A problem in rallying

Ask the coachCategory: Strokes & techniqueA problem in rallying
Urbish Chattopadhyay asked 3 years ago

Sir, 
    I played a match against a good, strong opponent 2 days ago. I had 1 specific problem against him:- He had a specific rally combo which I constantly failed to pick up points against. First he did a deep, fast serve, then I returned it. Then, he was playing wide to the forehand corner and I returned to the same area in his court. But after my 2nd return, he played suddenly to my backhand corner and I couldn’t get in position in time. I have another match against him today later. Will I avoid returning to the forehand corner or practice my backhand (my backhand’s not at all good)? How can I pick up points against that specific rally? 

1 Answers
Tom Lodziak Staff answered 3 years ago

You have a few options you could try…

When returning his serve, try aiming for his crossover position (the space between his playing elbow and hip). This will make it harder for him to put you under pressure with his 3rd ball attack.

If he is still able to play to your wide forehand position, then try aiming your shot to either his backhand corner or his crossover position. Again, he may find it harder to then suddenly switch it to your backhand corner.

Or if you choose to play to his forehand court, then get ready to move fast to cover your backhand. If this opponent keeps pulling the same trick, then it can get predictable and you can adjust.

Out of all these options I would try playing to his crossover position first and see what happens. It may work. It may not work. But it’s worth experimenting with.