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One opponent is pinned against their back glass. Where does the volley go?
Opponent on the glass: volley short in front of them. Pinned back is the one time short is safe.
Your previous ball has left one opponent pinned right against the back glass. You have a comfortable volley. Where does it go?
Opponent on the glass: volley short in front of them. Pinned back is the one time short is safe.
Why
A player pinned against the back glass is a long way from anything short. The volley that lands around their service line and dies, soft, with a little slice, asks them to cover three metres and more before the second bounce, which they cannot do from a standing start. The temptation is to hit the ball hard into the glass behind them, but that just rebounds to where they already are. The rule is to play the ball where they are not, and when they are on the glass, "where they are not" is everything in front of them.
What this means at your level
Beginner
If they are stuck at the back, hit the ball short. They cannot get there.
Intermediate
Short means dying, not dropping. A volley that lands on their service line and bounces twice before the glass is enough.
Advanced
The short volley also drags them forward for the next ball, which is when the lob over them or the firm volley at their feet finishes it. Short, then deep.
Common questions
Your previous ball has left one opponent pinned right against the back glass. You have a comfortable volley. Where does it go?
Short in front of them. Opponent on the glass: volley short in front of them. Pinned back is the one time short is safe. A player pinned against the back glass is a long way from anything short. The volley that lands around their service line and dies, soft, with a little slice, asks them to cover three metres and more before the second bounce, which they cannot do from a standing start. The temptation is to hit the ball hard into the glass behind them, but that just rebounds to where they already are. The rule is to play the ball where they are not, and when they are on the glass, "where they are not" is everything in front of them.
Why not hard into the glass behind them, to jam them?
They are already on the glass. A hard ball into it rebounds straight to them.
What should a beginner do here?
If they are stuck at the back, hit the ball short. They cannot get there.
How does this change for an advanced player?
The short volley also drags them forward for the next ball, which is when the lob over them or the firm volley at their feet finishes it. Short, then deep.
Puzzles like this one
They lobbed you deep. Smash it or play the bandeja?
Deep ball, high hands: bandeja. The shot exists to keep you at the net, not to win the point.
beginnerThe 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.
beginnerBoth of them are at the net. What is the highest-percentage ball?
Only the lob moves a net pair backwards. Everything else invites them forward.