Technical Tennis: Racquets, Strings, Balls, Courts, Spin, and Bounce

Cover
Copyright
Contents
FOREWORD
PREFACE
1 RACQUETS
	INTRODUCTION
		Choosing a Racquet?the Basics
		Mistakes When Buying a Racquet
		Three Types of Racquet
		Racquets and Player Psychology
		Racquet Features Combine with Strokes
		Selecting a Racquet Is Art & Science
		Care of Racquets
	RACQUET PROPERTIES
		POWER
			The Components of ?Power?: Exit Speed, Rebound Speed, Racquet Speed
			Match Point Box 1.1: Effect of Grip Firmness on Power
			The Maximum Exit Power Point Changes with Racquet Speed
			Comparing Racquet Power
			Racquet Power Defined as Rebound Power
			Match Point Box 1.2: Maximum Effort Power
			Rebound Power Is the Sum of All Racquet Properties
			Power and Energy Loss
			Match Point Box 1.3: Maximum Theoretical Ball Speed
			The Bad News: Rebound Power Values Aren?t Readily Available
		CONTROL
			Rebound Control
		WEIGHT
			Weight and Apparent Weight
			The Six ?Weights? of a Racquet
			Racquet Weight
			Light vs Heavy Racquets
			Ideal Racquet Weight
			Balance Point and Pickupweight
			Swingweight
			Twistweight
			Spinweight
			Hittingweight (?Effective Mass?)
		STIFFNESS (FLEX)
			Racquet Stiffness
			Measuring Racquet Stiffness
			Match Point Box 1.4:Vibration Comparison between Racquets
			Racquet Vibrations, Sweetspot, and Feel
			Vibration Dampening
			Shock & the Center of Percussion
			Match Point Box 1.5:The Difference between Shock and Vibration
	CUSTOMIZING A RACQUET
		Match Point Box 1.6: Customizing Weight, Balance, & Swingweight
	Further Reading
2 STRINGS
	STRINGS AND THE MODERN GAME
	STRINGBED STIFFNESS
		Static & Dynamic Stringbed Stiffness
		Effect of String Material and Gauge on Stringbed Stiffness
		Effect of String Tension on Stringbed Stiffness
		Effect of String Pattern on Stringbed Stiffness
		Effect of Headsize and Stringbed Suspension System on Stringbed Stiffness
		Match Point Box 2.1: Rise in String Tension During a Shot
		Stringbed Stiffness Summary
	TENSION AND PERFORMANCE
		Tension and Power
		Tension Loss and Going ?Dead?
		Tension Loss and Feel
		Tension Loss and Control
		Tension Loss and Sound
		Tension Loss and Prestreteching
		Tension and Spin
		Tension and Player Perceptiveness
	DWELL TIME AND PERFORMANCE
		Dwell Time
		Dwell Distance
		Dwell Error
		Dwell Time and Force
		General Rules of Dwell Time
	Further Reading
3 BALLS & BOUNCE
	BALL BASICS
		Ball History
		Rules about Balls
		Match Point Box 3.1: Ball Testing to Compare New and Old Balls
		Pressurized and Pressureless Balls
	BALL BOUNCE OFF THE COURT
		Friction
		Bounce Factors
		Bounce Factor #1: Angle of Incidence
		Bounce Factor #2: Incident Speed and Spin
		Bounce Factor #3: Hardness of Court
		Bounce Factor #4: Court Smoothness or Roughness
		Horizontal Bounce Speed
		Effects of Friction on Ball Spin
	BALL BOUNCE OFF THE STRINGS
		Angle of Impact
		Tilting the Racquet Head
		The Bounce Path off the Strings
	Further Reading
4 SPIN & TRAJECTORY
	SPIN BASICS
		Generation of Spin
		Influence of Incident Angle and Spin on Rebound Spin
		Match Point Box 4.1: Effects of Spin on Bounce off the Strings
		Types and Uses of Spin
		18 Different Ways to Hit the Ball
		Spin Before and After Bounce
		Effect of Grip on Spin
		Can Racquets and Strings Increase Spin?
		Match Point Box 4.2: Can Players Feel Spin
		Increasing Spin with Stroke Technique
		Simple Topspin Experiment
		Match Point Box 4.3:Topspin and the Federer Forehand
		Effect of Racquet Tilt on a Topspin Forehand
	SPIN AND THE SERVE
		Ball Toss
		Tips on Serving
		Arching the Back to Serve
		Slice Serve
		Serve Actions
		Forearm Slows Down
		Match Point Box 4.4:The Sampras Serve
		Force on Handle
	TRAJECTORY
		Vertical Launch Angle
		Hitting the Ball Deep
	Further Reading