Operating at high speeds requires significant body control, as we have previously discussed. In this discussion we take a closer look at stability in the strike stage.

Because the racquet is held in only one hand, and at the end (the butt) this is the point where the stability is most fragile during high speed rallies. On the left below are two players hitting in a high speed rally. The photos were taken at two different tournaments and clearly there two different players, but the strike stage of the stroke is remarkably similar. The left panel shows the context and the right panel focuses on the point of instability. The key point is that both players have executed a high speed strike with great stability (hence with control and accuracy as well as producing high ball velocity).

There are two points that must be controlled requiring strength: The shoulder joint since this is where the arm is suspended from the body, and the grip on the racquet because this is where the racquet is controlled. If you hold the racquet loosely, your high speed rallies may become inconsistent. you must experiment to discover how tightly you must hold the racquet to maintain stability at your personal maximum speed.

When preparing to develop higher speed rally skills, one must pay close attention to the development of grip and shoulder stability factors.

The chief difficulty here is that the linkage between the hand and racquet is inherently unstable because the wrist admits of a wide range of movements. A variation in the stroke motion in any of the three dimensional possibilities can lead to a off center hit. Compounding this problem is that there are no sensory mechanisms available to guide the stroke execution at high speeds.

The most likely source of off center hitting will occur from the head of the racquet advancing ahead of the butt, thus having the racquet head lead the wrist. In general, the wrist must lead the racquet head until the strike has taken place.