Serve reaction time

b i t e - s i z e t e n n i s l e s s o n s

• There is not a great difference between your reaction time and that of a tennis professional; the distinction is in what a person reacts to.

• A tennis professional reacts to an opponent’s toss, or no later to when the ball meets the strings. Amateur tennis players do not react to a serve until the ball passes the net or, worse yet, as the ball bounces in the court.

• If you fail to react until the ball is passing over the net or about to bounce you limit your reaction time - making a 40 mph serve seem like a 120+ mph serve.

• The solution and the way to move up a whole NTRP level is to train yourself to react to your opponent’s toss or contact with the ball.

Serve Speed(mph)

4050607080100120

Reaction Time(s)

1.381.09.909.784.683.547.454

Designed by Roger Boyer, for use by RSFTC and InnerCity Tennis/Kidspeed