Timing and the Release of the Swing

What's the difference between hitting with rhythm and hitting with timing? As a player do you understand the difference between rhythm and timing? Most players don't, yet learning to play with timing is critical to taking your game to the next level. In my first article (Click Here) we looked at the first principle of good timing: "knowing" where your racket head is in relation to the ball--most importantly at contact. The second principle is knowing when to release your forward swing. This means knowing how to time the release at slightly different moments to find the contact point on the wide variety of balls competitively players actually face. The majority of all players don't play with "timing" in this sense. Instead they play with "rhythm." They release their swings at the same time on every ball, usually about the time of the ball bounce on the court. This is why most players do much better when they play against opponents who hit the ball at an even speed--or when they hit with teaching pros. But the quality of balls players must deal with in matches vary over a huge range. There are harder, faster balls, slower balls, deeper balls,...