The Lesson Lounge - Tennis Warrior

Your Link to Professional Thinking!

The Direction Reaction

There are three techniques that can increase your speed in tennis. The Vision Straddle, the Split Step, and the Direction Reaction. I would like to tackle the Direction Reaction one more time. The Direction Reaction is exactly what it sounds like. You react according to the direction of the ball off of your opponents racket. Remember the ball has a direction before it has a destination. Your mind should be thinking about the direction first and the destination second. Unfortunately, most players think of the destination first. This causes a slight hesitation before they move to the ball. This is the reason why when I'm working on this drill and I tell players to go after the ball they look over at me and say, why should I, that ball was going out. I quickly point out, if you know the ball is going out you waited way to long to react to the ball.

Let's see if I can illustrate this better. Will you agree when the ball is a foot or so off of your opponents strings a certain set of conditions exist that are different than when the ball is 5 or 10 feet off of your opponents strings? I hope your answer is yes.

When the ball is a foot or so off your opponents strings no one knows for sure if the ball is going to be in or out. When the ball is 5 or 10 feet off the strings players can begin to tell if a ball is going in or not. When it gets 15 to 20 feet off the strings your chances of figuring whether a ball is in or out increases dramatically. The conditions change the farther the ball is off your opponents strings. When you tell me you knew that ball was going out, you've waited 15 or 20 feet off your opponents strings before you began reacting to the ball!

The art of the Direction Reaction is to react when the ball is a foot or so off your opponents strings and begin moving immediately. No one knows, including the Pros, exactly where the ball is going. You react first, then analyze if the ball is going in or out. The next time you're practicing give it a try! Move according to the direction of the ball off your opponents strings. Do not wait until you know for sure if the ball is in or out. I'll see you at Wimbledon!