Hey there, it’s your coach Jordan Briones.
I was working with a player recently who has everything going for him when it comes to attacking. He’s tall. He leans in aggressively. He looks threatening at the kitchen line, especially with his backhand. But there was one problem.
He wasn’t converting enough of those opportunities into actual attacks.
A lot of times he would get a ball that was attackable and he would just dink it. Now, that’s not necessarily bad because at least when his opponent is on the other side of the net, it looks like he’s attacking a lot. But we need to convert some of those balls to actual speed ups. We have to.
This is one of the most common issues I see with intermediate and advanced players. They have the technique. They have the positioning. They even have the mindset to be aggressive. But they’re not pulling the trigger on the right balls at the right time.
How to Convert Your Attacks into Winning Points
Get Comfortable Attacking Every Height
The first thing we need to establish is what height you’re comfortable attacking at.
Most players will tell me they can attack a ball that’s sitting up at chest height or shoulder height. That’s easy. That’s obvious. But what about a ball that’s at net level? What about a ball that’s six inches below net level or eight inches below?
You should be attacking net level balls. And honestly, you can efficiently be attacking balls maybe six inches below or even eight inches below net level if your technique is right.
The reason most players don’t attack these balls is because they think it’s risky or they’ve hit the net in the past or the ball goes out. But the truth is, if you adjust your technique slightly and understand your targets, these balls become high percentage attacks.
Focus on Hitting the Right Target
Targets are everything, especially when you’re attacking out of the air.
When you’re attacking off the bounce, you have more time because the ball is bouncing. You can see what’s happening and adjust. But out of the air, there’s no time. As soon as you speed it up, you have to be ready for the counter. You’re not going to move after that. You’ve got to be ready.
This is especially important when you’re playing a lefty and you’re on the right side. What’s the number one spot you’re targeting? It’s their dominant side. Their left hip or their body.
When I’m playing against a lefty, especially on low balls at net level or below, it’s very natural and easy to flick across that way and catch them on their dominant side. I’m only going to really go down the line when the ball is maybe higher. When it’s net level or below, I’m going to try my best to catch them anywhere on that left side or at their body.
Train Your Accuracy Before You Go All Out
Before you can start converting these speed ups in live rallies, you need to work on accuracy first.
Have a partner feed you balls at different heights. It might be net level or maybe a little bit lower. Either way, you’re working on attacking and getting the ball to the right spot. If you miss, it’s okay. You’re going for it and you’re training your body to find that target.
The key is understanding how to adjust your technique based on the height of the ball. On higher balls, you can go more straight through. But on balls that are even at net level, you’ve got to have a little bit of a lift motion.
You need to relax your wrist and your forearm is going to be a little bit tight. You’re going to come up just slightly and then at contact your paddle has to be kind of closed. It can’t be open or the ball is going in the net. It’s got to be closed or maybe just a little bit open.
Even if the ball is low, if you hit the right spot, you’re going to win a lot of points.
Mix Up Your Shots So Opponents Can’t Read You
Once you’ve trained the accuracy, you need to start mixing up your targets so your opponent doesn’t know where you’re going.
Sometimes you’re going to the body. Sometimes you’re pulling it to the left hip. Sometimes you’re going down the line if the ball is higher. But here’s the thing. Most players, especially high level players, know you’re going to attack their dominant side. So you need to make sure that when you go down the line, it’s away from their reach. Make sure they’re stretching for it.
The goal is to keep them guessing. If you always go to the same spot, they’re going to be ready for it. But if you mix it up and hit your targets consistently, they’re going to have a much harder time defending.
Build the Mindset to Pull the Trigger
Your technique is probably good. There’s probably not much to change mechanically. What you need to change is your mindset.
You need to start telling yourself that you’re going to attack these net level balls and balls just below net level. You’re going to pull the trigger. You’re not going to hesitate.
And after you flick, you need to be ready for what comes next. If you go down the line, you’re setting up with your backhand every time because you know the counter is coming back down the line. If you go to the body or the left hip, you might have to set up a little bit more neutral because the ball could come back anywhere.
You’re developing data on who you’re playing and what their strong shots are. If you know your opponent has a good two handed counter, then maybe that body shot isn’t the best choice. You can go other places. You can take some pace off and direct it down the line. You can go lower and get ready for your counter.
The point is, you’re making decisions based on what you see and what you know about your opponent.
Know When to Hold Back
Here’s the other side of being aggressive. You need to know when not to attack.
If the ball is too low or if you feel like you can’t get it somewhere good, just dink it. You’re already doing that well if you’ve been training your aggression. So you can fake it and dink it.
That’s part of what makes you dangerous. Your opponent doesn’t know if you’re going to speed it up or if you’re going to dink it. That hesitation is what creates the opening for your next attack.
Final Thoughts – Make Every Attack Count
The difference between looking aggressive and actually being aggressive is conversion.
You need to pull the trigger on the right balls. You need to hit your targets. And you need to be ready for what comes after the attack.
Train your accuracy first. Mix up your targets. Change your mindset to attack net level balls and balls just below. And know when to fake it and just dink it instead.
That’s how you start converting more of your speed ups and winning more points at the kitchen line.
See you on the courts,
Coach Jordan Briones
