Technical Tennis: Racquets, Strings, Balls, Courts, Spin, and Bounce
Table of Contents
By Rod Cross and Crawford Lindsey
FOREWORD
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1: RACQUETS
INTRODUCTION
- Choosing a Racquet—the Basics
- Mistakes When Buying a Racquet
- Three Types of Racquet
- Racquets and Player Psychology
- Racquet Features Combine with Strokes
- Selecting a Racquet Is Art and Science
- Care of Racquets
RACQUET PROPERTIES
POWER
- The Components of "Power": Exit Speed, Rebound Speed, Racquet Speed
- Match Point Box 1.1: Effect of Grip Firmness on Power
- The Maximum Exit Power Point Changes with Racquet Speed
- Comparing Racquet Power
- Racquet Power Defined as Rebound Power
- Match Point Box 1.2: Maximum Effort Power
- Rebound Power Is the Sum of All Racquet Properties
- Power and Energy Loss
- Match Point Box 1.3: Maximum Theoretical Ball Speed
- The Bad News: Rebound Power Values Aren't Readily Available
CONTROL
WEIGHT
- Weight and Apparent Weight
- The Six "Weights" of a Racquet
- Racquet Weight
- Light vs Heavy Racquets
- Ideal Racquet Weight
- Balance Point and Pickupweight
- Swingweight
- Twistweight
- Spinweight
- Hittingweight ("Effective Mass")
STIFFNESS
- Racquet Stiffness
- Measuring Racquet Stiffness
- Match Point Box 1.4: Vibration Comparison between Racquets
- Racquet Vibrations, Sweetspot, and Feel
- Vibration Dampening
- Shock and the Center of Percussion
- Match Point Box 1.5: The Difference between Shock and Vibration
CUSTOMIZING A RACQUET
- Match Point Box 1.6: Customizing Weight, Balance, & Swingweight
- Further Reading
CHAPTER 2 STRINGS
STRINGS AND THE MODERN GAME
STRINGBED STIFFNESS
- Static and Dynamic Stringbed Stiffness
- Effect of String Material and Gauge on Stringbed Stiffness
- Effect of String Tension on Stringbed Stiffness
- Effect of String Pattern on Stringbed Stiffness
- Effect of Headsize and Stringbed Suspension System on Stringbed Stiffness
- Match Point Box 2.1: Rise in String Tension During a Shot
- Stringbed Stiffness Summary
TENSION AND PERFORMANCE
- Tension and Power
- Tension Loss and Going "Dead"
- Tension Loss and Feel
- Tension Loss and Control
- Tension Loss and Sound
- Tension Loss and Prestreteching
- Tension and Spin
- Tension and Player Perceptiveness
DWELL TIME AND PERFORMANCE
- Dwell Time
- Dwell Distance
- Dwell Error
- Dwell Time and Force
- General Rules of Dwell Time
- Further Reading
CHAPTER 3 BALLS AND BOUNCE
BALL BASICS
- Ball History
- Rules about Balls
- Match Point Box 3.1: Ball Testing to Compare New and Old Balls
- Pressurized and Pressureless Balls
BALL BOUNCE OFF THE COURT
- Friction
- Bounce Factors
- Bounce Factor #1: Angle of Incidence
- Bounce Factor #2: Incident Speed and Spin
- Bounce Factor #3: Hardness of Court
- Bounce Factor #4: Court Smoothness or Roughness
- Horizontal Bounce Speed
- Effects of Friction on Ball Spin
BALL BOUNCE OFF THE STRINGS
- Angle of Impact
- Tilting the Racquet Head
- The Bounce Path off the Strings
- Further Reading
CHAPTER 4 SPIN AND TRAJECTORY
SPIN BASICS
- Generation of Spin
- Influence of Incident Angle and Spin on Rebound Spin
- Match Point Box 4.1: Effects of Spin on Bounce off the Strings
- Types and Uses of Spin
- 18 Different Ways to Hit the Ball
- Spin Before and After Bounce
- Effect of Grip on Spin
- Can Racquets and Strings Increase Spin?
- Match Point Box 4.2: Can Players Feel Spin
- Increasing Spin with Stroke Technique
- Simple Topspin Experiment
- Match Point Box 4.3: Topspin and the Federer Forehand
- Effect of Racquet Tilt on a Topspin Forehand
SPIN AND THE SERVE
- Ball Toss
- Tips on Serving
- Arching the Back to Serve
- Slice Serve
- Serve Actions
- Forearm Slows Down
- Match Point Box 4.4: The Sampras Serve
- Force on Handle
TRAJECTORY
- Vertical Launch Angle
- Hitting the Ball Deep
- Further Reading
