Tennis is one of the world’s most popular sports. Successful tennis players like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and the Williams sisters have become global icons. It is also a healthy sport to engage in, but it would be more fun if you win the match.
One edge that you can have over your opponent is very fast service. That could result in an ace, where you score a point as the service is not returned, or your opponent hits a bad shot, setting you up for a power shot. Coaches use various tools, such as sports radar guns, to train their players in increasing the service speed.
Tools to Measure Service Speed
A radar gun is often the tool of choice when measuring the speed of a tennis serve. It used in the Grand Slam tournaments, so you know you can’t go wrong. The radar gun uses the Doppler Effect, as it sends radio waves and then measures the time it takes to return the signal. There are times when the speed recorded could be slower than the actual ball speed.
For coaching purposes, the radar guns will let the player take note of the actual speed and practice on which motion yields a higher speed. Does this motion harness the full arm and body strength to give out the maximum speed? If not, then they could practice which movements they should adopt.
The goal is to reach over 100 miles per hour (mph), which would be a very fast service and even professional tennis players would find it difficult to receive. The average speed is between 30 to 50 mph and that should be the floor for improvement. To measure the service, the radar gun should be placed behind the server, not at the net.
The service speed is important information, as even the tournament promoters use that as a way to promote an up and coming player. A fast serve is already a highlight in itself.
TopSpin Trainer
Another device that is used for training tennis players is the TopSpin training device. When you are not serving the ball, the onus is for you to have a powerful return. This can be achieved with the right topspin, which can give the ball a tricky angle, making an accurate return very challenging for your opponent.
For beginners, the idea is just to return the ball within the lines, but this is not good enough to win the game. It is quite a challenge to teach the concept of topspin to players. Coaches usually instruct players to brush the ball, but there is no accurate way to see if the motion results in actual topspin.
TopSpin training devices address this deficiency. It holds the ball in place and you can practice the strokes, slices, and other shots and immediately observe the resulting spin. It is adjustable for any player’s height and can withstand any strong hits that you direct to it.
These are some of the best training tools that coaches use to develop every aspect of their tennis players’ game. There are other tools directed at improving footwork or serve as a wrist aid. But for the serve and the return swings, these are two of the worthy buys.
