To watch the ball (or not)

Everyone can appreciate Roger Federer's superlative shotmaking abilities — his forehand crosscourt winners on the dead run, his topspin backhand passes and rifled shots up the line, among the more impressive. But what strikes me as his most distinctive quality, or competency, is his seemingly effortless movement in pursuit of the ball. Focus your eyes on Federer, and only on Federer, and you'll be convinced that he has some sort of mental radar or telepathy, as he gets to the ball so quickly it appears he already knows where it will be before he makes his first move. The question is: How does he do it? What is his trick for making it look so easy, for getting to the ball so quickly?

I think part of the answer lies in his natural quickness and in his ability to dissect all the angles of the court to determine his opponent's most favorable shot, then to cover that shot as quickly as possible. But I think one other equally large part of it has to do with his anticipation, his ability to make highly educated, or intelligent, guesses at just the right moment, maximizing his ball coverage and minimizing errors of judgment. But what is the root cause of such superb anticipation? I believe it has everything to do with what Federer visually focuses on and when.

It's almost cliche to talk about how well Federer keeps his eyes fixed on the contact point throughout his stroke. Like a good billiards player who has the capacity to make the ball scoot this way or that after the shot in order to find the best spot on the table for the following shot, but who knows none of that matters if she doesn't sink that first ball, Federer narrows his focus on the shot he's making, and nothing more, until he's made it. He refuses to get ahead of himself, to rush to get ready for the next ball; he knows that if he strikes the ball as well as he can, the ball may simply not come back.

But what does he focus on next? What should all players visually focus on once they've struck the ball and are motoring to get into position for the reply? The answer I'm about to reveal may surprise you: you should look at your opponent, very critically. Watch how well and how quickly he's moving toward the ball. Is he rushed? Is he tense? Is he straining with all his might to get there? And what about his racquet preparation? Is he early or late? Is he preparing for a topspin drive or a slice? Will he be offensive with his reply or defensive? These and other answers will flood your mind as you watch your opponent respond to your shot. And the answers your pattern-identifying brain gives you will help you determine whether to follow your shot to the net or adopt a defensive position, look for an opening or hustle back to the neutral zone.

Most of us watch our shot to see where it lands. We watch the ball, and only the ball, as we were taught from the beginning. But to take your game to that next level, where you are anticipating like Federer, you must learn to multi-task. You must learn when to focus your eyes on the ball and when not to. You'll soon realize that it is imperative to focus on the ball from the moment your opponent strikes it to the moment you strike it, but at all other times your focus may deviate from watching the ball to maintaining your gaze on the contact point, or to critically observing your opponent for clues as to his ability to respond to the shot you've just made. Indeed, you will likely find yourself actually watching the ball only about 60 to 70 percent of the time, with about 10 percent allocated to fixing your gaze (and therefore your head and shoulder position) on the contact point — even after contact is made — and the remaining 20 to 30 percent allocated to fixing your gaze on your opponent so as to better understand the efficacy of your shot and the likely effectiveness of his reply.

Those players who continue to watch the ball at all times are too quick to "leave their post" and too late to "catch the train" — never fully committing to their own shot or giving themselves a chance at seeing what their opponent is capable of doing during a given exchange. What you focus your eyes on during the point is crucial to determining how much information you gather about your opponent's capabilities and your opportunities to take charge. Learn when to take you eyes off the ball and use your peripheral vision to keep track of the non-essentials, such as the trajectory of your shot or the exact spot on the court where it lands, and your shots will take on greater force, spin and precision, while your level of anticipation will skyrocket!

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