What is the actual path of the ball from the release of the toss until contact?
In a previous article we identified the differences in the contact points between the first and second serves. (Click Here.) Now let's look at the actual ball paths of the tosses to make these contact points happen.
The contact point varies somewhat between the players, but on the first serve contact is somewhere to the inside of the hitting arm and at about the front edge of the face or body. On the second serve contact is closer to the head looking left to right, and about over the center of the head looking front to back.
But let's look more closely at the actual arc of the ball in the toss—including the height and the movement from side to side and also front to back. This can help players visualize the arc of their own tosses.
John Yandell is widely acknowledged as one of the leading videographers and students of the modern game of professional tennis. His high speed filming for Advanced Tennis and Tennisplayer have provided new visual resources that have changed the way the game is studied and understood by both players and coaches. He has done personal video analysis for hundreds of high level competitive players, including Justine Henin-Hardenne, Taylor Dent and John McEnroe, among others.
In addition to his role as Editor of Tennisplayer he is the author of the critically acclaimed book Visual Tennis. The John Yandell Tennis School is located in San Francisco, California.
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