Tip 1
One of the beauties of watching pro players compete is they often do subtle things during points that amateur players wouldn’t normally consider. The next time you’re watching a pro match, take note of how they react to situations where they’ve popped the ball up. Their initial reaction – which is often really fast – is always to take a big step backwards. When you’re under attack, this positioning gives you a greater distance to reset the ball and buys you extra time to react. If you hit a ball high enough for your opponent to execute an effective attack, you likely will not be able to counter attack, so you should focus on resetting the ball and getting back into the point. After you back up, make sure that you lower your center of gravity and ensure that the full weight of your body is behind the ball in order to soften your next shot and get it in the kitchen.
Tip 2
Paying attention to the height of the ball relative to the net when your opponent is hitting is crucial when judging whether to reset or counter attack. You usually don’t have time to solely base your decision on the shot your opponent hits after it leaves his or her paddle, so you need to start predicting their shots before they hit.
To help you react to your opponent’s shot before he or she hits, you can use the “see-saw” theory. The see-saw theory is that as one side’s paddle goes up the other’s should go down. So if you see your opponent raise their paddle, they will be swinging down to attack, so you should lower your paddle to prepare to defend. If their paddle is below the net, they have to hit up to get the ball above the net, so raise your paddle to prepare to counter. Adjust the height of your paddle conversely with your opponent, and you’ll always be properly prepared to either reset or counter!
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