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The rebound comes out fast and you are too close. What now?
Too close to a fast rebound: shorten the swing to a block, lift it high and deep. Then fix your position.
You misjudged the pace and the ball comes off the glass fast, right at you, with no room to swing. What is the best recovery?
Too close to a fast rebound: shorten the swing to a block, lift it high and deep. Then fix your position.
Why
When a rebound comes out faster than expected and you are too close to it, the full swing is gone. There is no room. The recovery is a short, compact block with the racket face open, lifting the ball high and deep to reset the point. It will not be a great shot; it only has to be in and deep. The lesson is for the next ball: a rebound that surprised you with pace means you were standing too close to the glass for that incoming speed, so the correction is a step further out from the wall on the next fast ball.
What this means at your level
Beginner
If the ball is on you fast off the wall, do not swing. Just block it up high and deep.
Intermediate
A short block off the glass with the face open goes surprisingly deep. Trust the wall's pace to carry it.
Advanced
Fast rebounds you did not expect usually mean the ball hit the glass higher than you read. Watch the contact height on the glass, not just the incoming pace.
Common questions
You misjudged the pace and the ball comes off the glass fast, right at you, with no room to swing. What is the best recovery?
A short, compact block upward: get it high and deep, no swing. Too close to a fast rebound: shorten the swing to a block, lift it high and deep. Then fix your position. When a rebound comes out faster than expected and you are too close to it, the full swing is gone. There is no room. The recovery is a short, compact block with the racket face open, lifting the ball high and deep to reset the point. It will not be a great shot; it only has to be in and deep. The lesson is for the next ball: a rebound that surprised you with pace means you were standing too close to the glass for that incoming speed, so the correction is a step further out from the wall on the next fast ball.
Why not swing anyway and hope?
A full swing with no room between you and the ball catches the frame, the glass or nothing at all. Shorten everything and block.
What should a beginner do here?
If the ball is on you fast off the wall, do not swing. Just block it up high and deep.
How does this change for an advanced player?
Fast rebounds you did not expect usually mean the ball hit the glass higher than you read. Watch the contact height on the glass, not just the incoming pace.
Puzzles like this one
The ball is at your feet at the net. What now?
A ball below the net cannot be attacked. Block it deep and wait for one above the tape.
beginnerThe ball is coming off the back glass. When do you hit it?
Move back with the ball, let it pass you, hit it in front of your body.
beginnerThe ball bounced then hit your own back glass. Still in play?
One bounce on the floor, then any number of walls. Only a second floor bounce ends the point.