Tennis Technology and Training Tuesday
The tennis players that are playing in this year’s Australian Open series recently exited a fourteen day mandatory quarantine period required of everyone who enters Australia. While in isolation, some of the players were allowed to leave the quarantine hotel for a few hours each day under controlled conditions to train and receive treatment. However, many of the players were forced into a “hard” quarantine after others on their chartered flights tested positive for the COVID virus on arrival. Those players were not allowed to leave their rooms at all.
It was fascinating to watch social media of the players in quarantine. Some expressed shock and outrage over the lockdown. Many others simply tried to make the best of it. Some players came up with creative solutions to improvise training under the austere conditions. Australian doubles specialist Ellen Perez tweeted out a clip showing how she was training in her room.
Out here trying to get creative to make that transition to the court easier 🥲 pic.twitter.com/WDU88tfhLP
— Ellen Perez (@EllenPerez95) January 28, 2021
The device she is using is a “TopspinPro.” The primary claim of the device is that it is useful for teaching a player the racquet head angle and motion required to effectively hit topspin. The secondary use is that it can be used for a player to incorporate racquet swings into cardio and agility training. This is what Ellen Perez demonstrated in her clip.
I have owned a TopSpin pro since April 2019. There is a certain fragility to the device. In fact, one of the mesh paddles arrived with a cracked shaft on delivery. The manufacturer was super quick in shipping out a replacement paddle plus an additional spare. It was good that I had the extra one because my TopspinPro tipped over once which broke another one of the paddles. Right now on of the clamps that holds the paddle into the frame is working through the magic of duct tape.
The initial purchase was made because I was struggling to generate a crisp racquet head path on my backhand. It only took a couple of weeks with the TopspinPro to correct that deficiency. In the intervening time, I have been continued using my device similar to how Ellen Perez demonstrates in that tweet.
The specific drill I most frequently use with my TopSpin pro simulates sprinting across the baseline to hit a groundstroke. My focus is on the setup and recovery footwork patterns. It is also an effective way to perform interval training. I usually use mine in the garage on days when the weather is not conducive for outdoor play. It is a reasonable simulation of tennis movement that includes a ball strike in a relatively small space.
I have been very happy with my Topspin Pro. It is useful for stroke technique improvements and off court interval training. I have definitely gotten my money’s worth out of the one that I own.
Fiend At Court participates in the amazon associates program and receives a paid commission on any purchases made via the links in this article. Additional details on the disposition of proceeds from this source are available in the “About Fiend at Court” page.
