The Tennis Brain: Part 2

[johnyandell]

Let's get your thoughts on Paul Hamori's latest article, "The Tennis Brain: Part 2"

[ten1050]

Wonderful article, I keep raving about this book on watching the ball because it is filled with invaluable insights. The ball watching techniques described in the book take considerable practice and patience. However, the rewards are well worth the effort. The human brain is probably the most complex entity in the known universe. Dr. Paul has given us a better understanding on how to use it.

Norman Ashbrooke

[nickw]

I think eye dominance plays a big role in the personal benefit of watching the ball onto the strings. If you're right-handed and left eye dominant (or vice versa), it much more valuable to watch the ball onto the strings like Federer. If you're right-handed and right eye dominant, then it's not so important. I think the suggestion is Federer is left eye dominant, and Djokovic right eye, but I don't know if that's fact.

To test eye dominance, look at a small object through a circle made with your thumb and index finger, then take it turns to close one eye. Whichever eye is open when the object doesn't move from the circle is your dominant eye.

Certainly I've found with lower level players who are cross dextral, getting them to watch the ball onto the strings reduces the number of mis-hits.

[johnyandell]

Nick, I need to figure out this eye dominance thing...no clue at present...

[nickw]

Did you try the test?

I'm left eye dominant and right handed. That means on a forehand at contact point, my dominant left eye is further away from contact point than my right eye, which in turn means my left eye will naturally lose sight of the ball before contact point, unless I make a conscious effort to keep my vision on the ball until contact (as Federer does very subconsciously)

For me personally, my biggest danger of shanking the ball, is on running forehands, which fits with my eye dominance. I now consciously make an effort to keep my vision of the ball until contact on running forehands, and if I do that, I always hit them clean.

So I guess like everything, you have to try it out and experiment a bit. When you feel a personal benefit, as I did, then you invest a bit more into it.

What's for sure is everyone has a dominant eye, and the chances of it being your left or your right eye, are I believe around 50/50.

[johnyandell]

Well said. Ready to write an article on it?

[nickw]

Probably there are better qualified people than me to tackle it, but happy to do some more research and give it a go!

Interested if anyone else has any experience with this, although perhaps not as no other comments as yet?

[doctorhl]

Probably there are better qualified people than me to tackle it, but happy to do some more research and give it a go!

Interested if anyone else has any experience with this, although perhaps not as no other comments as yet?

Nick: I am rh and left eye dominant. For me, tracking the fh with my left eye is easy. However, a neutral or closed stance on the one handed bh makes it hard for me to track the ball with my dominant left eye and it’s hard to successfully hit the sweet spot if I catch the ball well in front of me like I should. I can get the left eye inline to track a little better if I use an an open stance( difficult with one hand) or try to turn my head forward to get the left eye involved earlier if in a neutral/closed stance. The bh also get a little hard to track because my right eye is looking with eye glasses.

[nickw]

Nick: I am rh and left eye dominant. For me, tracking the fh with my left eye is easy. However, a neutral or closed stance on the one handed bh makes it hard for me to track the ball with my dominant left eye and it’s hard to successfully hit the sweet spot if I catch the ball well in front of me like I should. I can get the left eye inline to track a little better if I use an an open stance( difficult with one hand) or try to turn my head forward to get the left eye involved earlier if in a neutral/closed stance. The bh also get a little hard to track because my right eye is looking with eye glasses.

Thanks for sharing, interesting you have more issues with the backhand. It stands to reason that hitting it neutral/closed (as should be happening) will be difficult because the left eye is further away from contact, due to the extra body rotation preparing the backhand, and the earlier contact point needed on the one-hander. I also hit a one-handed backhand, but don't have issues. On the forehand, I'm hitting semi-open most of the time, so my left eye is still furthest away at contact, and struggling to track the ball. Neutral/closed on forehand should be easier.

Ultimately, keeping a clear view of the ball until contact, and keeping that head still, should solve the issues for us cross dextral players. To work on it, I always encourage players to notice the spin on the ball, or the seams, or branding, AFTER the bounce, but before they make contact.

[doctorhl]

Nick: Great comment. I forgot about that “focus on spin after the bounce” trick...really helpful. That cue also helped me with timing adjustment when switching from hard to soft. ( Years ago, playing at club level in an area with only hard courts, entering a soft court tournament with no practice court time required intense use of that trick in the warmup period of the first round match,!!).