The system is designed so that the first 5 or six balls will "prime the pump" and will not be used. After that, it does a great job of steadily launching practice shots. You need to fix the height (direct volley over the net, down onto the table for an indirect serve, etc." But you can use the remote to change side to side oscillation, backspin, topspin, ball frequency as you play. There is no separate velocity control, the speed of the ball is determined by the combination of backspin and topspin. Increase them equally, and the balls come faster. We have used it for easy volley practice, typical serves, and absurd top-spin missiles. Fun to use.