How to hit strongly on a low ball

MAAZ ASAD Asked 12 years ago

hey.. i have recently came through a player who can hit smashes on a low ball. He hit it with a lot of speed and heavy top spin. Can you help me that how can i block it and i can do the same thing with him?

Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago

Hi Maaz,

This is a stroke that you can develop but don't think of it as a smash but rather as a fast Topspin.  Start with developing your topspin against block by watching the lesson on the Forehand Topspin Against Block.

Then work on the Forehand Topspin Off Backspin.  This will help you to develop a strong stroke against a low ball.

When you get the technique of these correct you can start to think about making the stroke faster by using more of your body by getting your legs and waist involved in the stroke.

To return this stroke you should use a block stroke.  This is using the pace of the ball and almost putting up a wall for the ball to hit.  Take a look at our lesson on the Backhand Block.  Also try to make it more difficult for them to make the stronger stroke by keeping the ball lower and putting more backspin on the ball.  The other thing is to put the ball in to an awkward position for them.  It may be finding which side they are weaker on, their forehand corner or their backhand corner.