It’s time to rethink our training

Here in the UK, the “quality rally ball” has been a staple of performance tennis for over a decade. Across LTA talent camps and regional training sessions, one constant has been the focus on players’ ability to hit and maintain a so-called rally ball. If you’re unfamiliar, a “quality rally ball” refers to a shot that rises as it crosses the baseline, keeping your opponent pinned back in a neutral position. It has become the gold standard for talent identification and player assessment. Players are trained extensively to hit this particular shot, which is often measured in drills and norm testing sessions.

But here’s the problem: the emphasis on the rally ball is holding back player development. In this article, I want to break down exactly why this over-coaching around the rally ball is doing more harm than good.

The Over-Coaching Problem

Let’s first look at how the rally ball drill typically works in practice. A rally begins with a feed (not a serve, as it would in a real match), and the player must hit a rally ball back to their partner, who then hits it back cross-court. The goal is to hit as many of these rally balls as possible in a set amount of time, say one minute. Sounds straightforward, right? But herein lies the issue.

Tennis is not just about repeating the same shot over and over again. It’s an open, dynamic game filled with unpredictable variables. By drilling the rally ball in isolation, we strip the game of what makes it challenging and rewarding—the need to adapt, problem-solve, and make decisions in real time.

Players who also train extensively on the rally ball often struggle with making mistakes. They are conditioned to hit a perfect rally ball, and when they miss, the immediate reaction from coaches is to tell them how to “fix” it, reinforcing that the mistake is a direct result of something they did wrong. Over time, this creates an environment where mistakes are seen as failures, rather than opportunities to learn and adapt. These players develop a huge fear of failure, and when they miss a shot, they instantly feel negative, as though they are not good enough. This is far from the reality of the game, where mistakes are part of the learning process and adaptability is key.

Lack of Affordances: Why the Rally Ball Is Limiting

One of the biggest problems with the rally ball drill is that it robs players of the chance to explore affordances. In ecological dynamics, affordances refer to opportunities for action that the environment presents. A player constantly perceives various affordances—such as ball speed, spin, height, direction, and their own court position—and responds accordingly.

However, these affordances are not the same for everyone. Take Rafael Nadal, for instance. His ability to find sharp angles and attack in situations where others would play it safe is a testament to his unique perception of affordances. While most of us mortals would hit a cross-court ball to reset the point, Nadal sees an opportunity for a devastating winner. The point is, we all perceive the court and the situation differently, depending on our experience and skill level.

The problem with drilling the rally ball is that it eliminates the need to perceive affordances altogether. Players are trained to hit the same shot in the same way, ignoring the infinite variables that real tennis presents. No two shots in tennis are the same, yet the rally ball drill conditions players to treat every shot as if it is. Players are no longer thinking about attacking, defending, or adapting to the situation—they’re just mindlessly hitting a neutral rally ball.

Removing Context: Why It Hurts Decision-Making

In tennis, success depends on reading the situation and making the right decision at the right time. Should I attack? Should I defend? Should I play safe or take a risk? The rally ball drill strips away these decisions. Players become so fixated on keeping the ball in play and hitting it cross-court that they lose sight of opportunities to attack or defend appropriately.

And this isn’t just theoretical. You can see this in action during tournaments. Many players, conditioned by rally ball drills, continue to rally even when they should be attacking or defending. They’ve lost their relationship with the game’s dynamic elements, resulting in poor decision-making and a lack of adaptability on court.

Footwork: Efficiency vs. Laziness

Another issue with the rally ball drill is how it impacts footwork. In these drills, players are hitting cross-court continuously, meaning they don’t need to recover properly or cover much space. Coaches will often criticize players for their so-called “lazy” footwork in these situations, but the reality is that the players are being efficient. They’re adjusting their movement to fit the limited demands of the drill.

The bigger issue is that the drill fails to replicate the conditions of a real match. In a match, players need to recover, adjust their footwork, and prepare for a variety of shots and angles. By limiting them to repetitive cross-court rally balls, we aren’t training them to adapt to the ever-changing demands of a real tennis point.

The Myth of the Perfect Technique

Many coaches insist on teaching a technical model for the rally ball. They emphasize low-to-high swings, specific contact points, and textbook follow-throughs. But here’s the truth: there’s no “correct” way to hit a rally ball because there’s no single context in which it will always apply.

Players are unique. They have different bodies, physical capabilities, and movement patterns. What works for one player might not work for another, and forcing everyone to conform to the same technical model is a mistake. This one-size-fits-all approach overlooks the fact that the human body is a self-organizing system. Players will develop their own techniques based on their intrinsic dynamics, experience, and physical capabilities.

When we train players to hit a rally ball in isolation, we strip away the creativity and adaptability that make tennis exciting. We reduce the game to a mechanical exercise, rather than a dynamic, living process.

Conclusion: On The Rally Ball

Have you ever seen a player who drills perfectly but falls apart in matches? Chances are, they’ve been well-trained to hit a perfect rally ball—but that hasn’t helped them when it matters most. The obsession with rally balls is a form of over-coaching that limits players’ growth. We need to move away from rigid technical models and embrace the chaotic, ever-changing nature of the game.

Tennis is about problem-solving, not just executing a perfect rally ball over and over again. Players who train extensively on the rally ball often struggle with making mistakes. Because they’re conditioned to hit that perfect shot, any miss is framed as a failure—leading to a huge fear of making mistakes. This mindset is damaging, as it ignores the realities of the game, where mistakes are part of the process and opportunities for learning.

Instead of focusing on perfecting a single shot, we should be helping players learn to adapt to the endless variables they’ll face in real matches. Tennis is about problem-solving, adaptability, and resilience—not avoiding failure at all costs. Let’s stop holding players back with outdated drills and start training them for the real game.