How to Maximize your Rally
What can you do to maximize your rallies? Today, we will go over some tips that will allow you to maximize your consistency and footwork while you are practicing this exercise.
What is rallying?
It is when you are consistently placing the ball over the net to a specific area of the court. The most basic starting point is the middle because is the easiest but once you get more experienced or if you are then you start to change direction.
What does my footwork have to do with rallying?
Your footwork has so much to do with the way you rally because it is the way you position yourself to strike the ball. You can have the best technique in the world but if you are not fast enough to get to the shot on time then you will make a mistake. How do you avoid that? Very, easy you must try to observe the ball at all times and coordinate your movements with it.
Why observe the ball so closely?
When you focus on observing the ball by just doing that action you will have better footwork which will increase your consistency. This happens because you start to train your vision to predict where the ball is going to land and how you should position yourself to strike it. It is vital that from the beginning you observe closely the ball bounce to time yourself accordingly because another important point to add is that tennis is all about the ideal timing.
Is rallying about hitting hard and making winners?
Not really. I know you did not want to hear that. The bright side is that rallying is an exercise that can quickly get you to a point where you can make those winners on a match. When you are rallying is not the time to focus on power or over hitting. It is about focusing on your control and how well you can dictate your shots. That is why as we mentioned in the beginning. It is important that you start slowly. Start by rallying consistently down the middle and once you get good at that move to forehand crosscourt and then backhand crosscourt etc. There are so many rally variations that can be practiced but only if you slowly get to that level of control.
How can I really maximize my rally?
The golden question. It is very simple to maximize your rally and the best way to do so is to focus on increasing the number of balls you can get back and forth with another player no matter whether their level is higher or even lower than yours. The best players can get any ball back. Remember, that in tennis the only shot that we have control of is when we are serving but the rest we are adapting. That is why it is extremely important to combine your footwork as we mentioned along with observing the ball closely and try to get it back as many times as you can while rallying. Understanding that when you rally is not about power, it is about control. If you have control then by result you will have effortless power as Roger Federer does. Maybe not exactly but close and that is when it will start to get fun for you because you will be able to play freely while you rally.
Want to get started? Start by joining one of our upcoming Rallies!
By: Ana G Canahuate - Break the Love Pro