I've written about time occasionally in the blog posts. You increase time by dinking and you shorten it by hitting hard. So if you need time to get into position or for your partner to get into position, look for a soft/slow shot to help. The extreme example is the lob, of course social pressure and possible ostracism comes with that, but if you are strong mentally and willing to travel to a new park, hey, go for it. :-)
What I haven't talked about and it's a frequent thing, is moving while your partner is busy hitting a ball. If it's a good time to go forward, then do that. If your partner likes to pop it up, then maybe retreating is a good idea (just kidding, find a new partner! (Just kidding, practice more!))
Any time you are not making the shot for your turn, you want to be thinking about your side's next shot. And movement is a big part of that. If partner is dropping or even dinking, then get ready for it. If you guys are driving, then maybe you can move into the court, but maybe not. Depends on your opponents, the wind, and the quality of your partner's shot. But in all cases, you want to move if it's appropriate.
The usual mistake is just standing and watching. The game is quite dynamic and you should be moving all the time as the ball goes back and forth. Watch the pros play and watch all four players and ignore the ball. They only stop moving when they are actually hitting a ball. Of course, sometimes they are hitting on the run, but it's not something you want to do. Get to the proper location, get ready, hit a shot, and then start moving for the next one.
If you get good at using your time to move, it gives you more time to actually hit the ball. Which makes ball striking easier, and that makes your more consistent and more dangerous as an opponent.
No comments:
Post a Comment