      @xg3069 Год назад +1

      @@affluencethirdy4894 haha c est vrai. It’s amazing how much I’ve learnt from oneminutetennis and other selected few coaches. Thanks to all of them for posting those videos!

    • @sach8906
      @sach8906 Год назад +1

      @@oneminutetennis I beg to differ sir. Federer is left eye dominant. Hence his FH is elegant. Djokovic is right eye dominant. Hence his BH is elegant. This also makes them focus on the ball a little differently, no?

  • @mylifein75sqft87
    @mylifein75sqft87 Год назад +2

    Great idea! I've been trying to watch the ball better on my strokes. Now I know a better way. I think this is a problem I have when I hit volleys that are above my head too.. Thank you!

  • @JamesDavisakaRemguy
    @JamesDavisakaRemguy Год назад +6

    Liked this! I heard a coach say once “keep your nose pointing at the ball”, which pretty much accomplishes the same thing.
    Unfortunately when I step on the court, I forget all about this little nugget of tennis wisdom. I need to have it embroidered on terrycloth so every time I towel off I remember it again.
    Come to think of it, I should MAKE tennis towels that say this! Hey, if you get in on this now, I’ll make sure to put One Minute Tennis on each and every one - ha ha!
    No wait, I’m serious. Nah, I’m kidding again! ...Or am I?

    • @sunsioux444
      @sunsioux444 Год назад

      I like that - keep your nose pointed at the ball!

  • @nicolasX2602
    @nicolasX2602 Год назад

    amazing tip. i will practise it tomorrow

  • @jamestennis2190
    @jamestennis2190 Год назад +1

    Awesome. Always great. Thank you

  • @TJ_104
    @TJ_104 Год назад +2

    Hello, which role does the rather rare left eye dominance from federer play in this topic? Because me and most people are right eye dominant.

  • @sach8906
    @sach8906 Год назад

    Great pointers!

  • @p_sg3449
    @p_sg3449 Год назад

    It's very tempting just before contact to take a glance at the opponent or the flight of the ball and take your eye off the ball. It's a habit that's difficult to get out of in all ball games.

  • @marcosvivoni1944
    @marcosvivoni1944 Год назад

    great tip, thanks! i hit the frame a bit sometimes so ill put this into work next time on the court

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад +1

      Glad your enjoying the channel
      Please let me know how it goes?
      www.oneminutetennis.com

  • @MarcoSolidx
    @MarcoSolidx Год назад

    That’s a lesson trickier than it seems. As I tend to deviate the eyes at moment of impact

  • @helimax
    @helimax Год назад

    I try to 'see' the bounce with my head down to avoid that saccadic blindness - most important on return of serve and when receiving heavy top spin ground strokes I find when post bounce trajectory is quite different. Weirdly , if you do it , it seems to slow down apparent time and confidence goes way up. If you don't the feeling is the stroke is faster but really you are swiping at the air where you think the ball might be. Unfortunately I forget to do it half the time and have to tell my self this a lot. Laziness.

  • @andygarcia6619
    @andygarcia6619 Год назад

    Very interesting 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

  • @affluencethirdy4894
    @affluencethirdy4894 Год назад

    I definitely agree on this. did it and found a good result.

  • @meitoli
    @meitoli Год назад

    amazing video. I have a very akward forehand (bevel 8) is like an inverted forehand, very weird one but I if see the ball focused I hit very well the ball

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад

      Glad your enjoying the channel
      Please let me know how it goes?
      www.oneminutetennis.com

  • @GrungePopRecords
    @GrungePopRecords Год назад

    Fantastic! Thanks so much

  • @dimitris100
    @dimitris100 Год назад

    Hi! Thanks for the video. Many coaches advise watching the ball to reduce errors but I’m not convinced yet for the reason. I believe the reason prof players watch the ball is because otherwise the player is inclined to see the side of the court he will hit the ball to. By watching the ball and not the court the opponent will know where the player targets the ball only when the ball leaves the racket. Tennis has to do with pretense a lot too. Prof players try to hide where they will hit the ball, or sometimes even to give wrong information by their body position and sometimes with their face position too.

    • @arnoldoaguayo5844
      @arnoldoaguayo5844 Год назад

      I remember Safin said Rios was great at disguising shots

  • @aliciamae1280
    @aliciamae1280 Год назад

    Awesome. Thank you

  • @quentincrisp6933
    @quentincrisp6933 Год назад +9

    Good points. They say Fed actually looks through the string bed of the racquet upon contact. Djokovic doesn't watch the ball as intently as he has this innate proprioception. Try running down a football sideline at 20 mph with 20 lbs. of equipment on including a helmet with limited peripheral vision while being jostled and catching a football!! Jerry Rice arguably the greatest NFL WR would lock his eyeballs from moving to watch the ball! Now that's watching the ball!!

  • @pauldurham6801
    @pauldurham6801 Год назад

    Hi I really like your videos. You did one about the forehand picturing yourself holding a large ball while taking the racquet back but I can’t find this video again. Could you direct me?
    Thanks Paul

  • @trysis260
    @trysis260 Год назад +1

    Insane controlled racket head speed. That is the secret. Everything else including 'watching' the ball, never got me to hitting like a pro. It may work for some it never worked for me, and I tried for years until I got fed up with concerning myself with 'watching' the ball and bending the knees and rotating the hips and all the rest. Grip the racket hard and ripp it. Everything else will follow naturally

    • @karimmamdouh6246
      @karimmamdouh6246 Год назад

      pls what do you mean with controlled racket head spead ??

  • @asbestomolesto
    @asbestomolesto Год назад

    I can say I never did that, I always track the ball with my head. I have to see that on other players, it's interesting!

  • @notyourpgainstructor5139
    @notyourpgainstructor5139 Год назад

    loved the information, but......do you ever change your overgrip??????

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад

      I'm saving up for a new overgrip☺️ but seriously, I hold the racket so loosely that I forget to change the grips.
      Glad your enjoying the channel.
      Do you have any other tennis issues that I could help with? If so let me know
      www.oneminutetennis.com

    • @notyourpgainstructor5139
      @notyourpgainstructor5139 Год назад

      @@oneminutetennis just bought an 18x20 racquet (head speed pro) and holy crap it feels so dead... strung with poly mains, synthetic crosses 55/53lbs. should i drop the tension?

  • @tobiaslejnerborn2238
    @tobiaslejnerborn2238 Год назад +4

    as always giving advice you usually don't get elsewhere

  • @vijaynarsapur147
    @vijaynarsapur147 Год назад

    This might be a capital idea. I will surely try this out.

  • @jorgewsanabria
    @jorgewsanabria Год назад

    Ok. I wil try it. I have an issue visualizing the ball. Hopes this could help me. Never hear it before. Regards from Argentine. Now I'am suscribed to your channel.

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад

      Glad your enjoying the channel.
      Do you have any other tennis issues that I could help with? If so let me know
      www.oneminutetennis.com

    • @jorgewsanabria
      @jorgewsanabria Год назад

      @@oneminutetennis yes! This happens to me all the time. I'm losing 1-3 and when I manage to get to a 3-3 40-0, I calm down and relax without realizing it and lose 3-6. How can I distract my mind to remain alert? I have used the four-room method to forget about the previous point and concentrate, but when I reach parity, I relax. I do not know what to do to remain competitive the rest of the set. Thanks

  • @JamesDavisakaRemguy
    @JamesDavisakaRemguy Год назад

    This is a cure all for every tennis problem that ills ya! Even on the serve, the stroke for which tracking the ball should be the easiest, if you hold your head still at the contact point, everything falls into place automatically. It’s literally magic.
    Now, why we have to be REMINDED to do this after witnessing the magic, is anybody’s guess and, to my thinking at least, will win you the Nobel Prize if you can correctly answer it.

  • @TheLMBLucas
    @TheLMBLucas Год назад

    Makes total sense and now I feel dumb about not even considering it!

  • @juliane8935
    @juliane8935 Год назад

    Are you still in poiano? I will be back there in June and I would love to do another lesson with you!!

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад

      Hi. Yes I will be there. Are you enjoying the RUclips channel?

    • @Thomas-74
      @Thomas-74 Год назад

      @@oneminutetennis
      I am! Your Channel is the best!

    • @franzose1967
      @franzose1967 Год назад

      where is poiano?

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад

      Italy

    • @juliane8935
      @juliane8935 Год назад

      @@oneminutetennis That’s really nice, thank you for answering!
      And yes I am! 😊 I have learned many new helpful things by watching your videos 🎾

  • @coilinnunan4058
    @coilinnunan4058 Год назад

    Thanks for this tip. But can you explain why not all of the pros seem to watch the ball like Federer? Djokovic, for example, doesn't seem to turn his head towards contact on his forehand, and yet he hits the ball very cleanly. Thiem even shuts his eyes at contact for most of his forehands.

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад +2

      Every pro player adopts this method of watching the ball.
      But.
      In the last 2m of travel, the ball will be too fast for the brain to react to what is happening.
      So some players continue to nice the head with the ball.
      Some players stop. But the technique of watching the ball by moving the head is still the same.
      Does that make sense?
      Glad your enjoying the channel.
      Do you have any other tennis issues that I could help with? If so let me know
      www.oneminutetennis.com

    • @coilinnunan4058
      @coilinnunan4058 Год назад

      @@oneminutetennis Yes, that makes sense. Thanks for the reply.

    • @anacap007
      @anacap007 Год назад

      It's the same reason you can throw a baseball in the air and still catch it perfectly in one hand without watching the ball land in your hands. It doesn't happen on your first try but with practice you can judge from the height and anticipated acceleration of gravity where the ball will be and place your hand out in space to intercept it perfectly. The difference with hitting a tennis ball is there are way more variables than height and gravity. You have your opponents' launch velocity, trajectory, spin, bounce and spin after the bounce to account for as well as your own preparation.

    • @normanashbrooke3345
      @normanashbrooke3345 Год назад

      Federer also shuts his eyes on roughly 20% of his groundstrokes. He shuts his eyes very briefly obviously, Federer does not shut his eyes on volleys. Most of the time Federer squints on contact. All of this is explained in the book, The Art of Ball Watching. The author did a comprehensive study of thousands of high tech photos of Federer in match play conditions.

  • @racketrick
    @racketrick Год назад

    Should we change the name to FIVE Minute Tennis???
    Interesting presentation!

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад

      Glad your liking the content.
      One minute is not describing the length of the videos.
      It refers to Dr Spencer Watson and the the injure one minute manager program.
      Don't know if your familiar with this, but it's based on the fact that all human interaction is based on information that can be interpreted in one minute or less.

  • @peterburkard6586
    @peterburkard6586 Год назад +1

    Love this and all your videos. But, regarding your title, there is no apostrophe in "pros" as you have used it. It is a simple plural. If you wanted to say "the club pro's tennis racket", that is where you would need an apostrophe.

    • @garethonthetube
      @garethonthetube Год назад

      It could be correct, as the apostrophe denotes an abbreviation, pro being short for professional. We need an English expert to help clear this up!

    • @peterburkard6586
      @peterburkard6586 Год назад

      @@garethonthetube Semi-valid point but the word "pro" has become a standard English word and is no longer considered an abbreviation. I'm open to being proved wrong but still believe otherwise.

  • @guidodelgiudice5
    @guidodelgiudice5 Год назад

    I freaking close my eyes at contact damn it

  • @keithbriscoe99
    @keithbriscoe99 Год назад

    aka the Federer look....

  • @randyzeitman1354
    @randyzeitman1354 Год назад

    You’re not talking about focal point. There’s no need to see the opponent hit the ball and focus.

  • @edannan1067
    @edannan1067 Год назад

    I'll try and teach this to my daughter who I'm training at this stage of her tennis journey. I wish you'd advised some drills that can be done to perfect this strategy cos it makes sense about how important it is, and I'm sure all professionals know to do this. When you think about matches you've watched on TV, and you see Djokovic stretch for a ball that loops up near the net for a put away for Tsitsipas, and Tsitsipas, instead of smashing it away from Novak, hits it straight back to him, you know the reason why in this explanation. We scream at the TV saying "Why did you hit it straight back to him?!!" (as Djokovic blasts a passing shot down the line), but because Tsitsipas has his head turned straight on the ball, he doesn't see Djokovic's movement, so doesn't know he's smashing it straight back to the greatest player that ever lived (had to put that in there!)

  • @MourningMoons
    @MourningMoons Год назад

    You mean blinders ? Like on a horse?

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад

      Is that what they are called in the States? I didn't know. They are called blinkers in other English speaking countries.
      But yes, that's what I'm talking about
      Glad your enjoying the channel.
      Do you have any other tennis issues that I could help with? If so let me know
      www.oneminutetennis.com

  • @FairwayJack
    @FairwayJack Год назад +1

    like

  • @Kathlynn82
    @Kathlynn82 Год назад

    Revolutionary but i do it and I raised my consistNcy indefinitely. You watch the ball leave your strings, not when it meets your strings. You will see the full story of your stroke and its what Federer is really doing.

    • @oneminutetennis
      @oneminutetennis  Год назад

      Glad your enjoying the channel.
      I try to provide a view and perspective that is different and creative.
      Do you have any other tennis issues that I could help with? If so let me know
      www.oneminutetennis.com