The Secret of Off-Center Hits
Most players have the goal of hitting the ball on the center of the racquet.
They succeed unless there is a difficult situation.
Why? Because that is their intention, their goal.
It is also an idea backed up by most coaches, not quite observant of this fleeting fact: Top pros hit topspin strokes quite below the center.
How is this? Do they know that that’s where they hit?
Revelation: they may not know consciously that they are doing that. What happens is that with so much constant practice they get a certain feel of ease and more control on hitting below the center and they adopt it instinctively.
I happen to coach that purposefully. I have seen a number of pros have bad days without realizing why. They fight their instinct, thinking that it is better to hit on the center. Realize that the torque of hitting below the center keeps the racquet closed and the ball does not fly long. You also get more topspin and you don’t need to grip the racquet tight.
Oscar Wegner, TennisTeacher.com
Comment
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Comment by Oscar Wegner on August 21, 2013 at 2:11pm
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Yes, but follow that on a tournament, not on a few chosen pictures. At the top level of the game, over 80 percent of the time they hit well below the center. It's very observable. Check that on any of the Grand Slam on YouTube as well, but on film. Have you observed that during a tournament? That goes back even with the smaller racquets decades ago, although not as pronounced as with the modern racquets.
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Comment by Tim Prapong on August 21, 2013 at 2:01pm
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Here are three pics each of Fed, Djokovic and Nadal hitting center. There are also many pics of them hitting elsewhere on the racquet face. All can be seen on Google.
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