Short balls and Defence

Daniel Gandelman Asked 12 years ago

Hi coaches,

1. recently I started playing with people that play short  balls that are very low and

have heavy backspin.I don't know what to do with them I can't topspin them and I

find it diffcult to push it back. What can I do to answer these shots?(I am an offensive

player).

2. As I said before I am an offensive player and I want to know what tips do you have for me to get better in defense. 

Thank you anyway,

Daniel. 

Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago

Hi Daniel,

I think the first thing is to work on your short pushing.  It is an important stroke that you will need more and more as you improve.

If you aren't able to push short your opponents will always have an advantage.  The keys to pushing short are to not have too much forward momentum and to have a soft relaxed hand. Take a look at our lesson on the Push for some more tips.

To improve your defence the first thing is to use your practice time to work on it.  While your practice partner is practicing things like topspin and footwork, you should be working on your blocking.  Make sure you are watching the ball carefully when your opponent is attacking.  this will give you the maximum time to be able to react to the shot.  Take a lok at our lesson on the Backhand Block.