VOA常速英语2015--红土场上的滑步技巧（在线收听）

红土场上的滑步技巧

Sliding to return a shot is a common tennis practice on clay courts, but lately players have started using it on grass and hard courts as well. Scientists say it is faster than running and allows athletes to change direction more quickly.

在红土场上，滑步击球非常常见，然而，如今的许多运动员会把这种方式运用在硬地或草地场上。科学家认为滑步击球要快于奔跑击球，这样也能够加快运动员改变击球方向。

The speed of the game has increased a lot because the players are serving faster than years before. It could be because of the materials of the rackets, or could be the strings as well. But I think it's a necessity of the players to reach the ball faster.

与几年前相比，运动员增加了发球速度，比赛速度变快。这与网球质地，网球线不无关系。但是我认为最主要的是运动员要增加击球速度。

So far, only a few top players have mastered the technique off clay. For effective slides, the shoes must perfectly match the court’s surface, and this is where the science comes in handy.

到目前为止，只有少数顶尖运动员能够掌握红土技术。要想把滑步做好，运动鞋必须与场地相契合，科学能够帮我们解答。

I think it will become more like a Formula 1 race probably when depending on the weather conditions or depending on the surface conditions. I think that shoes are gonna play an important role during a match.

我想网球比赛好比是F1赛场，它与场地情况，天气情况都有关系。我认为运动鞋在网球场上起到了关键作用。

Looking for the best match between shoe and surface, researchers at the University of Sheffield have built a special mechanical rig that can measure the shoe traction.

为了使场地与运动鞋完美契合，来自谢菲尔德大学的研究人员制作了一个特殊的控制器，用它来检测运动鞋的摩擦力。

In order to do that, we need to understand a number of parameters, including how the shoe changes, how the properties of the shoe affect that interaction, how the properties of the tennis courts affect that, and also other factors like temperature and actual player loading himself how the players slide or move around the court.

为了进行检测，我们需要考虑一些因素，包括不同的运动鞋，不同特性的鞋对摩擦的影响，不同场地又会怎样，还有天气因素，以及运动员滑步和移动的方式等。

The research, in partnership with the International Tennis Federation, may lead to different materials for tennis shoes, different court surfaces, and ultimately faster and even more exciting tennis matches.

这项与国际网球联合会一同参与的研究或将发明出不同质地的网球鞋，网球场地，最终加快比赛速度，提高观赏性。