When selecting your shots, if the ball is chest high or
higher, go to your ceiling shot.
If the ball is chest to thigh high, use a passing shot. Lower,
go for your kill shot.
If your opponent is behind you, pinch (hit the front wall,
then sidewall) to the same side as your opponent. If your
opponent is even with you, use a passing shot. If your opponent
is in front of you, use a passing or ceiling shot.
When in doubt, go with a down the line shot as close to the
side wall as possible. This should force a weak or defensive
return.
Good angles are more important than hitting the ball low. By
using angles and hitting higher on the front wall, you eliminate
skip balls or other unforced errors.
Kill shots aren't the only offensive returns. A good passing
shot that bounces twice before hitting the back wall will win a
rally and is less likely to skip.
Do not force your kill shots. Use your passing shots to get
yourself in better position to hit kill shots.
When hitting a passing shot, don't try to hit the ball low on
the front wall. Instead, use a hitting range of 6" -
24" off the floor. Then, if your shot is low, it will still
be effective.
Positioning
To get into the proper court position for an offensive return,
watch the ball at all times, then move as your opponent swings.
Stroke Mechanics
Consistent ball drop and good stroke mechanics are the keys to
a great serve.
Make sure to use your hips and shoulder rotation along with
wrist snap to generate power in your serve.
To return serve, your racquet should be centered in front of
your body in a backhand grip, as most serves are to the backhand
side.
Serving
On your drive serves, it is better to be short on your first
attempt, as this can be adjusted by ball drop or aim point on
the front wall.
Keep your drive serves from hitting the side wall. You want to
angle your serve to the corners to force your opponent to a
deeper position in the back of the court.
Try to keep the service motion the same on all your serves.
This will create deception and keep your opponent guessing.
When serving, the ideal first bounce range is approximately
6" in front of the short line to 2' past the short line.
This range will help keep your serves from coming off the back
wall and being easy set-ups for your opponent.
Vary your serves and speeds to keep your opponent off balance
and to force them to stay in center court to receive your
serves.
