Wimbledon is around the corner and it’s going to be the first time in over 20 years that Roger Federer isn’t competing.
While Rafa Nadal has been my favorite of the Big 3 since I can remember, part of me would still like to see Roger make a run at another Wimbledon title.
I’m confident that Roger will make a final push to be back on tour (he and his team understand the rehab process better than anyone I’ve seen in tennis). So good luck to Rog!
But that’s not why I’m mentioning Mr. Federer. The reason I bring him up is because of a video I recently saw of him hitting a few balls. Here it is:
While Roger is undoubtedly talented, he’s also a master of the training process. I’ve watched many of his practices over the years and it’s clear that he has an objective every time he steps onto the court.
Below is another example of him using work to rest ratios to zero-in his on-court conditioning - not only his ability to move well but to maintain this level of movement, sequence after sequence.
The former video - and the one we’re more interested in for this post - is no different. From my perspective, he’s trying to impart some solid racquet head speed through the ball (with great timing of course). And because of this, he follows a few key principles that will optimize the benefit of this type of training.
Let’s tackle each of them to see what we can learn from one of the greatest players of all time.
Increasing Racquet Speed - 4 Key Variables
From my point of view, there are really 4 key variables to consider when aiming to increase racquet speed (or to implement a drill with that aim in mind):
1 - Hitting with Intent
In a nutshell, intent is intensity. It’s the feeling of ‘going after it’. Of trying to rip the cover off the ball. Not only can you see Roger accelerating through contact, you can hear the sound of the ball coming off his strings…like a large ‘crack’.
2 - Freshness
To get the most out of hitting with intent, a player should be relatively fresh. That means that performing this type of drill should be done early in the week (and early in a practice). You don’t want to be fatigued from a variety of movement drills and then do this - the benefits will be shot.
Not only that, but notice that he’s not rushing through the shots - which brings us to our next point.
3 - Adequate Rest
Rest is important for a number of reasons and in a number of ways. First, let’s look at rest between shots.
You’ve probably seen videos of players hitting shot after shot (with a hand feed), and coaches calling this a ‘racquet speed’ drill. I’m sorry to say, that’s NOT a racquet speed drill.
Performing a drill in that manner is more metabolic and less power-focused - especially the longer the sequence goes and the less rest a player receives between sequences. We want to maximize power to develop racquet speed - so I wouldn’t want to create metabolic fatigue in the working muscles (I want the ATP-PCr system to carry the brunt of the work).
Fed does it the right way.
Similarly, we want enough rest between sequences so that there’s less chance that fatigue will alter mechanics, intent and racquet speed.
That’s why I like performing these drills with 2 players so that I don’t even have to worry about rest intervals - we’re just alternating in sequences of 5-6 balls.
4 - Manage Volume
Have you ever performed an RDL or hamstring lengthening exercise that, at the moment, felt pretty easy? But the next day you were incredibly sore in that region?
That’s sort of what these high-intent hitting sessions are like. You don’t really feel as if they’re taxing while you’re doing them, but the next day your lateral deltoid is sore, the working bicep, maybe even your pec and surely your obliques.
That’s why it’s important to manage the amount of hitting here. I don’t have an exact number of reps to stick to but it’s probably less than you’d expect. With groundies, you can probably do more than when serving (maybe 2 to 3x as many) - mainly because the overhead action of serving puts the glenohumeral joint in more of a disadvantaged position.
And you won’t be able to do these every day - perhaps a couple times a week in the off-season and maybe once every 1-2 weeks during heavy competitive blocks.
Matt’s (Final) Point
Lastly, to really enhance these sessions, I strongly recommend a radar gun. It’s the best way to provide instant feedback. While we won’t be aiming to increase ball speed indefinitely, it should definitely be an objective at certain times during the course of the training year. And even if you’re not aiming to increase speed, using the radar gun as a monitoring tool can be extremely beneficial (are we maintaining speed or has it dropped for some reason?).
Notice also that Roger is hitting these shots during his rehab period. That, along with the beginning of a preseason / off-season training block, are probably the best times of the year to devote some time to this quality.
Contrast that to his on-court conditioning drill, which is performed just prior to the start of the US Open. Whether it’s to maintain that quality or to fine-tune it doesn’t matter - he’s making sure he is ready to handle the extremes of a tough 5-set match.
In both scenarios, he’s hitting tennis balls but because of the intricate details of each, they’ll elicit completely different adaptations - almost contrasting.
But tennis is a sport where the player who hits the hardest likely won’t win AND the player who can outlast the other likely won’t win either. There’s a mix of qualities and abilities. It’s a matter of choosing when is the most ideal time to tackle one versus another and to make sure the drill / practice is structured in a way that will bring out the best of that quality.
Players like Roger know the when, the what and the how behind these training details.