What's Your Rally Speed?

As we've discussed throughout our articles in High School Tennis Coach, if you don't practice like you play, you'll play like you practice.

Nowhere is this more true than when it comes to rally speeds.

The rally speed is the normal pace at which your player hits the ball during a rally. Note that we did not say the speed at which the player should hit during a rally, but the speed at which a player does hit during his matches.

If your player does not have confidence in his ability to stay in a rally, is impatient or is overconfident, his rally speed will be much higher than if the player is a defensive player or "backboard."

Younger players often play at a much higher speed than they can control, either because they don't have the confidence to stay in a point and try to end it with a winner, or because they are overconfident and again, try to end points with winners.

It is important for your players to determine what their optimal rally speed is (what their rally speed should be) so they can begin to develop realistic game plans which they can practice during the week, then use during their matches.

The article goes on to discuss how coaches can set up a drill to help their players' determine their matchplay rally speeds and understand how to develop strategies and tactics based on this knowledge.