Underhitting Syndrome

Spot quiz.. Question: What could be more infuriating than trying really, really hard to be aggressive and slamming the ball into the back fence? (or into the ceiling - I have done that a few times) Answer: Trying to be really, really careful and dribbling the ball into the net. That is called under-hitting, and it is the worst! After all, you usually do it in situations in which an error would be unthinkable. You believe that you are acting affirmatively to prevent an error; not overhitting, taking your time...not overhitting. Wait, what are you doing to prevent an error? Are you maximizing control by making sure you are in dynamic balance? Are you generating a force wave with your feet? Are you hitting a complete stroke (even a complete short stroke), with proper Pose, Lock, Load and Explode phases? Or are your feet frozen and flat on the court, hitting the ball with a short stroke that has been stripped of all of the goodies that add control and spin to the ball? Whoopsie! You are soooo busted! Nothing differentiates the truly talented from the clearly klutzy like this scenario; the ball is within your reach, the stakes are high, the risks are low, and all you have to do is shovel the ball over the net and into your opponent's court, and you win. A-players do not fear that situation as we do - they live for it. They seem to know just how hard or soft to hit the ball, where to place it and how not to 'screw the pooch.' I relate this to their inherent faith and confidence in their own abilities. When they start to worry about errors, A-players are more likely to fall back on their best footwork and stroking techniques than they are to abandon them. They hit the ball harder instead of softer, with more spin instead of no spin and with a snap of the wrist instead of a push. Since they never sacrifice consistency for pace or placement (or anything else), they see no need to change their stroking habits in response to a perceived threat.

Underhitting ,then, is not hitting the ball with insufficient pace; rather it is hitting a ball with an incomplete stroke.

Blocking

A quick word about blocking. Many of us were taught that when volleying, particularly a ball coming in with a lot of pace, we should just stick our racket out and let the ball hit it. This is a pernicious black pearl. When you just put your racket face in front of the ball, the result will invariably be a ball with a random direction vector off of your racket. In this case, the direction of impulse injected into the ball is determined by the ball, like a ball against a wall. If the ball is manhandling your racket, driving it back, then you are probably delivering zero impulse of your own. Zero impulse guarantees that the least likely path the ball will take is the path you need it to follow. The ball is coming in with its own agenda, so if you want to have hegemony over it you must affirmatively seize control by applying directional force at the moment of contact (impulse).
    Underhitting Syndrome
  • Chief Complaint
    • " I keep dribbling the ball into the net! "
  • Symptoms(Sx):
    • weakness
    • trepidation
    • weight on heels
      • static balance
    • no snap
  • Signs(S):
    • dumping and dribbling
        Pathophysiology(Px):
      • no power wave
        Diagnostic Tests (Tx):
      • listen for chirping
      • check weight on balls or heels
        Treatment(Rx):
      • create dynamic balance
        • bend knees
        • get low
        • chirp
        • generate force wave
    • erratic placement
      • floating ball over baseline and sidelines
      • netstraps
      • hitting to netman
        Pathophysiology(Px):
      • no stored control force
        • no snap = pushing
        • weak power wave
        • faulty lock or load
        Diagnostic Tests (Tx):
      • check followthrough for stored force
      • listen for pop or ping of strings
        Treatment(Rx):
      • restore full snap
        • BACK and forth (lock) even on volley
        • appropriate pose
        • relaxed Lock
        • snappy Load
        • properly timed, relaxed Explode
    • blocking
      • just sticking out your racket and letting the ball hit it
        Pathophysiology(Px):
      • zero impulse
        • no directional control
  • Differential Diagnosis: