Patrick thank you so much for this video. I'm 58 years old and settled for an average serve for as long as I can remember. Found out that I am cross eye dominant. Without any practice except the warm up I used the new service toss at 1D in my USTA 4.5 league. Only lost serve once that evening and only faced one break point. Incredible feeling. On to the forehand now!
Every coach needs to watch this! Including the ones at the Mouratoglou Academy :-) But really, I've gone through a lot of pain with pros trying to "correct" my stance (including at Mouratoglou) forcing me to play sideways - changing my swing in ways that hurt more than help, trigging a loss in confidence and, at times, feeling completely lost. This video, especially seeing how Zverev is right eye/hand dominant (like me) and how he approaches his forehand (never closed stance), is the first legit explanation I've seen (and that pros/coaches won't sneer at) for why I don't like to hit forehands closed stance. Now, the next time a coach tries to "correct" me, I will just pull up this video. Sincere thanks!
Totally agree, i can’t even count the many times a coach has tried to close my stance as well, only to make me feel more lost and uncomfortable. (Being a left dominant leftie). This should be common knowledge for every tennis coach worldwide, why isn’t it? 😁
Yes, so much truth here! My first coach was obsessed with me turning turning turning. I think he would have made me hit with my back to the court if he could 😂. All the time it was, hold your racket longer with you non-dominant hand, turn those shoulders away from the court, put your left foot further over. But he was the professional and I believed he was giving me sound advice so I stuck with it and my timing was awful and I could almost never hit off the sweet spot. I tried so much to fix my issues. I found some success with an eastern grip hitting very flat with the ball at or near the apex but this gave me a bad hand injury. When I came back from the injury things were okay for a while but then I was turning turning turning again because I wanted more power and the problems came back. Now I know I shouldn't be turning a lot, I hit with an open stance, don't turn my shoulders more than about 45 degrees from the court and things are definitely better. If I was a coach I would be watching this kind of stuff all the time to make myself a better coach but too many seem content to go through the motions and repeat the same tired old instructions. I spoke to my new coach today and she didn't even know about the dominant eye thing. Luckily she is much less dogmatic. She does want you to turn but she looks at results and tries to get you to be comfortable so you are more likely to naturally find the right thing for you.
@@louisegyldensted1197regardless of eye dominance it’s crazy any coach these days telling you to hit closed stance..obviously there’s times you need to but it’s certainly not to be taught as the standard forehand
Speechless. I play USTA 4.5 and Alta A3 out of Atlanta and have never heard this before. I have an excellent forehand, but always had trouble seeing my backhand through. This is a game changer! So I am right hand dominant, but left eye dominant. Cannot wait to get on the courts and make a few changes. Thank you Sincerely.
"I have an excellent forehand, but always had trouble seeing my backhand through. This is a game changer! So I am right hand dominant, but left eye dominant. " You may or may not be cross dominant. You need to first establish your eye dominance through a visual test, not through your current strokes.
@@Better_Call_Raul I think he did that test the way the players did on the court...I dont think he just assumed based on his strokes...but good point, if true haha
How’d you hit your backhand? And how did you adjust? And why if you struggled to see the ball, you didn’t naturally adjust in some way? Legit questions as I’m trying to understand peoples struggles with seeing the ball and not adjusting naturally..quick test and I’m both eye dominant so I don’t have any visual impairment I know of anyway 😅
Just saw thing comment. Sad to say I did not see the previous ones. uggh. Anyways my story goes as follows: 1. I was so focused on my swing path and positioning of my feet I did not consider my sight line. 2. In a sense I became captured by my desire for form over function What I found was by stepping in towards the ball conscious of my sightline I was able to strike the ball cleaner. This is a combination of two factors watching the ball into the racket and controlling the terms of contact with the ball by acting upon the ball and not the other way around. These are my thoughts. Hope my story helps a bit. Cheers @@TheTennisDaddy
Abstract Ocular dominance is the tendency to prefer visual input from one eye to the other [e.g. Porac, C. & Coren, S. (1976). The dominant eye. Psychological Bulletin 83(5), 880-897]. In standard sighting tests, most people consistently fall into either the left- or right eye-dominant category [Miles, W. R. (1930). Ocular dominance in human adults. Journal of General Psychology 3, 412-420]. Here we show this static concept to be flawed, being based on the limited results of sighting with gaze pointed straight ahead. In a reach-grasp task for targets within the binocular visual field, subjects switched between left and right eye dominance depending on horizontal gaze angle. On average, ocular dominance switched at gaze angles of only 15.5° off center.
For a few years coaches have tried to close my FH stance and open my BH stance, even tough I feel most comfortable with a fully open forehand and a fully closed BH. As you can guess, I am right hand/right eye dominant. This video helped me a lot to realise I shouldnt change anything but just improve on what the body already naturaly presented as comfortable. Thank you for this video Patrick, you truly are a master of your work.
I don’t think that’s got anything to do with eye dominance mate, that coach is an idiot..everyone hits an open stance forehand as standard since the 90s and closed backhands more often than not…you’re as normal as everyone else
I thought I was the only coach who taught eye dominance. I’ve foxed a lot of bad backhands by getting my students to keep their head facing forward where they could process the ball more efficiently. It’s not just about seeing. Your brain works faster when your dominant eye is taking in the information.
Top notch content coming from Patrick lately. This and the return of serve lesson both provide some rare insight into how these seemingly subtle nuances can really enhance one's abilities to greatly improve!
Hello Patrick. When I first stumbled upon your videos I was very skeptical about you. All your players play amazingly well. I wasn't able to see the nuances and small details you were teaching your students. I just thought you were a charlatan, to be honest. I've realized the fault was on my side. I've improved a lot this last year. I play my best on match day and hence I win almost all my matches. I've gained enough experience to realize I was very wrong about you. With this video I've learnt one of the reasons why I have improved so much this last year. I'm a right eye dominant player. I've instinctively changed my technique to adapt to this, without knowing. With the forehand I'm hitting more in front with an open stance, with my backhand I'm rotating my shoulders more (close stance) and with my serve I'm hitting also in front without rotating. It was a good feeling to see that's more or less what you've shown here. Thank you for these videos. I'm sorry, I was wrong about you.
Pretty much confirms what I already do. Changed my toss recently from Roger to frontal toss. Works way better (but still feels uncomfortable after 42 years tossing differently).
Patrick, your lessons and teaching methods command the utmost respect. You always highlight a player's strengths and present weaknesses as something that can be improved and turned into strengths. Now I have the answer to why I have a better backhand because I have a dominant right eye. Unfortunately, my coach could not explain this fact to me, but only stated it. This means that not only players, but also coaches always have room to grow and improve. Unfortunately, in my country, Ukraine, a terrible war is going on against the Russian aggressors, and I cannot fully enjoy the game of tennis :( But I hope that one day my friends and I will visit your academy and spend a wonderful weekend there. All your work can be characterized by your favorite word - "Parfait"! With best wishes, Yura Zayatrov 🙏.
This perfectly explains why, as a lefty with left dominant eye, I feel comfortable hitting the forhand in almost open stance and why, even unconciously, I put myself in close stance with two handed backhand.
Me too, well the opposite, right hand and eye dominant, my forehand is very comfortable semi open or open, and i am closed with my one handed backhand and slice, although you kind of have to be for that, but it feels pretty natural. The biggest help for me is how this dictates your service stance and where your head should be and where the toss should be.
Some players may intuitively figure out their optimal contact points, head position and stance (that conforms to their dominant eye) but majority do not and may have BIG room for improvement they are unaware of. This is brilliant coaching !
Yeh I would’ve thought most would figure it out intuitively really…if I can’t see something very well regardless what I’m doing, I’d adjust so I can..I thought this would be normal but a lot of people seem to struggle according to the responses..I’d hate to see them drive😂
This is a real master class for enhancing your game. I fianlly understood why I could hit forehand more accurately and powerfully with longer shoulder turn. Even I have been playing tennis since eight. I never imagined my eye-dominance had affected my games and accuracy. I really thank for Patrick.
wow ive played tennis for 35 years and didnt quite realize this kind of obvious thing that has such a huge impact.....amazing coaching ...thanks for sharing the secret!
PS I started playing with eye glasses instead of contacts maybe 10 years ago.....and at first was shanking everything. my glasses didnt have a large field of vision so if i wasnt looking directly at the ball I had a lot more mishits than ever before....at first I wasnt hitting as well....but after a time it actually improved my game because it FORCED me to watch the ball until the last second.....I started playing a lot better, mostly. kind of a similar thing...I guess you just have to adjuat your strokes so that you can maintain proper eye contact as long as possible and hopefully during contact.
I do not comment on videos, but I feel this is very important aspect to voice my view! Agree with Patrick on the influence of eye dominance on your stokes. He has provided the most important element that influences your game. Full marks for this! BUT, this (the influence) CAN be changed!! So instead of choosing the way to play because of your dominant eye, you CAN understand the impact it makes AND change how you look at the ball trajectory to play the WAY you are currently playing. No need to follow his advice if you prefer not to (for eg., being more infront on your forehand instead of sideways if you are right eye dominant). Two very important points: 1. You CAN see the ball with your non-dominant eye, if you not allow the dominant eye to see it. It is incorrect to assume that you cannot see the ball with your non-dominant eye esp in high speed situations. Your natural tendency is to not orient such that you WANT to see with you dominant eye - hence your body position when you hit. Nothing prevents you from seeing the ball with non-dominant eye. 2. Extension of #1 above. Learn to orient yourself so that you see the ball with non-dominant eye when you hit - for eg., if you want be sideways when hitting your forehand (and you are right eye dominant), you CAN remain sideways, as long as you are aware of your natural tendency to see with your right eye and resist doing so. Besides, being sideways is the best way to hit a forehand (or for that matter serve) and for most people (right-handed who are right eye dominant), we are taking away the critical body stability by not being sideways when hitting/serving! So do not let right eye-dominance lead you to open up when hitting. If you do not trust this, you can validate the ability of seeing with your non-dominant eye by wearing eye-glasses which have a separation at the nose, so that when you tilt in a direction, you cannot see from the other eye. With this, you can see the ball (even in high speed) with just one eye in either side (irrespective of eye dominance). The trick or rather the element to correct is, to force yourself to be in correct orientation - even when your brain forces you to not be in that orientation (as it wants input always from the dominant eye!). Be sideways as much as possible folks... that is the best way to hit with your core (and your hands follow).
thank you coach, I learned a lot about the shortcomings of playing tennis after watching this video. My right eye is dominant. After I followed it and continued practicing, I experienced an increase in ball control also the ball is faster with less effort
I've seen you do this to your students in lots of previous videos. Super tip. I'm right handed, with dominant left eye. I slightly position my head to the right, so my Left eye is more focused on the ball. Been working good.
Note for those who wear glasses. Your dominant eye will usually be the one with weaker vision. I wear glasses and my prescription for left eye is stronger than the right eye. This will typically cause the poor visioned left eye to compensate and be the dominant eye. 👁
@@Better_Call_Raul i am not sure this is entirely true. People could wear glasses for different reasons, stigmatism. I wear glasses, but I am left eye dominant When I takeoff my glasses, my left eye sees better than my right eye I also have a weak right eye. A lazy eye that does not drift.
@@rinz-n-repeat It is an interestic topic. I know nothing about it but did hear a researcher say that near-sighted people will tend to have dominance in the more myopic eye. Wikipedia Eye dominance has been categorized as "weak" or "strong". In those with anisometropic myopia (different amounts of nearsightedness between the two eyes), the dominant eye has typically been found to be the one with more myopia.
YOU HAVE JUST CHANGED MY LIFE!!! I'm cross-dominant! This is why I have trouble with my backhand. It all makes sense now! I'm right-handed, left-eye dominant. My best shot is forehand. I can prepare very well and I hit the ball really hard. But when I go to the left side I guess I'm losing sight of the ball because my head turns. Thank you thank you thank you
Eye dominance refers to the phenomenon where one eye has a slightly stronger influence on visual perception than the other eye. It means that when you use both eyes to look at an object, your brain tends to rely more on the visual input from the dominant eye. Having a dominant eye does not mean that the dominant eye is capable of seeing at near or intermediate distances at the same time as seeing in the distance. The dominant eye primarily influences visual perception and the brain's preference for processing visual information, but it doesn't directly affect the eye's ability to focus at different distances. I hate to say this but while Patrick may be a great coach, the information he’s spreading regarding eye dominance is misleading at best and misinformed at its worst.
Wow, this is potentially an “eye-opener” for me as a professional viola/violin teacher and performer. I have been watching your videos with great interest as I have a talented 12y old tennis-playing son. Firstly there are so many similarities between violin/viola playing that there’s already enough material for a whole book. I started playing tennis myself four years ago and it keeps surprising me: Gravity, relaxation, elbow pronation, posture forehand swing/bowstrokes, processing speed, strategy, control , performance preparation, match nerves are just a few examples. But now this: I have wondered why some of my pupils struggle to read music whilst playing, but not books. I think you have given me the answer! I struggled to read music as a child and have just discovered I am left-eye dominant. Not surprising as the music stand is normally on our right (and in tennis my throw is crap, never feels like I can read where the ball actually is). Thanks so much for this!
This is incredible instruction. When I played baseball I knew that I was right eye dominant. Later in life playing 30 and over baseball my hitting became very consistent with an open stance and short backswing - hitting right handed. I am finding out now I have been hitting my forehand with the wrong stance with my shoulders totally turned. I have also been hitting my serves with a closed stance. I am right handed.
Explains quite a lot. I’m right eye dominant and a coach recently told me to toss more at 12 in front and it helped a lot! Why I’m better at my 2hbh as well
Don't wanna speak too soon, but Patrick you may have fixed my forehand problems. Always always always I was having timing issues, missing the sweetspot, actually got a wrist injury because I was always striking the ball off centre. When I first got lessons I was told turn more turn more over and over till I ended up always being in a closed stance and while I didn't know it until 2 days ago, that meant my dominant eye was turned away from the court. This also explains why my backhand is fire and my forehand is at best a dying candle. I've started hitting with a more open stand and less rotation of hips and shoulders like you showed with Zverev and so far there is a big improvement. Thank you so much for this. So now Rick Macci has fixed my serve and Patrick Mouratoglou has fixed my forehand.
Wow this explains so much about the difficulties and success I’ve had with my contact points and stances. Thank you for the detailed explanation with pro examples for inspiration
This is the Bible for every tennis player !!! I couldn't thank you more for this explanation - I finnaly understand why and how to progress and feel better on court. True masterclass 👍
Wow one of the most tennis life changing videos I’ve seen. As a RH/RE player I feel way more comfortable on my BH side turning to my left and I hate serve tossing to my right side. Now I realize I should toss more in front and not turn my head! Amazing.
Kudos Patrick! Great video. Now if you could only make a video about the toss positioning for the different types of serves (flat, kick and slice) for the dominant eye, we all would be ever grateful.
Great lesson. I’ve known about dominant eye, but never think about it in relation with tennis techniques. It seems very important and your lesson is very clear. Thanks a lot.
I stumbled upon my right eye dominance myself, but this video has already equipped me with some nuggets to improve my game. Thank you, Coach Mouratoglou
THIS IS THE BEST ! GREAT innovative coaching ! You are slowly filling the shoes of the late great VIC BRADEN who brought science into the Realm of coaching Tennis ! Your brain reacts faster when your dominant eye is taking in the ocular information. GREAT WORK !
Amazing, amazing video! Thanks Patrick. All our lives we hear ‘watch the ball’ and it has always sounded like a sill platitude. I mean, who doesn’t watch the ball they are trying to hit? The instruction has been missing a few words. The coach should say “Watch the ball - with your dominant eye”. I felt a marked difference the minute I tried hitting while consciously focusing with my dominant eye. Thanks again Patrick!
Still, lot of ppl dont watch the ball till the end when hitting But yeah after watching this vidéo, looks like taking into account the dominant eye takes it to the next level
Awesome - thank you so much. This is by far the best video on eye dominance and what it means for the different strokes. I will absolutely try it next time I´m on the court.
I used to be right eyed dominant / right handed, but after both eyes having cornea transplants I became left eye dominant so now cross-dominant. This has really helped explain why I've struggled with my contact points especially on the forehand where I was trying to stay more open. Thank you. Wish I'd seen this before the summer as I lost a lot of confidence playing singles.
Thanks for this video. That's why my forehand is so inconsistent and I have a better backhand, and my serve doesn't hit the spot. I am right handed and right eye dominant. Will practice the technique you taught sir Patrick. Thanks, again!😊
Hi Patrick. This really helps me to understand why my stroke are not what I wanted them to be for most of the time. I played games a lot and been using left hand model due to my right eye dominant, but never thought it would be implemented in tennis as well. This was an eye opener.
This was really good! I've just grasped the concept fully through this video and it seems to explain why some of my shots are mysteriously working better than others as well as potentially giving me some areas to work on concretely. Thank you.
Explained why I have such a good backhand. Also, I need to face forward with my serve, I was serving like Federer out of ignorance. These videos are something special.
Fabulous information. Can't wait to try it on the court tomorrow. I have often felt something is off with my serve and I think this will be key for me as a right eye dominant.
WOW! C'est simple mais ça résume bien. Ce que j'adore sont les conseils précis et surtout externes. C'est 1 chose à travailler, on se fout du résultat pour l'instant. Et plutôt que d'y aller simplement avec des ''cues'' physique ""internes'' pour diriger le mouvement de l'athlète, majoritairement c'est une cible externe qui est donnée: ''regarde ici'', vise là, lance ta balle ici, etc. C'est l'exemple parfait de bon coaching. C'est un art de savoir comment donner des cues et comment s'ajuster selon l'athlète qui est devant nous puisque ce n'est pas tout le monde qui réagit à tous les types de cues. Plus un coach dire peu de chose et qu'il y a des résultats meilleur il est car c'est l'indication de quelqu'un qui sait exactement comment prendre le problème et comment faire confiance à ce que l'athlète s'ajustera automatiquement. Bravo pour vos capsules!
Brilliant I am left handed and left dominant and now I understand why I have more problems with power on my forehand. I happen to serve right handed! So that is good with regard to being left eye dominant.
I've started playing tennis 3 months ago I've played badminton for 2 years, so I guess I have good power on my serve. But I've tried to copy Federer serve I'm a righty & right eye dominant player. I've had nice power but no consistency, I guess if not for this video I would have kept on trying to get consistent with the same action. Now, I'll try to mimic zverev & other right eye dominant players. Thanks a ton
Amazing Patrick! Thank you for this video, it explains so much! This explains why a new serve technique I was working on has been so poor, it's in direct opposition to my eye dominance. Can't wait to get on court now and put this new knowledge into practice!
Fascinating! I have never met coaches who explain this concept. I would only go first with the explanation and the tips for the right eye dominant, since they are the majority of the population.
I'm a righty and just found out that I'm right eye dominant. This explains why my serve improved alot when I started to extend my left arm in front when tossing the ball than making it parallel to the baseline. Thank you. Excited to apply this knowledge on my backhand.
On your serve, if your tossing arm is at about a 45 degrees angle from the baseline (instead of parallel to the baseline), and you focus on the ball with your left eye but with your head nearly parallel to the baseline (so your gaze is at an angle), your dominant eye will automatically “switch” to your left eye. The dominant eye concept is not a static concept as Patrick seems to suggest. It changes depending upon the horizontal gaze angle. I gave a scientific reference in my comments to this video.
I have struggled on my forehand contact point forever, now I know why, I can't wait to try this new approach. Same on the serve I go through periods of struggle along with periods of where everything clicks, must be the toss.
In have found only the Coach about this in all tennis bibliography that I have search. I had found things but not in tennis. In Golf they know it very well. Thank you Coach for your offer in the evolution of tennis.
Excellentes explications et démonstrations. Courtes, pertinentes et encourageantes. Idéal comme entraîneur de haut niveau et pour les joueurs amateurs aussi. Merci pour ces cours qu'on peut mettre en pratique à notre niveau. C'est très pédagogique comme approche. Bravo!
Feels like I'll need to genuinely make minor changes to both my Pickleball & Tennis game after watching this. I'm more left eye dominant based on what you do to see that. It'll be fun to make those changes, hard af though😅
Wow, this is fascinating and very illuminating! I am a righty, right-eye dominant, and I've known this for several years. But I've never understood until now what that meant for my tennis strokes. My backhand has always been better than my forehand, even with a switch from a two-hander to a one-hander. My backhand is more consistent and versatile and overall more powerful even. I've always had a problem on my forehand with contact point and a wandering grip (tends to overall be classical eastern but can sometimes shift both towards a more continental or semi-western depending on the day). So my forehand has always been inconsistent. I'll definitely need to pay a lot more attention to keeping my face turned more toward the net on forehands...
You are amazing coach am learning from you a loooooot of tips and tricks for tennis i wish that i can meet you and train with u for just 5 minutes Regards From Egypt ❤❤❤
This explains a lot, for example I make good backhand from the first day and always lose a ball at the forehand, and my serve is horrible because I was coping the left eye technique Thank you
I learned a lot from this great instruction. More than i thought I would. Doing the test found I'm cross dominant. Like you said my forehand is the better shot, but the BH is no slouch. I do need to take into my game the serve changes. Merci
I've known to be crossed-eye dominant (righty with left eye dominance) and play tennis for over 15years. However, I was trained the way a right eye dominant player would play. My one-handed backhand & serves were never good, so I'll try this out to see if it's better.
No one is putting out content like this on the web like Patrick. Fantastic and what a coach.
Vic Braden taught about dominant eye - and published actual research - 50 years ago.
best lesson ever!! having this knowledge 40 years ago would have saved me years of frustration
Fundamental aspect almost nobody instructs, and certainly nobody instructs better than Patrick.
Thank you very very much for this great information!
Patrick thank you so much for this video. I'm 58 years old and settled for an average serve for as long as I can remember. Found out that I am cross eye dominant. Without any practice except the warm up I used the new service toss at 1D in my USTA 4.5 league. Only lost serve once that evening and only faced one break point. Incredible feeling. On to the forehand now!
Every coach needs to watch this! Including the ones at the Mouratoglou Academy :-) But really, I've gone through a lot of pain with pros trying to "correct" my stance (including at Mouratoglou) forcing me to play sideways - changing my swing in ways that hurt more than help, trigging a loss in confidence and, at times, feeling completely lost. This video, especially seeing how Zverev is right eye/hand dominant (like me) and how he approaches his forehand (never closed stance), is the first legit explanation I've seen (and that pros/coaches won't sneer at) for why I don't like to hit forehands closed stance. Now, the next time a coach tries to "correct" me, I will just pull up this video. Sincere thanks!
Totally agree, i can’t even count the many times a coach has tried to close my stance as well, only to make me feel more lost and uncomfortable. (Being a left dominant leftie). This should be common knowledge for every tennis coach worldwide, why isn’t it? 😁
Yes, so much truth here! My first coach was obsessed with me turning turning turning. I think he would have made me hit with my back to the court if he could 😂. All the time it was, hold your racket longer with you non-dominant hand, turn those shoulders away from the court, put your left foot further over. But he was the professional and I believed he was giving me sound advice so I stuck with it and my timing was awful and I could almost never hit off the sweet spot. I tried so much to fix my issues. I found some success with an eastern grip hitting very flat with the ball at or near the apex but this gave me a bad hand injury. When I came back from the injury things were okay for a while but then I was turning turning turning again because I wanted more power and the problems came back. Now I know I shouldn't be turning a lot, I hit with an open stance, don't turn my shoulders more than about 45 degrees from the court and things are definitely better. If I was a coach I would be watching this kind of stuff all the time to make myself a better coach but too many seem content to go through the motions and repeat the same tired old instructions. I spoke to my new coach today and she didn't even know about the dominant eye thing. Luckily she is much less dogmatic. She does want you to turn but she looks at results and tries to get you to be comfortable so you are more likely to naturally find the right thing for you.
@@louisegyldensted1197regardless of eye dominance it’s crazy any coach these days telling you to hit closed stance..obviously there’s times you need to but it’s certainly not to be taught as the standard forehand
Learning that I'm cross-dominant has been so useful for my tennis progression.
Speechless. I play USTA 4.5 and Alta A3 out of Atlanta and have never heard this before. I have an excellent forehand, but always had trouble seeing my backhand through. This is a game changer! So I am right hand dominant, but left eye dominant. Cannot wait to get on the courts and make a few changes. Thank you Sincerely.
"I have an excellent forehand, but always had trouble seeing my backhand through. This is a game changer! So I am right hand dominant, but left eye dominant. "
You may or may not be cross dominant. You need to first establish your eye dominance through a visual test, not through your current strokes.
@@Better_Call_Raul I think he did that test the way the players did on the court...I dont think he just assumed based on his strokes...but good point, if true haha
@@adamtash2891 i'd guess and hope he did as well otherwise he would potentially lose a lot of time and effort
How’d you hit your backhand? And how did you adjust? And why if you struggled to see the ball, you didn’t naturally adjust in some way? Legit questions as I’m trying to understand peoples struggles with seeing the ball and not adjusting naturally..quick test and I’m both eye dominant so I don’t have any visual impairment I know of anyway 😅
Just saw thing comment. Sad to say I did not see the previous ones. uggh. Anyways my story goes as follows:
1. I was so focused on my swing path and positioning of my feet I did not consider my sight line.
2. In a sense I became captured by my desire for form over function
What I found was by stepping in towards the ball conscious of my sightline I was able to strike the ball cleaner. This is a combination of two factors watching the ball into the racket and controlling the terms of contact with the ball by acting upon the ball and not the other way around.
These are my thoughts. Hope my story helps a bit. Cheers @@TheTennisDaddy
Abstract
Ocular dominance is the tendency to prefer visual input from one eye to the other [e.g. Porac, C. & Coren, S. (1976). The dominant eye. Psychological Bulletin 83(5), 880-897]. In standard sighting tests, most people consistently fall into either the left- or right eye-dominant category [Miles, W. R. (1930). Ocular dominance in human adults. Journal of General Psychology 3, 412-420]. Here we show this static concept to be flawed, being based on the limited results of sighting with gaze pointed straight ahead. In a reach-grasp task for targets within the binocular visual field, subjects switched between left and right eye dominance depending on horizontal gaze angle. On average, ocular dominance switched at gaze angles of only 15.5° off center.
For a few years coaches have tried to close my FH stance and open my BH stance, even tough I feel most comfortable with a fully open forehand and a fully closed BH. As you can guess, I am right hand/right eye dominant. This video helped me a lot to realise I shouldnt change anything but just improve on what the body already naturaly presented as comfortable. Thank you for this video Patrick, you truly are a master of your work.
I don’t think that’s got anything to do with eye dominance mate, that coach is an idiot..everyone hits an open stance forehand as standard since the 90s and closed backhands more often than not…you’re as normal as everyone else
I thought I was the only coach who taught eye dominance. I’ve foxed a lot of bad backhands by getting my students to keep their head facing forward where they could process the ball more efficiently. It’s not just about seeing. Your brain works faster when your dominant eye is taking in the information.
Top notch content coming from Patrick lately. This and the return of serve lesson both provide some rare insight into how these seemingly subtle nuances can really enhance one's abilities to greatly improve!
First-class content from Patrick. His subscriber numbers are skyrocketing. It will very soon be the #1 most viewed instruction channel.
Not a single coach in my country tells about dominant eye. OMG. Goose bumps!!!
Hello Patrick. When I first stumbled upon your videos I was very skeptical about you. All your players play amazingly well. I wasn't able to see the nuances and small details you were teaching your students. I just thought you were a charlatan, to be honest. I've realized the fault was on my side.
I've improved a lot this last year. I play my best on match day and hence I win almost all my matches. I've gained enough experience to realize I was very wrong about you.
With this video I've learnt one of the reasons why I have improved so much this last year. I'm a right eye dominant player. I've instinctively changed my technique to adapt to this, without knowing. With the forehand I'm hitting more in front with an open stance, with my backhand I'm rotating my shoulders more (close stance) and with my serve I'm hitting also in front without rotating. It was a good feeling to see that's more or less what you've shown here.
Thank you for these videos. I'm sorry, I was wrong about you.
Pretty much confirms what I already do. Changed my toss recently from Roger to frontal toss. Works way better (but still feels uncomfortable after 42 years tossing differently).
I was trying to change my serve more side on like Roger, but I am right handed and right eye dominant - no wonder it didn't feel good!
This concept blew out my mind! How come we see every day and don't perceive it! Thanks a lot giving light to this fact!
Patrick, your lessons and teaching methods command the utmost respect.
You always highlight a player's strengths and present weaknesses as something that can be improved and turned into strengths.
Now I have the answer to why I have a better backhand because I have a dominant right eye.
Unfortunately, my coach could not explain this fact to me, but only stated it. This means that not only players, but also coaches always have room to grow and improve.
Unfortunately, in my country, Ukraine, a terrible war is going on against the Russian aggressors, and I cannot fully enjoy the game of tennis :(
But I hope that one day my friends and I will visit your academy and spend a wonderful weekend there.
All your work can be characterized by your favorite word - "Parfait"!
With best wishes, Yura Zayatrov 🙏.
Mouratoglou is the best coach ever! Your videos are great!
This perfectly explains why, as a lefty with left dominant eye, I feel comfortable hitting the forhand in almost open stance and why, even unconciously, I put myself in close stance with two handed backhand.
Me too, well the opposite, right hand and eye dominant, my forehand is very comfortable semi open or open, and i am closed with my one handed backhand and slice, although you kind of have to be for that, but it feels pretty natural. The biggest help for me is how this dictates your service stance and where your head should be and where the toss should be.
lefty gang
@@chilichap5853 haha indeed 😂
Some players may intuitively figure out their optimal contact points, head position and stance (that conforms to their dominant eye) but majority do not and may have BIG room for improvement they are unaware of. This is brilliant coaching !
Yeh I would’ve thought most would figure it out intuitively really…if I can’t see something very well regardless what I’m doing, I’d adjust so I can..I thought this would be normal but a lot of people seem to struggle according to the responses..I’d hate to see them drive😂
This is a real master class for enhancing your game. I fianlly understood why I could hit forehand more accurately and powerfully with longer shoulder turn. Even I have been playing tennis since eight. I never imagined my eye-dominance had affected my games and accuracy. I really thank for Patrick.
wow ive played tennis for 35 years and didnt quite realize this kind of obvious thing that has such a huge impact.....amazing coaching ...thanks for sharing the secret!
PS I started playing with eye glasses instead of contacts maybe 10 years ago.....and at first was shanking everything. my glasses didnt have a large field of vision so if i wasnt looking directly at the ball I had a lot more mishits than ever before....at first I wasnt hitting as well....but after a time it actually improved my game because it FORCED me to watch the ball until the last second.....I started playing a lot better, mostly. kind of a similar thing...I guess you just have to adjuat your strokes so that you can maintain proper eye contact as long as possible and hopefully during contact.
I do not comment on videos, but I feel this is very important aspect to voice my view! Agree with Patrick on the influence of eye dominance on your stokes. He has provided the most important element that influences your game. Full marks for this!
BUT, this (the influence) CAN be changed!! So instead of choosing the way to play because of your dominant eye, you CAN understand the impact it makes AND change how you look at the ball trajectory to play the WAY you are currently playing. No need to follow his advice if you prefer not to (for eg., being more infront on your forehand instead of sideways if you are right eye dominant). Two very important points:
1. You CAN see the ball with your non-dominant eye, if you not allow the dominant eye to see it. It is incorrect to assume that you cannot see the ball with your non-dominant eye esp in high speed situations. Your natural tendency is to not orient such that you WANT to see with you dominant eye - hence your body position when you hit. Nothing prevents you from seeing the ball with non-dominant eye.
2. Extension of #1 above. Learn to orient yourself so that you see the ball with non-dominant eye when you hit - for eg., if you want be sideways when hitting your forehand (and you are right eye dominant), you CAN remain sideways, as long as you are aware of your natural tendency to see with your right eye and resist doing so. Besides, being sideways is the best way to hit a forehand (or for that matter serve) and for most people (right-handed who are right eye dominant), we are taking away the critical body stability by not being sideways when hitting/serving! So do not let right eye-dominance lead you to open up when hitting.
If you do not trust this, you can validate the ability of seeing with your non-dominant eye by wearing eye-glasses which have a separation at the nose, so that when you tilt in a direction, you cannot see from the other eye. With this, you can see the ball (even in high speed) with just one eye in either side (irrespective of eye dominance).
The trick or rather the element to correct is, to force yourself to be in correct orientation - even when your brain forces you to not be in that orientation (as it wants input always from the dominant eye!). Be sideways as much as possible folks... that is the best way to hit with your core (and your hands follow).
thank you coach, I learned a lot about the shortcomings of playing tennis after watching this video. My right eye is dominant. After I followed it and continued practicing, I experienced an increase in ball control also the ball is faster with less effort
I've seen you do this to your students in lots of previous videos.
Super tip.
I'm right handed, with dominant left eye. I slightly position my head to the right, so my Left eye is more focused on the ball. Been working good.
Note for those who wear glasses. Your dominant eye will usually be the one with weaker vision. I wear glasses and my prescription for left eye is stronger than the right eye. This will typically cause the poor visioned left eye to compensate and be the dominant eye. 👁
@@Better_Call_Raul i am not sure this is entirely true. People could wear glasses for different reasons, stigmatism. I wear glasses, but I am left eye dominant When I takeoff my glasses, my left eye sees better than my right eye I also have a weak right eye. A lazy eye that does not drift.
@@rinz-n-repeat It is an interestic topic. I know nothing about it but did hear a researcher say that near-sighted people will tend to have dominance in the more myopic eye.
Wikipedia
Eye dominance has been categorized as "weak" or "strong".
In those with anisometropic myopia (different amounts of nearsightedness between the two eyes), the dominant eye has typically been found to be the one with more myopia.
YOU HAVE JUST CHANGED MY LIFE!!! I'm cross-dominant! This is why I have trouble with my backhand. It all makes sense now!
I'm right-handed, left-eye dominant. My best shot is forehand. I can prepare very well and I hit the ball really hard.
But when I go to the left side I guess I'm losing sight of the ball because my head turns.
Thank you thank you thank you
Eye dominance refers to the phenomenon where one eye has a slightly stronger influence on visual perception than the other eye. It means that when you use both eyes to look at an object, your brain tends to rely more on the visual input from the dominant eye.
Having a dominant eye does not mean that the dominant eye is capable of seeing at near or intermediate distances at the same time as seeing in the distance. The dominant eye primarily influences visual perception and the brain's preference for processing visual information, but it doesn't directly affect the eye's ability to focus at different distances.
I hate to say this but while Patrick may be a great coach, the information he’s spreading regarding eye dominance is misleading at best and misinformed at its worst.
Thanks!
Wow, this is potentially an “eye-opener” for me as a professional viola/violin teacher and performer. I have been watching your videos with great interest as I have a talented 12y old tennis-playing son. Firstly there are so many similarities between violin/viola playing that there’s already enough material for a whole book. I started playing tennis myself four years ago and it keeps surprising me: Gravity, relaxation, elbow pronation, posture forehand swing/bowstrokes, processing speed, strategy, control , performance preparation, match nerves are just a few examples.
But now this: I have wondered why some of my pupils struggle to read music whilst playing, but not books. I think you have given me the answer! I struggled to read music as a child and have just discovered I am left-eye dominant. Not surprising as the music stand is normally on our right (and in tennis my throw is crap, never feels like I can read where the ball actually is). Thanks so much for this!
This is incredible instruction. When I played baseball I knew that I was right eye dominant. Later in life playing 30 and over baseball my hitting became very consistent with an open stance and short backswing - hitting right handed. I am finding out now I have been hitting my forehand with the wrong stance with my shoulders totally turned. I have also been hitting my serves with a closed stance. I am right handed.
Was skeptical at first, but it made a lot more sense when taking the info to the court as a cross-eye dominant.
Explains quite a lot. I’m right eye dominant and a coach recently told me to toss more at 12 in front and it helped a lot! Why I’m better at my 2hbh as well
Strange, I am much better with ny 2hbh but I am left eye dominant
Don't wanna speak too soon, but Patrick you may have fixed my forehand problems. Always always always I was having timing issues, missing the sweetspot, actually got a wrist injury because I was always striking the ball off centre. When I first got lessons I was told turn more turn more over and over till I ended up always being in a closed stance and while I didn't know it until 2 days ago, that meant my dominant eye was turned away from the court. This also explains why my backhand is fire and my forehand is at best a dying candle. I've started hitting with a more open stand and less rotation of hips and shoulders like you showed with Zverev and so far there is a big improvement. Thank you so much for this. So now Rick Macci has fixed my serve and Patrick Mouratoglou has fixed my forehand.
you are All time! best instructor ever!
Wow this explains so much about the difficulties and success I’ve had with my contact points and stances. Thank you for the detailed explanation with pro examples for inspiration
This is the Bible for every tennis player !!! I couldn't thank you more for this explanation - I finnaly understand why and how to progress and feel better on court. True masterclass 👍
As an optometrist (Lefty with left eye dominance), I can tell that...you ACE it!
it is lovely to know my eye is right dominant, thank you. no wonder why I'm always service good on od side. thanks again
So good. I've been playing since the 70's and this is the first I have heard about eye dominance.. MasterClass title is not joke. Thank you Patrick!
Wow one of the most tennis life changing videos I’ve seen. As a RH/RE player I feel way more comfortable on my BH side turning to my left and I hate serve tossing to my right side. Now I realize I should toss more in front and not turn my head! Amazing.
Kudos Patrick! Great video. Now if you could only make a video about the toss positioning for the different types of serves (flat, kick and slice) for the dominant eye, we all would be ever grateful.
Yes!
Agradezco profundamente la calidad del contenido que se está generando en este canal. Muchas gracias, saludos desde La Serena, Chile.
Great lesson. I’ve known about dominant eye, but never think about it in relation with tennis techniques. It seems very important and your lesson is very clear. Thanks a lot.
今年に入ってからこのメソッドを取り入れた結果、サービス、ストロークすべてやり易くなり、驚いています。ミスター・ムラトグルーに感謝‼
I stumbled upon my right eye dominance myself, but this video has already equipped me with some nuggets to improve my game. Thank you, Coach Mouratoglou
Outstanding, clear and well-explained, just like the return of serve lesson. Thank you, Patrick
THIS IS THE BEST ! GREAT innovative coaching ! You are slowly filling the shoes of the late great VIC BRADEN who brought science into the Realm of coaching Tennis ! Your brain reacts faster when your dominant eye is taking in the ocular information. GREAT WORK !
Amazing, amazing video! Thanks Patrick. All our lives we hear ‘watch the ball’ and it has always sounded like a sill platitude. I mean, who doesn’t watch the ball they are trying to hit? The instruction has been missing a few words. The coach should say “Watch the ball - with your dominant eye”. I felt a marked difference the minute I tried hitting while consciously focusing with my dominant eye. Thanks again Patrick!
Still, lot of ppl dont watch the ball till the end when hitting
But yeah after watching this vidéo, looks like taking into account the dominant eye takes it to the next level
Awesome - thank you so much. This is by far the best video on eye dominance and what it means for the different strokes. I will absolutely try it next time I´m on the court.
I used to be right eyed dominant / right handed, but after both eyes having cornea transplants I became left eye dominant so now cross-dominant. This has really helped explain why I've struggled with my contact points especially on the forehand where I was trying to stay more open. Thank you. Wish I'd seen this before the summer as I lost a lot of confidence playing singles.
Wow. I was serving completely wrong for my eye dominance. This is great info!
Thanks for this video. That's why my forehand is so inconsistent and I have a better backhand, and my serve doesn't hit the spot. I am right handed and right eye dominant. Will practice the technique you taught sir Patrick. Thanks, again!😊
Amazing video! I knew about eye dominance but never thought about it in connection to tennis! Will try to apply this to my game! Thanks a million!
Hi Patrick. This really helps me to understand why my stroke are not what I wanted them to be for most of the time.
I played games a lot and been using left hand model due to my right eye dominant, but never thought it would be implemented in tennis as well.
This was an eye opener.
This was really good! I've just grasped the concept fully through this video and it seems to explain why some of my shots are mysteriously working better than others as well as potentially giving me some areas to work on concretely. Thank you.
Explained why I have such a good backhand. Also, I need to face forward with my serve, I was serving like Federer out of ignorance. These videos are something special.
Fabulous information. Can't wait to try it on the court tomorrow. I have often felt something is off with my serve and I think this will be key for me as a right eye dominant.
You'll see, it's an incredible feeling.
@@patrickmouratoglou_official coming to your adult academy in Nice Sept 2024!!
@@sugarfreejello You are welcome, like any tennis lover.
It would awesome to take a lesson in-person. Such a great coach!
WOW! C'est simple mais ça résume bien.
Ce que j'adore sont les conseils précis et surtout externes. C'est 1 chose à travailler, on se fout du résultat pour l'instant. Et plutôt que d'y aller simplement avec des ''cues'' physique ""internes'' pour diriger le mouvement de l'athlète, majoritairement c'est une cible externe qui est donnée: ''regarde ici'', vise là, lance ta balle ici, etc.
C'est l'exemple parfait de bon coaching. C'est un art de savoir comment donner des cues et comment s'ajuster selon l'athlète qui est devant nous puisque ce n'est pas tout le monde qui réagit à tous les types de cues.
Plus un coach dire peu de chose et qu'il y a des résultats meilleur il est car c'est l'indication de quelqu'un qui sait exactement comment prendre le problème et comment faire confiance à ce que l'athlète s'ajustera automatiquement.
Bravo pour vos capsules!
Brilliant I am left handed and left dominant and now I understand why I have more problems with power on my forehand. I happen to serve right handed! So that is good with regard to being left eye dominant.
Merci Phillipe tu es le goat des coach de tennis ❤
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I've started playing tennis 3 months ago
I've played badminton for 2 years, so I guess I have good power on my serve. But I've tried to copy Federer serve
I'm a righty & right eye dominant player.
I've had nice power but no consistency, I guess if not for this video I would have kept on trying to get consistent with the same action. Now, I'll try to mimic zverev & other right eye dominant players.
Thanks a ton
Excellent cours merci Patrick
So helpful Patrick, thanks so much for sharing!! So helpful to learn this concept…grateful for you sir!
That tip on hitting backhand next to the body really improved my timing.
The most interesting Tennis learning Video I have ever seen!
This is one of the best Tennis Coaching video that I've ever seen. Thanks a lot.
best tennis teaching video ever. such special and useful info we never mentioned.
WOW ... 67 years old and never knew which eye was my dominant ... Thank You 😎
I taught tennis for years and never heard of this. Game changer. Wish I’d known this before.
Thank you. I am yet to try it. But I am already seeing how this knowledge would improve my faltering tennis. Thank you coach
Amazing Patrick! Thank you for this video, it explains so much! This explains why a new serve technique I was working on has been so poor, it's in direct opposition to my eye dominance. Can't wait to get on court now and put this new knowledge into practice!
Fascinating! I have never met coaches who explain this concept. I would only go first with the explanation and the tips for the right eye dominant, since they are the majority of the population.
Very helpful information. Thank you
I'm a righty and just found out that I'm right eye dominant. This explains why my serve improved alot when I started to extend my left arm in front when tossing the ball than making it parallel to the baseline. Thank you. Excited to apply this knowledge on my backhand.
On your serve, if your tossing arm is at about a 45 degrees angle from the baseline (instead of parallel to the baseline), and you focus on the ball with your left eye but with your head nearly parallel to the baseline (so your gaze is at an angle), your dominant eye will automatically “switch” to your left eye. The dominant eye concept is not a static concept as Patrick seems to suggest. It changes depending upon the horizontal gaze angle. I gave a scientific reference in my comments to this video.
I have struggled on my forehand contact point forever, now I know why, I can't wait to try this new approach. Same on the serve I go through periods of struggle along with periods of where everything clicks, must be the toss.
This guy is awesome. After he pointed out federers fh and bh makes so much sense, got to try what eye dominance i hav now. Thanks M.
good luck
In have found only the Coach about this in all tennis bibliography that I have search. I had found things but not in tennis. In Golf they know it very well.
Thank you Coach for your offer in the evolution of tennis.
Amaizing. Tank you for video. Obrigado Patrick.
Could not thank you enough, you're definitely the best coach on earth!
C'est très bien expliqué s'agissant d'un sujet qui prête souvent à confusion
BEST advice I've ever had on my backhand - right hander, left eye dominant. Thank you SO SO much!! Best regards
you still suck probably
Excellentes explications et démonstrations. Courtes, pertinentes et encourageantes. Idéal comme entraîneur de haut niveau et pour les joueurs amateurs aussi. Merci pour ces cours qu'on peut mettre en pratique à notre niveau. C'est très pédagogique comme approche. Bravo!
You are unarguably the best Tennis Coach 💯
Feels like I'll need to genuinely make minor changes to both my Pickleball & Tennis game after watching this. I'm more left eye dominant based on what you do to see that.
It'll be fun to make those changes, hard af though😅
Wow, this is fascinating and very illuminating! I am a righty, right-eye dominant, and I've known this for several years. But I've never understood until now what that meant for my tennis strokes. My backhand has always been better than my forehand, even with a switch from a two-hander to a one-hander. My backhand is more consistent and versatile and overall more powerful even. I've always had a problem on my forehand with contact point and a wandering grip (tends to overall be classical eastern but can sometimes shift both towards a more continental or semi-western depending on the day). So my forehand has always been inconsistent. I'll definitely need to pay a lot more attention to keeping my face turned more toward the net on forehands...
First time I've heard of eye dominance being a consideration factor in tennis 😮 Fascinating!
Bonjour, je suis d'accord avec ce concept, néanmoins, il existe aussi l'oeil moteur dominant, celui qui perçoit le mouvement !
The is probably the most interesting tennis concept I’ve seen since I started. Thanks for the content!
確かにそうですね😊。
Thank you! The revelation was just amazing. Just need to make adjustments to my basic strokes😅
Good luck
That’s the key. All of this means nothing if you don’t have the fundamentals. Afraid people will think this will fix all of their issues
This is mind-blowing. My backhand is way better than my forehand. Can't wait to correct. Thank you!
You are amazing coach am learning from you a loooooot of tips and tricks for tennis i wish that i can meet you and train with u for just 5 minutes
Regards From Egypt ❤❤❤
Thank you patrick, such a good information. Well done
This explains a lot, for example I make good backhand from the first day and always lose a ball at the forehand, and my serve is horrible because I was coping the left eye technique
Thank you
This is crazy. I made a few of these adjustments as a cross eyed dominant person. This explains so much why my backhand loses timing
I learned a lot from this great instruction. More than i thought I would. Doing the test found I'm cross dominant. Like you said my forehand is the better shot, but the BH is no slouch. I do need to take into my game the serve changes. Merci
笑いが止まりません😊。
I don’t know how we are getting this kind of information for free. Thanks Patrick!
Amazing secret! Thank You, Patrick! Frank (instructor from Budapest, Hungary) :)
This is invaluable advice ! Now I know why i am doing what I am doing. Thank you.
I've known to be crossed-eye dominant (righty with left eye dominance) and play tennis for over 15years. However, I was trained the way a right eye dominant player would play.
My one-handed backhand & serves were never good, so I'll try this out to see if it's better.
Could you do a video on doubles tactics, how and when to poach, etc etc?🎾 Would love that
I’m so excited to implement this on my serve especially being cross dominant.