What's Your Rally Speed?

As we've discussed throughout our articles in High School Tennis, 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 you hit the ball during a rally. Note that we did not say the speed at which you should hit during a rally, but the speed at which you do during your matches.

If you do not have confidence in your ability to stay in a rally, are impatient or are overconfident, your rally speed will be much higher than if you are 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 you to determine what your optimal rally speed is (what your rally speed should be) so you can begin to develop realistic game plans which you can practice during the week, then use during your matches.

Determining Optimal Rally Speeds
Your rally speed is a critical piece of information to know, because if you know the speed at which you can consistently and accurately hit your groundstrokes throughout a match, you'll be able to practice at this speed, then have a reference point to use during your matches.

The optimal rally speed is the highest speed at which you can consistently keep the ball in play. We use the word "highest" because we want to encourage players to determine their rally speed based on their confidence level, rather than on just pushing the ball back in play.

While some suggest that a good way to determine a player's rally speed is to set a counting goal (e.g., 25 in a row in the court with a partner), a better way to determine your rally speed is to practice under matchplay conditions (i.e., with points).

Play "21"
The classic game of 21 is a great way to determine your optimum rally speed while simultaneously determining what your actual rally speed is likely to be during a match.

In 21, players rally the ball (from a drop-hit) three times cooperatively, then play out the point. The first player to win 21 points wins the game.

An observation of most 21 points will show that the first three balls are generally hit at a much lower speed than the fourth and fifth shots (each player's first "live" ball).

This is because the desire to win overcomes a player's desire to play percentage tennis, and this allows you see what you will will look like in a match.

A better way to encourage players to keep their rally speeds in focus during a game of 21 is to increase the number of balls to five before the "live" points begin. In addition, whoever misses one of the first five balls loses two points, since there is no pressure on them.

This will allow players to hit in a five-stroke rally at a realistic pace, which they will begin to recognize and store as their optimal rally speed. Instead of immediately trying to end points with power, you will become used to relying on depth and direction, combined with court positioning, to develop points.

Using the game of 21 to determine and practice optimal rally speeds will help you to become not only a more consistent player, but a more aggressive player, as you use confident groundstrokes to force errors and create short balls -- the key to winning at the high school level.