Tip of the month: watching the ball too much!
To live by logic is to live in a controlled and seemingly secure environment, but logic does not always make sense!
Case in point: many tennis players, after errors, often berate themselves by saying ‘watch the ball’. This seems logical if I miss-hit a ball, it would make sense that I did not watch the ball, otherwise, why the miss-hit. The same logic would apply to swinging too soon or too late.
Has this logic worked, does it work for you? Somehow it seems players draw some comfort from ‘knowing’ the answer, even though this knowing does not seem to help (why else does it keep happening). Why is this?
Is it more important for you to feel the comfort of knowing why you missed the ball or would you rather actually move into trying to solve the problem?
I play golf with a friend, who, every time he scuffs the ball or miss-hits it in any way says ‘I lifted my head (meaning, I did not watch the ball). Now he scuffs the ball quite frequently and he always says the same thing, but nothing changes. Obviously, this knowing has not helped his golf game, but he has no desire to drop what he thinks he knows in order to try to discover something he does not know.
His knowing the answer prevents further enquiry!
My observation is that people watch the ball too intently, especially around contact, and in that watching their body tenses and this impedes a natural, relaxed swing.
If you are someone who thinks they don’t watch the ball enough or feels that their tennis would improve if only they could watch the ball all the way to the racket, this is for you!
Try something new and different!
Yes, watch the ball come off your opponent’s racket, like you watch a movie at home, but as the ball approaches, just throw the racket at the ball.
Do not try and watch the ball at contact.
No one can tell you when to throw the racket or how close the ball has to be, but some how your body will figure it out, if not immediately, then certainly after hitting some balls.
Trust is needed and the desire for control and trust cannot co-exist peacefully. You can have one or the other, but not both.
Just be a little cavalier about the swing. Don’t take it so seriously!
This is not too dangerous to try at home, in fact, I strongly recommend it and then let’s see what happens!