Alright, so the other day I got it into my head that I wanted to see how fast I could actually serve a tennis ball. I mean, we’ve all seen the pros do it, those rockets they launch across the net. I figured, “Hey, I play a bit, why not give it a shot?”
First things first, I needed a way to actually measure the speed. Forget those fancy radar guns the pros use, I’m not made of money! I did a little digging online and found some apps that claim to measure speed using your phone’s camera. Sounded a bit sketchy, but hey, worth a try, right?
I downloaded a couple of these apps, and headed out to the local tennis courts. My buddy, Mark, came along to help out – mostly to laugh at me, I suspect. We warmed up a bit, you know, a few gentle serves to get the arm loose. Then, it was time for the real deal.
I set up my phone on a little tripod, aimed it at the service box, and started blasting away. Or at least, I tried to. First few serves? Let’s just say the app didn’t even register them. Probably too slow, embarrassing!
- Attempt 1: Nada. The app just stared back at me blankly.
- Attempt 2: Still nothing. I think a gentle breeze could have moved faster.
- Attempt 3: Finally! The app flickered to life and gave me a reading… a whopping 45 mph. Felt like I was throwing a marshmallow.
Mark, of course, was in stitches. “Keep going,” he choked out between laughs, “You’ll break the sound barrier eventually!”
I kept at it, tweaking my stance, my grip, my toss – everything I could think of. I tried to really put my whole body into it, just like I’d seen on TV. Gradually, the numbers on the app started to creep up. 50 mph… 55 mph… even a couple that hit the low 60s.
Few changes
I used more power from legs, and BOOM! I have reached 80mph, still far from the pros, but for me? It felt like I’d launched a missile.
Honestly, I have no idea how accurate those apps really are. But it was a fun little experiment. It definitely showed me how much power those pro players generate. And hey, maybe with a bit more practice (and a real radar gun), I can get that number up a little higher. For now, though, I’m happy with my 80 mph “rocket”. I’ll keep working on it!
