I don't hit the ball particularly hard. I generally hit a rally ball in the mid-50s mph. If I want to be crazy steady, I'll drop that below 50 mph. Part of that is because I live and play at 5300 ft above sea level. Controlling the ball in this thin air isn't so easy. If I want to push the issue a bit I'll up it to the mid-60s. My big shots tend to be maybe 75 mph. Nothing special about those ball speeds. Many kids and all really good college and professional players can do better than that. I've been clocked hitting over 80 mph in rallies on occasion, but that's pretty unusual for me. Over 90 mph? I'd never done that. Until yesterday.
I hit a forehand yesterday that was measured with a RADAR gun at 91 mph. That's very fast for me. For several minutes before cracking 90 mph I was hitting only in the low 80s mph due to a contact point not quite far enough in front of me. Maximum racquet speed doesn't occur alongside the body. It occurs at a point somewhat closer to the net. Moving my contact point roughly foot forward gave me roughly 10 mph more.
So if you're having trouble hitting as hard as you think you should, check to see if moving your contact farther in front, toward the net, gives you a little more pop.
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