The sound of 'hollow' power (TIP)

Ok forgive my cryptic title. It's a slow day at the office (it's the 24th of Dec) and I feel like being creative. Anyhow, I thought I begin my 'TIPS' blogs with a little tidbit that's beneficial to every player, 2.5 to 4.5. Heres goes.

Have you ever gone to a professional tennis tournament (ITF, ATP, WTA) and gone to practice courts? Have you ever closed your eyes and just listen to the sound the tennis racquet makes when the balls thier strings? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. It's a hollow sounding 'popping' sound. Your first impression is wow they are hitting the ball hard but when you look at the players hitting it looks so effortless. No strain on thier faces or nor do they look tense. There just going along their every day business while blasting forehand and backhands 70-75 mphs.

Can you do this? Impossible? Not quite. I'm going to show you a way to produce that hollow popping sound and maximize the easy power potential in your swing. It all begins with your grip. 90% of all rec players grip the racquet too hard. Here's the problem though, to tighten your grip you need to contract the muscles in your forearm, that in turn makes the arm stiff and rigid which robs you of power and makes your arm a shock absorber (ow!). Yes, yes I know, you need a firm grip to play tennis, you've been told that a hundred times. They truth is you only need to firm up your grip at one point during your swing. That's right, the moment of contact.

Ok. Next time your out on the court try this. Hold the racquet in your hitting hand loosely. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 having it slip from your hand and 10 gripping it as hard as you can, try a 3. Another one I like to use it hold it as you were holding a bird, not tight enough to crush it but tight enough to not let it fly away. Now take a few shadow swings with the racquet. Feel the how effortless the racquet flows through the air with your loose grip and arm relaxed. I know what your thinking, I couldn't possibly hit a groundstroke like this. Now here's the trick. When swinging, you want to tighten your grip a bit right before the moment of contact. Then after contact let the grip revert back to it's previous loose mode as it glides over your shoulder to the follow-thru position.

It will take a while to master. Sometimes I have people whisper to themselves - 'Loose' - 'Squeeze' - 'Loose' - outloud to help develop a rhythm. The 1st loose being in the racquet take back, squeeze being the contact, and the 2nd loose being the follow thru. However, once you've got it down, you should notice that your racquet is gliding through the air faster and more fluidly. Moreover, you see a effortless increase of power on your shots. It will feel like your hitting the ball less hard but watch that ball fly with wicked spin and pace. Lastly, you should hear a distinctive hollow, popping sound when striking the ball. This is generated by the sound of strings and racquet flexing and taking the impact of the ball rather then your arm. Strive to make this sound with every shot and always remind yourself it's related to how tight/loose your grip and arm is.

So keep popping those balls and I'll see you next post!

Anyhow, I hope this helps. Merry X-mas and Happy New Year.

Mike