instructional column
Cup
Waking up to the facts and myths of winning tennis.
Can You Hit Topspin by Rolling Over the Ball?
of Joe
By Joe Dinoffer USPTA and PTR Master Professional
Q: Is the instruction to roll over the ball for topspin really that bad? Sometimes it seems to work for me. A: Exactly. Sometimes it works. Generally it won’t work. Here’s why. The ball is in contact with the strings for a very short period of time, usually somewhere between 2 and 3 milliseconds, so short that the human eye cannot even see the event.
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©fred mullane
In “Cup of Joe,” we want to evaluate accepted methods of how tennis should be played and coached in the context of the modern game. Some readers may conclude that many of the accepted ways of thinking are now obsolete; other readers may feel their importance is reinforced. Either way, we want to hear from you—about this current topic and on other topics you’d like us to address. Email me at joe@oncourtoffcourt.com and we will try to publish your comments in future columns.
Q: Well, even if ball contact happens too fast to see, I still feel the ball hit the strings. So, why shouldn’t I try to roll over the ball to create topspin?
Y
ou hear the instruction all the time from commentators on TV and read it in tips in tennis magazines: “Hit topspin groundstrokes by rolling your racquet over the ball.” The result of the propagation of this instruction is that tens of thousands of players are futilely muttering this instruction to themselves on the court every day, all over the world. In their defense, it is true that TV commentators and instructors get this notion from somewhere. Sometimes it will appear as if top players are swinging up and then roll over the top of the ball. But I assure you that, in reality, the ball has long left the strings by the time the racquet goes up and over in that part of the follow-through. If you are one of these players who are now wondering if reminding yourself of this instruction has been a waste of time, read on.
A: No, from two standpoints. First, you can certainly try, but since it happens so fast the timing is very difficult. This is why you have only sporadically succeeded. Second, even if you do succeed in rolling over the ball, at what part in this motion do you want the actual ball contact to take place? Obviously, you would not want the strings to be pointed downwards (slightly closed) unless you are inside the service line and striking the ball about shoulder height. And, during the brief moment of contact, trying to change the angle of the racquet face is not a good idea. Q: So, if you’re not supposed to roll over the ball or change the angle during contact, what should I think about to try to hit topspin groundstrokes? A: There are two factors that create topspin:
The angle of the racquet face and the path of the racquet head during contact. The angle of the racquet face generally is perpendicular to the ground at contact, except it can be slightly closed if contact is high above the net and inside the service line. The path of the racquet face must simply be upwards. When the path is more low to high, the topspin groundstroke will have more arc, and when the path is less low to high, the topspin groundstroke will have less arc. Therefore, to hit a topspin lob requires the racquet path to be mostly upwards (while the racquet face still remains perpendicular to the ground at contact).