Transcription
If you want to win easy points for you and your team, these are three simple shots that you can add to your game. The second shot I believe is the most underutilized shot even at the pro level. So, you're going to want to stay tuned for that. My name is Jordan Briones and I've played and coached for over a decade now as I've coached players from 3 all the way up to the pro level. Now, let's jump in so I can show you how to improve your game as well.
All right, this first shot that we're going to talk about is the drop volley or the drop shot. This is a shot that I'm going to be primarily playing at the non-volley zone line while my opponent is at the baseline. A common scenario or one way to set this up is after your return, if you can strike a really deep return and if I see my opponent off of their back foot or they are way behind the baseline contacting their third shot, I'm actually going to play this drop volley so that it forces them to run up to the ball and be in a really defensive situation.
All right, the execution. I see a lot of players trying to do this, but they are very unsuccessful and they actually pop the ball up or the ball actually doesn't go as short as they want. And the big key thing here on execution is we really need to hold our paddle still and let our paddle do the work. So, I'm going to have that open paddle face, contact the ball out in front, whether it's my forehand or my backhand. And you will see very little to no movement in my paddle because I'm actually using that ball's force coming into my paddle, arcing it just over the net so that they can be forced to run up.
Now, depending on the height of my contact, I'm going to be slightly adjusting my paddle face, uh, whether it's a little bit more open or a little bit more closed. When I have the ball below the net, I really have to have my paddle a lot more open so that I can clear that net. And I got to make sure I keep it really still. If I have a ball up here that I'm trying to actually hit this drop shot, I'm probably gonna have it a little bit more closed. And again, I'm going to have no to minimal movement.
Lastly, I want to talk about the grip pressure. For this shot, you really got to make sure that you're super light. So, I'm around a three or four when I hit it. And I also have to make sure that I contact it in the sweet spot. I see a lot of players actually trying to do this, but they end up hitting into the net because they're actually looking at their target. So, the big tip here is to actually make sure that you watch it into your paddle. Because if I'm watching where I'm trying to hit it, I'm going to mishit it every time.
All right, one shot here. Let's say Grayson's hitting that ball from the baseline, paddle face open, and all I have to do is make sure that I don't move that paddle. Okay, so my grip pressure is really light. I'm watching the ball on the way in. And that's the really key important part if you want to make good clean contact on the shot.
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All right, now that we've talked about how to set this up and how to execute the shot, we're going to talk about what to look for next and actually how you can use this and finish the point. Okay, when I hit this short drop volley and they're running in, they're going to do one of two things. They're going to run in and try to hit it soft, try to dink it, so I got to be ready to kind of attack again. Or some players might just be running and just trying to hit it hard. And in a position that low, you got to be mindful of that and you can kind of let it go. But here's the first scenario that we see. Again, if Grayson's at the baseline there, I'm going to feed it and he's going to be running in. And in this one, he's going to try to dink it soft. Okay.
So, just like that scenario again, if you hit a good enough drop, they're going to be running full speed and they're going to try to dig it in the kitchen. And this is a time I know that they're reaching in and it looks like they're going to hit soft. If they don't have a big backswing, if they're running in like this, I know that they're going to try to dink it. And that's when I can be here for the putaway. The other scenario that you'll typically see if you can hit a really good drop shot or drop volley like this is they're going to be running in and they're actually going to take a swing at it. And with all that momentum, it's virtually impossible to get that ball in. So, if I start to see a little bit of a big backswing or something like that as they're running in, I'm just going to let the ball go.
So, here we go. That's a drop volley. This is a good one to use especially when your opponents are behind the baseline. Now, let's talk about the next shot, which is the lob.
All right, the lob. This shot is being used more and more at pro levels, especially when you have those opponents leaning in and their toes right up at the line. So, the very first thing that I'm trying to set up or look for is my opponent's taking every ball out of the air. And when they're doing this, they're applying a lot of pressure on me, but I know that they're leaning in. So, this is a good opportunity for me to throw up that lob.
So, now let's jump into the execution. Now that we know what we're looking for, I like to say the more simple you can keep the shot, the better. Now, what I see a lot of players doing when they're trying to execute the shot is they use a lot of wrist or a lot of their small muscles, which is actually makes it a lot harder to control. So, what I'm going to use is actually my shoulder, maybe a little bit of my legs. These are my bigger muscles. And this is how I can gain that touch.
Okay. So, um I'm going to set up as a dink volley here, just like this on my forehand or my backhand. And what I'm going to do is I'm simply going to lift very vertically up and over their head. The key thing here is I'm not trying to go for a winner. I'm trying to go way above their head. Even if my opponent gets this ball, they're in a very defensive position because they are at the baseline and I'm holding my ground at the non-volley zone.
Okay. This shot is a lot harder to read out of the air. This is why that's my first choice. If it bounces, it's a little bit less effective. So, I really want to find this shot out of the air. Now, I want to talk about what to look for next. As your opponent is going to be running back, they're going to be on the defense, right? So they can probably lob it or they can drop or drive it back. I'm still in a very offensive position. So I have to be prepped for the drive and if they do throw up a lob, I got to be ready to hit my overhead. But again, I'm still on offense. And that is the whole idea of this shot.
>> Okay.
All right, now let's jump into the shot that everyone likes to hit, the ATP or the around the post. The setup for this shot is I'm going to be purposely kind of putting a ball out wide closer to the sideline of my opponent crosscourt and they are going to be hitting me a ball that's fairly wide. And this is one that I'm actually going to be running out and hitting around the post on. The tricky part here is going to be which shots to hit around the post and which ones aren't going to be far enough to hit. One of the easy ways that I like to determine that if both of my feet are carrying me outside the sideline, this is probably a good opportunity for me to hit an ATP. If it is just like maybe here and I have one foot on the sideline, I'm probably not going to be wide enough. So, I'm really looking at the balls that I have to run outside the sidelines for.
All right, now let's hop into the execution. And the key thing here is staying low, going out to the ball and waiting until you can't wait any longer. So, what I want to do is I want to actually hit this ball at the lowest point possible so that I can try my best to keep the ATP low so it's a more difficult shot for my opponent. As I see the ball travel over the net and I know it's fairly wide, I'm going to be moving my feet. I'm going to be dropping my paddle low and it's going to be prepped to hit the shot and I'm going to simply just push or add a little bit of topspin. I don't want to use my wrists. I just really want to keep it simple and push it right down the sideline.
Lastly, I need to make sure that I'm looking for or expecting the next ball so that I can finish the point. After I hit this ATP, players are getting better and better to defend it. So, I have to make sure that I recover back and be ready to cover my sideline. Yes, my partner will be moving towards the middle helping to cover that, but I got to make sure right after that shot I get back to help my partner out for that next ball.
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