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Overcome These Three Harmful Tennis Optical Illusions To
Improve Your Game
Bill Cole, MS, MA
In my coaching, I unfortunately see people endlessly repeating
three major and predictable errors on the tennis court. There
are, of course, many types of errors, but I am referring here
to three special optical illusions.
These situations fool your eyes and your mind into doing very
predictable things, but these errors are easy to avoid once
you know what they are and why they are made.
These illusions are so strong they deceive your senses and
make you hit the ball in a particular error pattern the same
way again and again. Even after I inform a student about each
of these three dilemmas, they will continue to make these
same errors until they thoroughly practice their new responses.
To defeat these mental tricks, you need to understand what
they are and how to create a conditioned, yet counter-intuitive
response that handles each situation. If not, your natural,
human instinct will continue to get you in trouble because
your sense data is so overwhelming in favor of doing what
appears so reasonable and common-sensible to do.
Here are the three optical/mental illusions:
1. A High Forehand Or Backhand Groundstroke (Above Your
Shoulders) From The Baseline Or Non-Man's Land
The Illusion-- You think you should aim down, since the ball
appears to be so high and the net seems so low. You also think
you should kill the ball since it is high and slow.
Why It Fools You-- You believe that if you don't aim down,
the ball will go out, and that hitting out is worse than hitting
into the net. You unfortunately attack it, because since it
is high, it seems easy to kill.
The Common Error--At least 90% of the time the ball goes into
the net.
The Problem--This is a sucker shot that amateurs try to kill.
Pros rarely attempt to attack this ball from so far back because
they know the opponent will get it anyhow. Inexperienced players
attack this ball and pay the price by hitting it into the
net. For every error that goes long, there are probably ten
that go into the net.
The Reality-- High groundstrokes from so far back need to
be treated as safety shots, and merely returned deep to get
out of trouble. This need not be a tough shot if you treat
it with respect.
Mental Tip-- Don't get greedy with this shot and try to put
it away. Even the pros don't try this from the baseline.
2. A High Backhand Or Forehand Volley (Above your shoulders)
From The Baseline Or Non-Man's Land
The Illusion--You think you should aim down, since the ball
appears to be so high and the net seems so low. You also think
you should kill the ball since it is high and slow.
Why It Fools You--You believe that if you don't aim down,
the ball will go out, and that hitting out is worse than hitting
into the net. You unfortunately attack it, because since it
is high, it seems easy to kill.
The Common Error--At least 90% of the time, the ball goes
into the net.
The Problem-- The ball is not as high as it appears, the net
is not as low as it appears and the common error here is to
hit into the net. That's a bad error, because you never give
the opponent a chance to hit it and possibly miss, and of
the ones you get over, those will land short.
The Reality-- Excellent high volleys from this far back should
be aimed deep, not angled or done with soft touch. They should
be treated as approach shots, not kill shots.
Mental Tip--Treat this shot as an approach shot or safety
shot and just get it back in play. If you do make a mistake,
make it a quality error by going long.
3. The Drop Shot
The Illusion-- You think you should barely skim the ball a
few inches over the net.
Why It Fools You-- You believe that if you do not skim the
ball low, the opponent will "get" your drop shot.
The Common Error--At least 80% of the time the ball goes into
the net, or, if it makes it over the net, is a lousy, deep
drop shot, virtually worthless to you, and actually puts you
in trouble.
The Problem-- Because aiming so low is extremely risky, you
will often hit the net, and when you do get the drop shot
over, the second bounce will be so far back from the first
bounce (due to the low net trajectory), the opponent will
easily run up to get the ball.
The Reality-- Excellent drop shots go over the net from one
to three feet in height. The ensuing steep drop then makes
the second bounce be quite short, near the net. If you apply
backspin, that makes the second bounce shorter still.
Mental Tip-- If you are afraid the opponent will get to your
drop shot, consider these two thoughts. One, maybe you shouldn't
drop shot, because out of a fear the opponent will get it,
you'll try to make it too perfect and miss. Two, you should
not be upset if the opponent "gets" your drop shot. If they
hit it from a disadvantaged position, you will then either
pass them, lob them or volley through them. The fact that
your opponent "gets" your drop really means almost nothing.
It's what you do with the next shot that counts.
Understand how these optical illusions operate and how they
fool your senses. Don't fall victim to them. Realize them
for the tricksters they are. If you recognize them, work on
a better response, and then stay aware as they come up on
the court, you'll stay in charge of them.
Don't let your common sense approach to these optical illusions
deceive you. Over-ride your natural, yet incorrect intuition
in these situations and you'll turn surprising mental traps
into easily-handled, routine shots and plays.
Copyright © Bill Cole, MS, MA 2003,
2007 All rights reserved.
This article covers only one small part of the mental game.
A complete mental training program includes motivation and goal-setting,
pre-event mental preparation, post-event review and analysis,
mental strengthening, self-regulation training, breath control
training, motor skill training, mental rehearsal, concentration
training, pressure-proofing, communication training, confidence-building,
breaking through mental barriers, slump prevention, mental toughness
training, flow training, relaxation training, momentum training,
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visit https://www.mentalgamecoach.com/Assessments/MentalGameOfSports.html.
This assessment gives you a quick snapshot of your strengths
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in creating your own mental training program, or as the basis
for a program you undertake with Bill Cole, MS, MA to improve
your mental game. This assessment would be an excellent first
step to help you get the big picture about your mental game.
Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority on peak performance, mental toughness
and coaching, is founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching
Association, https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com.
Bill is also founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, a consulting firm that helps
organizations and professionals achieve more success in business, life and sports.
He is a multiple Hall of Fame honoree, an award-winning scholar-athlete, published
book author and articles author, and has coached at the highest levels of major-league
pro sports, big-time college athletics and corporate America. For a free, extensive
article archive, or for questions and comments visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com.
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