When you’re playing against beginners, you will likely find many opportunities to hit shots for winners. But against better players, kill shot opportunities are seldom given – they must be created. You can’t just wait for your opponents to make a mistake, you need to force them to hit a weak return that you or your partner can hit for a winner. To win at the Intermediate and Advanced levels, you need to be able to execute set-up shots.
Third Shop Drop
The third shot in most points, is the first opportunity to hit a set-up shot. In the majority of situations when you’re serving, your opponent’s return of serve will not be a soft shot landing in the middle of the court. When this does happen, you should immediately hit an offensive shot into the gap between your opponents or at the paddle shoulder of your weakest opponent. These opportunities, unfortunately, do not happen often as better players will keep their returns deep. Thus, a third shot drop is typically the first opportunity you will have to hit a set-up shot.
The primary target of your third shot drop is the kitchen, but the key to making this shot effective, is to force your opponent to hit a dink return or pop-ups. If your third shot drop bounces too high your opponent will likely smash it for a winner. If your shot is too high over the net and your opponent can volley it before it has a chance to bounce, your opponent will hit an aggressive shot and cease the offensive momentum or win the point immediately. An effective third shot drop should provide the time you need to move forward to the no-volley line and, hopefully, produce a weak return or pop-up – which is why the third shot drop can be considered a set-up shot.
Third shot drop is one of the most difficult shots to execute successfully, but it’s critically important. If you drive shots from the back of your court, then your opponent’s return of serve was likely a set-up for them. If you make a bad third shot drop, that can also produce a set-up shot for your opponent. At a minimum your third shot drop should produce a dink you can easily return if you move quickly to the no-volley line.
The Re-Set Volley
When your opponent hits a shot with considerable power that forces you to volley their shot, you must quickly decide if you can execute a punch volley for a potential winning shot or hit a softer, re-set volley at your opponents feet or into an open area on the court. You must resist focusing only returning your opponent’s shot with no real target or purpose in mind. Do not volley shots like you’re “swatting flies.” You should punch when your opponent hits a shot with considerable power that forces you to volley their shot, you must quickly decide if you can execute a punch volley for a potential winning shot or hit a softer, re-set volley at your opponents feet or into an open area on the court. You must resist focusing only returning your opponent’s shot with no real target or purpose in mind. Do not volley shots like you’re “swatting flies.” You should punch hard-hit volleys for an immediate winner or hit a softer, re-set volley as a set-up shot.
The re-set volley is particularly effective when your opponent drives a powerful shot that you softly target your set-up shot at their feet or into an open area. This shot can really “mess with your opponent’s mind” by dashing their hope they just hit a winning shot and forcing them to completely “change gears” from aggressive power to forcing them to make a softer, delicate return.
The Re-Set Lob
This shot is executed from the no-volley line, typically as a way to respond to opponents who are effectively engaging you in a series of dinking exchanges or a “dinking war.” This shot can be most effective when it’s not expected and your opponents are not particularly fast on their feet. After returning a number of consecutive dink shots, wait for a shot from your opponent that bounces a bit high, but not above the net so you can drive your return, then with the same swinging motion you use for your dinks, simply use additional force to loft your shot over your opponents’ heads.
A perfectly executed lob shot from the no-volley line should have some topspin and land deep near your opponents’ baseline. Particularly when you surprise your opponents’ with this shot and they don’t quickly retreat, this shot can produce an outright winner. But what you’re realistically expecting with a re-set lob is to force your opponents back off their no-volley line and attempt a very difficult shot from the back of the court with you and your partner at the no-volley line.
Re-Set Ground Strokes
This shot is a broad ground stroke category of shots hit with soft and/or with medium power, that are design to produce weak returns. Every shot you hit should have a target and be hit with a purpose in mind. Most of the winning shots you make are going to be volleys from the no-volley line or a volley from a bit further back. Not many ground stroke shots you hit are going to have a high probability of winning a point directly, so you should hit most of your ground strokes as set-up shots.
Before you hit this shot you should be thinking, “how can a make this shot difficult to return?” The answer is by thoughtfully targeting your ground stroke shot and accurately hitting your target. The “thoughtfully” part means hitting toward your weaker opponent, targeting your opponent’s weakest side, and forcing them to hit their weakest shot by targeting their feet, or into an open area on the court. “Accurately hitting your target” means taking your time and hitting the ball with just enough pace to maximize your chances of hitting your target.
