(by Larry Hodges)
Why do so many players continue to pound the ball out at an opponent who is a step off the table, ready and waiting for that shot? They are not only ready for a hard-hit ball, but it lowers your own consistency as you continue to hit the ball hard against an opponent who is in position to best handle those hard-hit balls.
Instead, why not change the pace by just patting the ball back soft? By doing so, you:
- Throw off the opponent’s timing
- Catch the opponent out of position
- Set yourself to attack the next ball, which will often be a soft return that you can pound?
So, instead of pound-pound-pound, why not try pound-pat-POUND!!!
Bonus – do this with your stronger side. If you have a strong forehand and they see you playing a forehand, the last thing they’ll expect or be ready for is a soft forehand block – which will often set you up for an even easier forehand on the next shot.
Double Bonus – you can also do this soft block with a chop block or sidespin block, which is usually easier to do on the backhand side.
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