Private Lessons:
Rhythm and Rally Speed

Kerry Mitchell

How do players win matches? Is the key to hit the ball harder, with the one or two shot rallies so prevalent in today's game? Or is the real key to success the consistency and aggression that flows from a series of well-placed shots? I feel the latter is by far the more effective strategy for most players at most levels.

Rally speed is the speed you can generate executing your strokes while keeping the ball consistently in the court.

Consistency and placement depend on the ability of a player to establish rhythm and rally speed against a variety of opponents. Unfortunately, this ability, which allows players to hit a series of well-placed shots, seems to be disappearing from the game. In today's game, people talk about rhythm mostly in terms of serving, but it is rarer to hear it referring to rallying and point playing. Rhythm and the ability to maintain rally speed are being lost to high-tech, ultra light, ultra powerful rackets that make keeping the ball in play virtually impossible. Players search for the racket that is going to give them the most winners (power), when it's consistency that will give them the most wins.

There is no secret why the pros hit the ball so hard so consistently and with such great rhythm; they have the best technique and the best movement in the world. Watch pro matches and see how smooth and rhythmic the top players really are. Compare this to the jerky, overly muscled strokes of so many club players when they try to hit hard. Look closer and you'll see the winning shots in pro matches are hit at the same speed or only a slightly higher speed than in the rallies. Sure pros hit hard. But they play in rhythm and at rally speeds that are based on their abilities.

If you want to win more matches, your goal should be to develop rhythm and rally speed consistent with your own ability level.

What are Rhythm and Rally Speed?

Rhythm and rally speed are core concepts I use with my students to help them succeed in competition. Once you understand them, they provide a tremendous advantage, a secret weapon that will allow you to defeat very tough opponents, including those who seemed to overpower you in the past. But rhythm and rally speed are also the key to defeating the opponent many players fear most: the dreaded "pusher" or slow ball artist.

"Rally speed" is a simple concept to understand. It's the speed of ball you can consistently keep in play with sound technique. "Rhythm" is the flow of the exchanges and the great feeling of your movement from one shot to the next when you have established your rally speed. These concepts work hand in hand. If a player controls the speed of the rallies, he controls the rhythm. If he controls the rhythm he controls the points. If he controls the points, then the match is in his hands. Whether you play an attacking style, a defensive style, or a combination of both, you need to develop a feel for the natural rhythm of your game. The player that can impose his or her rhythm on an opponent will have a great chance of winning in the vast majority of matches.

Establishing Your Rally Speed Players at different skill levels will have different rally speeds. There's a descending rally speed scale starting with the top pros going all the way down to lower level club players. The level of a player's rally speed corresponds with the player's skill level. Your skill level can be understood as the quality of your technique plus the quality of your movement. Your skill level determines your rally speed. The better your movement and racket technique, the faster you can rally with consistency.

A key to rhythm and rally speed is making sure you extend your strokes, hitting through the ball and following through.

Players often hit the ball tremendously hard in practice, or in warm-ups. But then when the match begins the speed of their shots drop off dramatically.

Why? Unfortunately, the speed at which most players can play consistently hitting is far lower than the speed they believe they should hit or the speed at which they practice.

So, rather than lose the match badly by making multiple errors, they immediately abandon their hard hitting. But they also abandon technique. Their strokes become shorter and punchier. They also give up the possibility of hitting winners or aggressive shots at a more realistic speed, so they end up playing far below their potential.

They may or may not win, but the next time they go out to practice they go right back to massive overhitting. This continues until crunch time in the next match. And the cycle continues.

The obvious question is: why not learn to practice in a way that will allow you to play more effectively in matches? Players who want to play to the best of their ability can do this by working to develop their own rhythm and a rally speed based on their skill level, technique, and movement.

Why practice, take lessons, and warm up hitting the ball at a speed you rarely achieve or can control in actual match play? Wouldn't it be more effective to simulate actual match conditions in lessons and practice?

Playing the Pusher

Every player has faced the "nightmare opponent" who gets to every ball, no matter how well hit, and finds some way, any way, to just get it back in the court. You spend the entire match severely frustrated. Either you make a lot of mistakes trying to hit the ball past him or her. Or worse, you end up playing at your opponent's level, by "pushing" yourself. Either scenario places you out of your rhythm or comfort zone and most often spells disaster.

Players say they lost to a terrible player, a player who was much worse than they were. But was that really true? In one critical sense, the pusher was actually a much better, or at least much smarter, player. The pusher understands rally speed and hits the ball back at a speed at which he feels comfortable - usually a very slow ball. And his opponents fall into his trap.

The answer to defeating this type of player is to learn to develop your own, realistic rally speed. Rather than overreacting and overhitting, or panicking and pushing yourself, you can work to impose your rally speed on the pusher. This means increasing the speed of the ball, but only to the level at which you feel comfortable - a speed that reflects your real skill level. Now you can play consistently, your errors will decrease, and the improved quality of the exchanges will give you more opportunities to force your opponent into errors, hit winners, or attack the net. Beating a good pusher is always a tough battle, but the ability to rally at your own rhythm will give you a real chance and the ability to implement your best game plan.

Having your own rally speed is equally as important and effective against a hard hitter. It will allow you to slow his or her ball down effectively, to a rally speed that is more comfortable. Your opponent will likely become impatient resulting in errors. By making all of your opponents play at your pace and rhythm you will become much more successful.

Developing Your Rally Speed

So how do you develop your own rally speed and thus a better rhythm?

The first step is critical. Find a hitting partner of about equal ability who is willing to work with you on achieving this goal. You can also try the rally speed drill with your instructor or coach. Your pro can help you discover the correct speed more quickly because he/she will be able to keep the speed of the rally well within your range.

Start by trying to rally down the middle of the court and see how long you can keep the ball going back and forth. You must also maintain your best stroke technique. Emphasize a slower, more complete swing with a good followthrough. The rally is likely to be far slower than what you think of as your "normal" shot speed. But no pushing!

The goal is to find the speed at which you really can keep the ball going and in the court using your real strokes. If one player hits a ball too hard, the other player's job is to slow it back down to the appropriate rally speed.

You will quickly find your "speed limit" because as the speed increases errors will begin creeping in. When this happens, slow the ball down again. Once you have achieved a consistent, comfortable rally speed then you have discovered your rally limit. This exercise is difficult and takes a lot of concentration because one of you will want to crack a big shot at some point. You must resist because that is the same urge that creates numerous errors in a match situation. This drill will build endurance, both mentally and physically, and this endurance is critical during match play.

Once you have achieved the rally speed goal in practice try taking it to a game situation. When there is a need to be more aggressive, increase your shot speed but not by more than ten percent and, when there is a need to be more cautious again, decrease your ball speed no more than ten percent. If you can maintain this plus or minus ten-percent speed change on most of your shots, your consistency will improve dramatically. Your ability to defeat different styles of players will also improve. It is the lack of patience that defeats us against a "pusher," and the inability to slow the ball down effectively that beats us against a hard hitter.

Once you have achieved an appropriate rally speed and feel confident with it in a match situation you may want to increase that rally speed; this is the time to go to work on the technical side of your game. Stroke production, movement, and fitness are the keys to being able to hit the ball harder without losing consistency.