| SPEED OF PLAY -
Christopher Pucci
All-Level Instruction
In every day life we all get so caught up with time management. Some of us do it well and some of us need work in the area. Using time management, or referred to as Speed of Play , on the platform tennis court will improve your shot selection and help you and your partner co-exist on such a small court. The definition of Speed of Play is managing the amount of time between your team's paddle striking the ball and your opponents' paddle striking the ball.
As a team, to effectively control the speed of play your team must “Stay on the clock”.
What this means is, if your opponents are about to Hit , your team must be ready to React to your opponent's shot . As your opponents are recovering your team is preparing to hit, and so forth and so on.

Your team's shot selection and execution of the chosen shots will ultimately control the speed of play. It is important to set the speed of play as a team. Different players are capable of playing at different speeds; however, your team must play at a speed that is comfortable for you as well as your partner.
Various shots that could be used by your team to speed up play are: a drive, a low lob, a short volley, a hard hit volley, a short serve, and a hard hit overhead. Various shots that could be used by your team to slow down play are: a high lob, a deep volley, the use of the screens, serving to your opponent's weaker side, and a soft hit overhead.
Reminding yourself to “stay on the clock” will ultimately help in making correct shot selections for your team.
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