3 Ways Different that Tennis Court Surfacing Affects Ball Behavior and Player Skills
For amateur tennis players, turning professional is the ultimate goal. However, before you turn professional, you need to perfect your serves and receipts. While your body's physical condition plays a role in how good you can get, you cannot underestimate the impact of tennis court surfacing. Most amateur tennis players don't know that the type of surface they practice or play on has a direct impact on the quality of their ball serve and ball receipt. Therefore, rather than focus your practice sessions on speed, arm strength and flexibility, you also need to pay attention to the impact of the different types of tennis court surfacing. Read on to find out more.
Grass Courts -- If your goal is to turn professional, then most of the tennis competitions you participate in will be on grass surfacing. It is the most common type of surface in professional tennis circuits; therefore, the more familiar you are with grass surfacing, the better. One significant characteristic of grass tennis courts is the fast pace. Due to the smooth surface of grass tennis courts, there is less friction between the ball and the surface. As such, the ball moves faster and leaves very little time for an opposing player to prepare for a serve. If you are looking to improve your speed across the baseline, then you should train more on grass surfacing. The other characteristic of grass surfacing is that balls have a low bounce compared to other surface types. Therefore, you have to learn to approach the net as often as possible.
Clay Court -- The courts are less expensive to install and can be found in most training facilities. Unlike on a grass surface, balls bounce slower on clay surfaces mainly because the surfaces readily absorb the ball's impact. Hence, if you are the type of player that tends to approach the net on whichever surface you are playing on, then clay courts can help you to practice staying behind the baseline and waiting for the ball to come to you. Additionally, when playing on clay courts, it is easy to slide across the baseline. It reduces the amount of running and directional changes you have to make, thereby reducing the chances of injuries.
Concrete/Asphalt Courts -- These are less common in professional competitions due to the amount of work that goes in the installation process. Typically referred to as hard courts, concrete tennis surfaces produce higher ball bounces than grass courts. It is because the hard surface lacks the force-dampening characteristics of grass courts. Similarly, ball speeds are relatively fast but slower than on grass courts due to the rough surface. Therefore, hard surfaces are considered the best for practising different types of strokes and spins. Not only will you improve your dynamic game, but you will also learn how to control your game since ball bounces are predictable on concrete tennis surfaces.
