đ„Why That âNice Rallyâ Just Proved Youâre Not Serious About Winning
- Tom Kiat
- Aug 4
- 2 min read

I know this will ruffle feathers, but it needs to be said:
If your main takeaway after a point is âThat was a nice rally,â youâre playing the game like itâs a casual backyard BBQ, not like someone who actually wants to win.
Look, I get it. Long rallies feel good. Theyâre satisfying. Everyone is smiling. People clap their paddles. Itâs fun. But hereâs the hard truth most players wonât admit:
A ânice rallyâ often means two players just failed to finish the point.
Let that sink in.
You and your opponent hit the ball back and forth 10, 15, maybe even 20 times. The crowd is impressed. You feel like a pro. But in reality?
You both missed every single opportunity to put the ball away.
Because if you had the skill to identify the weakness.
If you were positioning yourself for a dominant third shot.
If you were trained to recognize a floaty return and punish it.
That rally wouldnât have gone past five shots.
High-level players donât celebrate long rallies.
They dissect them.
They look at the moment the ball shouldâve been put away.
They look at the hesitation, the fear, the poor decision-making that let the rally keep going.
This isnât about being a jerk. Itâs about being intentional.
Too many players hide their lack of aggression behind politeness. They say, âWell, I donât want to be that guy.â
But hereâs the secret:
Winning consistently requires being that guy.
The one who punishes weak returns.
The one who moves with purpose.
The one who takes control of the rally, not drifts along in it.
So the next time you catch yourself thinking, âThat was a nice rally,â stop and ask yourself:
Did I make smart, aggressive choices?
Or did I just float along for the ride?
If you want to level up, you need to stop romanticizing rallies and start analyzing them.
Long doesnât mean good.
Pretty doesnât mean smart.
And âniceâ doesnât mean youâre improving.
The players who climb rankings and dominate brackets donât wait for nice rallies.
They create pressure.
They close windows.
They finish points.
Thatâs the difference.
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