Anticipatory speed — the early start

The fastest players are not always the ones who run fastest — they are often the ones who start earliest. Anticipatory speed connects your physical speed with early reading: you're at the ball sooner because you set off sooner.

The key lies in good players reacting to the signs before the ball, instead of waiting for the ball itself. The opponent's body posture, their backswing, the position of their racket often reveal where the ball is going — long before they hit it. Whoever reads these signs starts a fraction of a second earlier. Over an entire match this head start adds up to an enormous difference.

This early reading is a trainable skill, not an innate gift. The more often you deliberately watch the opponent's preparation instead of only the ball, the better your prediction becomes. Over time it happens on its own — you "sense" where the ball is coming, because your eye has learned the right signs.

Athletically it pays off twice: the early start makes you effectively faster without your having to run faster. And it combines with the technique of taking it early — whoever starts early can meet the ball earlier and steal time from the opponent.

Anticipation is like reading the clouds before the rain. Whoever reads the sky is in the dry before the first drop falls. Whoever waits for the rain gets wet — even if they run fast.

In your next match, resolve to deliberately watch your opponent's preparation too, not just the ball: their body posture, their backswing, the position of the racket. Do they reveal early where the ball is going? Watch whether you set off earlier when you read these signs — and whether you're thereby at the ball more relaxed and more in time, without running faster.