who rally more than play games??
- Thread starter luthertn
- Start date
ramseszerg
Professional
Why are you rallying? Are you working on something specific or are you just hitting the ball?
well everytime i rally i work on my specific thing i need help with...but sometime i cant cuz my hitting partner is soo lazy sighh...
Hitting a lot of balls always makes one a better player. Finding good hitting partners will determine the speed you get better. If you don't have a network of players, ask around, sign up for some free summer clinics. Practice (rallying) is the only way to improve your technique but if it isn't quality then there is no value in it.
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Don't worry, i hit around more too. Only thing is that you need to play a lot of sets and tournaments especially to get better. Rallying is more technique based, because you're not under pressure and can execute any shot you want and the worst thing that happens is that you hit out and you got to go pick up balls to start the rally over 
. But during a match, its about who's better mentally mainly, although if you're struggling with your shots already you're more error prone. You need to be good mentally to perform well.
I think its good to have a bit of both in practice. Rallying is important in developing shots that are inconsistent and shots you need to gain confidence to hit in matches or to learn new shots, while playing matches is good for not losing your strokes/strategy and fighting more of a mental battle with the weapons & weaknesses you have.
. But during a match, its about who's better mentally mainly, although if you're struggling with your shots already you're more error prone. You need to be good mentally to perform well.I think its good to have a bit of both in practice. Rallying is important in developing shots that are inconsistent and shots you need to gain confidence to hit in matches or to learn new shots, while playing matches is good for not losing your strokes/strategy and fighting more of a mental battle with the weapons & weaknesses you have.
masterxfob
Semi-Pro
i completely agree with everyone else. i rally about 15 hours/week and don't play any sets. the other day someone asked me to play a set and i lost when i should have beat him. it had been 10+ years since playing a set, and i was actually nervous. there's no pressure when you rally, so i'll be practicing my serve and playing more sets now.
Steady Eddy
Legend
I think it's a mistake to just play competitively all the time to get better. But just rallying isn't the answer either. You need to do drills that will build the skills to need to be a competitor. Go to the library or bookstore. You should find books that list lots of drills to try. That's what the serious players do.
i agree. i usually practice 3 to 1 competition. unless leading up to a match. i have a big tourney this weekend. last week i practiced 4 times played once this week so far i have played 3 matches with 2 more scheduled for today, and the only practice i took is a long warm up. practice makes strokes permanent, matches develop the ability to use them strategically. you need match play or you end up hitting like a 6.0 and competing like a 3.0
20 years ago the regimen at Nick Boleterri's camp was literally: "play for 3-4 hours until someone pukes." Let me rephrase that, no sets, just hitting, for about 4 hours... or until someone puked...I played tournaments since before I was a teen. I am also a ptr certified pro. I reccomend listening to the wise advice on this thread. Sh@de and acehole and the others made great points!!! 3 to 1 sounds like a golden formula...
mikeler
Moderator
I had a ton of lessons as a junior and I've always hated practice even though everybody needs it to get better. As an adult I just want to play matches. I enjoy the pressure of competition. The times rallying does help me is before a match to get an extended warmup. I usually play really well when I can rally with somebody else for 20 minutes before I play a match.
Mikeler (my bros name!) you sound like a 5.5/6.0, at your level you are working on court positioning, strategies, tactics, shot combinations...heck maybe you grew up playing tournaments and your working on momentum an psychology. Either way you sound quite a bit more advanced than the other esteemed members of this thread. I grew up on tennis courts with guys like Andrez Gomez, Todd Martin, Aaaron Krickstein, these guys were hitting, not playing matches, even before a tournament...hititing practice...you have a good point though, just hitting makes you freeze up when match time comes, the complexities of match play are the essence of tennis, you sound like a great player and a royal pita to beat, gotta get a little agressive with accomplished guys like this...mikeler here aint handin anyone even a game!!!!(he's a ringer!!!!)
mikeler
Moderator
Your brother is named Mikeler? Not my name, but that is pretty cool. I'm a 5.0 player. I've played a few Open tournaments but if I go up against a seed I'm toast. I guess the reason I don't practice is that I know my game has peaked. My physical skills limit me from going any higher and I'm not getting any younger.
There are a lot of guys at the club I play at that "just hit". These are players that are at my level and I avoid them unless I can't find anybody to play a match. I sometimes wonder if these people are just afraid of losing.
To me the fun with sports is the competition. The thrill of beating an opponent that is slightly better than me once far outweighs the frustration of several losses in a row to that same opponent. I also love when I can completely turn around a match due to a change in tactics. The physical and mental elements of the game is why I love it so much. Most of all, I love when this happens:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=260695
Brothers name is Michael, lol, and yes, they're afraid of loosing. I love tearing apart 5.5 players, for me it's about momentum and psychology. Lots of 5.5's get upset or in a slump, i just turn on the gas and it's like taking candy from an infant. I'm like you, I wanna jump in there and "try it on"...enough hitting, enough talk...serve em up!!!! for me tennis is about thinking. I love turning around a tough match, having to change my tactics completely. Same thing in boxing, talent is the ability to have several different effective modes (forward, backward, in and out, tic toc, bob and weave, side to side, serve nad volley, consistency subtle pressure, drop shot and lob, etc.)...touch gloves and come out at the bell....mikler your shorts are a little high..."it's not like you'll get injured, it's just tennis!" although it's a gemtlemans game I will call out and insult a 5.0-5.5+ who constantly refuses to play a set, inexcuseable! I wish there was a Mikeler in every community, at every tennis club, public tennis court etc...
long live the Mikeler!!!! (and all others with the balls to play)
long live the Mikeler!!!! (and all others with the balls to play)
Nice, you can turn it on and off at will, and beat 5.5's on their bad days.
Now...
Depends who your "5.5"s are..eh?
I say it's impossible, to beat 5.5's on their bad days, because not every one of them has a bad day to coincide when they decide to belittle themselves to hit with you..... :twisted::twisted:
Case in point.... I serve lefty 5.5 or better levels. But I PLAY more like a 4.0 overall. So lotsa 5.0's and better ask me to hit with them, to work on their serve returns mainly. When we play points, they don't take it seriously, and I can win my majority of points on my serve. So maybe I THINK I can hold my own with them.
So in an Open match, I lose 1 and 1, meaning I CANNOT really hold my own with them....
Now...
Depends who your "5.5"s are..eh?
I say it's impossible, to beat 5.5's on their bad days, because not every one of them has a bad day to coincide when they decide to belittle themselves to hit with you..... :twisted::twisted:
Case in point.... I serve lefty 5.5 or better levels. But I PLAY more like a 4.0 overall. So lotsa 5.0's and better ask me to hit with them, to work on their serve returns mainly. When we play points, they don't take it seriously, and I can win my majority of points on my serve. So maybe I THINK I can hold my own with them.
So in an Open match, I lose 1 and 1, meaning I CANNOT really hold my own with them....
thetaxman
New User
who rally more than play games or who play games more than rallying??
if i want to get better in tennis should i play more games or rally more?..*not asking about lesson* because i usually rally more than games
Do whatever makes you happy.
I like rallying -- however I hit a point where I had plateaued in my game because I would have fun, but unproductive rallying with my friends.
We often fell into the trap of just playing "gorilla ball" after a while.. few rallies would last more than 5-6 strokes. I started to improve again when I started setting internal goals while rallying.. i.e. I will hit 10 balls in a row, no matter what my opponent does.
Set the goals, then try to break them... this will provide some metrics to determine whether you're getting any better.
We often fell into the trap of just playing "gorilla ball" after a while.. few rallies would last more than 5-6 strokes. I started to improve again when I started setting internal goals while rallying.. i.e. I will hit 10 balls in a row, no matter what my opponent does.
Set the goals, then try to break them... this will provide some metrics to determine whether you're getting any better.
Mahboob Khan
Hall of Fame
Well, rallying for the sake of rallying is not good.
If your objective is to get lots of workout (to feel good) then rallying more fits into your objective.
However, rallying without any purpose will not serve you that much.
If you have problem with certain game situation, work on that situation, and then play points, etc.
For example, if you have problem hitting BH down the line, adopt the following drill:
1. Start a BH to BH cross court rally, on a shorter/easier ball hit a BH winner down the line.
If you have problem with FH down the line:
2. Start a FH to FH cross court rally, on a shorter/easier ball hit a FH winner down the line.
If you have problems putting away those "put aways", ask a partner to feed you a basket of balls in the midcourt. You should try hitting insideout and insidein shots. This will force you to modify your swing to cut the ball to the space oncourt.
Rally is good if there is an objective to be achieved.
Remember, "competition is the best form of training".
If your objective is to get lots of workout (to feel good) then rallying more fits into your objective.
However, rallying without any purpose will not serve you that much.
If you have problem with certain game situation, work on that situation, and then play points, etc.
For example, if you have problem hitting BH down the line, adopt the following drill:
1. Start a BH to BH cross court rally, on a shorter/easier ball hit a BH winner down the line.
If you have problem with FH down the line:
2. Start a FH to FH cross court rally, on a shorter/easier ball hit a FH winner down the line.
If you have problems putting away those "put aways", ask a partner to feed you a basket of balls in the midcourt. You should try hitting insideout and insidein shots. This will force you to modify your swing to cut the ball to the space oncourt.
Rally is good if there is an objective to be achieved.
Remember, "competition is the best form of training".
mikeler
Moderator
Exactly. I can't think of a better way to prepare for a tennis match than playing matches.
Syfo-Dias
Professional
I rally quite a bit in addition to drills and matches. My main hitting partner usually only wants to rally because his serve is pretty bad which usually causes him to lose when playing matches. The only thing that ticks me off is when he tees off during rally's when I'm just trying to keep the rally going. Of course it's easy to hit winners when I'm feeding balls or hitting a back court volley just to keep the ball in play. Major pet peeve of mine.
You can try adding some rules in the rallying. Like I did with my friends... we only start to hit winners after 8 or 10 hits.
J
Julieta
Guest
I know exactly what you mean! I dont care about the competition either but I'll go crazy if I'm not striking the ball well and have bad feet. And when I dont compete, I let my serve go.
Jim A
Professional
I like to mix up the two
drill for a bit, work on items
then play tiebreakers, either w/serve or just drop rally and work on the same things
since its a tiebreaker it doesn't feel like I'm getting killed while trying to implement things
i have one buddy I play who wins 90% of these tiebreakers but I win the matches, he doesn't realize that I'm trying to implement stuff and I hope to keep it that way
drill for a bit, work on items
then play tiebreakers, either w/serve or just drop rally and work on the same things
since its a tiebreaker it doesn't feel like I'm getting killed while trying to implement things
i have one buddy I play who wins 90% of these tiebreakers but I win the matches, he doesn't realize that I'm trying to implement stuff and I hope to keep it that way
yep, we do only winners on balls infront of the service line.
VaBeachTennis
Semi-Pro
We do "3's" ..................three times over and then do what you want. (for about an hour) Then we play to 21. Then a couple of sets.
