THE MOST IMPORTANT LINE IN TENNIS: THE HEAD TO FOOT RELATIONSHIP


    The most important line in tennis is the imaginary line from your head to your             contact foot.  This line creates the smooth effortless power, timing and consistency      that the pros possess and we all envy.

Let’s look at the Head & the Contact Foot separately…

Your Head is a centre point for balance.  If the head is inside your two feet, you are balanced. If your head is outside either the left or right foot you are off balance.  Therefore controlling the head position is important, especially in a dynamic sport like tennis where we are faced with a series of complex movements in quick succession. 

At the moment of contact the head is positioned between two feet


Disciplining the head leads to consistency of timing

The Contact Foot is the foot you use to interact with the ground and create inertia. Nature doesn’t care which foot you use, it can be the “back” foot or the “front” foot, nature just wants that link to be established so that the bio-mechanics can take place through the body and into the racquet.

The back foot being used effectively on this deep ball

Therefore…

Head = Balance
Contact Foot = Timing and Power

If the Head is trained to be positioned directly above the Contact Foot at the moment of contact, you will experience perfect timing and easy power. 


Most players today are far too dependent on creating power from the arms and this leads to control issues.  While the arms are important, don’t ask them to time the ball, nor to provide the power for the shot.  Those jobs should be performed by the “Line”, which is the relationship between the Head and the Contact Foot.

Comments

  1. mannyDMarch 13, 2012 at 8:51 PM

    Paul, nicely and clearly said. Right on point.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul DaleMarch 14, 2012 at 6:05 AM

      Thanks Manny, and congrats on your win against Ole Miss. Your team is showing great character.

      Delete

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