Tuesday Tennis Tip: Anticipation

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting tennis tips from the beginning of a stroke through the end. That means we'll start with getting prepared to take up the proper court position, all the way through the swing and follow-through and ending with getting prepared for the next shot. This is a way for me to learn, as I have to look up all these things, and then you can come along for the ride... I hope you learn something!

Anticipation, knowing what is going to happen so that you can move to it. Anticipation is a highly overlooked part of each tennis players game. The truth is, I can tell what type of player you are, what level of player you are, by how you anticipate the shot that is coming at you.

Beginner - Reacts to the ball only after it has bounced on his side.
Intermediate - Reacts to the ball as it is crossing the net.
Advanced - Reacts to the ball when it leaves his opponent's racquet.
Top Player - Reacts by looking at oppoent's racquest face, level of contact, opponent's body position, etc. Can tell what type of shot is coming and where it will likely go.

So, picking up the ball earlier is very important. By picking up the ball earlier, I mean knowing where the ball is going at an earlier time. The sooner you know where the ball is going, the faster you can get prepared for your shot.

I don't just want to tell you that anticipation and attention is important, I want to give you some ways to improve. Here are several quick tips to knowing the direction of the ball sooner.

1. Know your opponent's shot types from the warm-up. Do they use all topspin, take some balls with slice, hit high over the net or low? Topspin balls bounce deeper and slice will mean you will likely have to move forward. Pay attention to these tendencies.

2. Observe the opponent's racquet face, stance, and preparation for a hit. Are they brushing over the ball? Then it is topspin, be prepared for power and deep. How are they moving their hips? Where are they contacting the ball? Concentration is needed, but will pay dividends!

3. Note the speed of the swing. Harder swings will drive the ball deeper through the court. Softer give you the advantage of moving forward.

4. Notice whether the swing is high-to-low or low-to-high. High-to-low means slice, move forward. Low-to-high means topspin, be prepared.

These are some basic notes on anticipation. They are good concentration drills as well, things to notice that will keep you mentally in a match. I encourage you to start thinking about them as we go through practice, especially as you warm-up. Moving through the stages of anticipation will result in a higher level of play!