How to Beat the Super Speeder Upper

Every open play group has one, just kidding, many...The player who speeds up everything. The other day I was playing with a new partner and looked at her and said “everything’s coming back fast, get ready”...

For example you hit a great dink, it barely crosses the net and bounces up to their knee…and bang! Speed up! They often catch me off guard because my brain thinks “there’s no way they are speeding that up”.

These players are not necessarily reckless. Many of them are actually good athletes with quick hands. But their default solution for every situation is the same: hit the ball hard and hope something good happens.

The first step to beating the speed-up addict is understanding one simple truth.

They want chaos.

Fast points. Quick reactions. Split-second decisions. The more rushed the rally feels, the more comfortable they are.

Your job is to take that away.

1. Keep the ball low

Most speed-ups happen when the ball sits slightly above the net, or even slightly below.

If your dinks stay low, the attack becomes much harder. Speeding up a ball from below the net usually sends it into the tape or long.

Think soft hands and controlled placement. If the ball stays low, the speed-up addict starts running out of opportunities.

2. Expect the speed-up

This sounds obvious, but it matters.

Many players get surprised by the attack, even though they know it is coming. When you play a speed-up addict, assume every ball might come back fast.

Stay balanced at the kitchen line. Paddle up. Hands ready.

Once you expect the speed-up, the attack becomes far less dangerous.

3. Let them make the mistake

Speed-up addicts miss more than they realize.

If you stay patient and keep the ball unattackable, they will eventually force one. It might go into the net. It might fly long. It might come back as an easy pop-up.

Your job is simply to stay in the rally long enough for the mistake to happen.

4. Counter when the ball is truly attackable

Not every speed-up is bad.

If the ball pops up and you have a clear chance, counter firmly and aim at their feet or body. Players who love speeding up the ball often struggle when the pace comes right back at them.

But be selective. The goal is not to out-chaos them.

5. Slow the game down

The biggest mistake players make is trying to match the speed-up addict shot for shot.

Instead, slow things down.

Soft dinks. Controlled resets. Deep returns.

When the rally becomes patient and methodical, the speed-up addict starts pressing. And when they press, errors follow.

In the end, beating the speed-up addict is not about hitting harder.

It is about making them play a different game.