Neutralizing aggressive dinks

Take the speed off and put it in the middle 🎯

⬆️ Click The Video Above ⬆️

Frequently Asked Questions 🚨

1. How do I know which paddle is best for me?

I usually don’t offer too much advice on this one - I’ve been playing with the same paddle for a while, and it’s a very individual thing. Thinner paddles usually have more power and move through the air a little quicker. You’ll sacrifice a bit of stability on the drops and resets, but to me the advantages of a thinner power paddle outweigh the negatives. I think it’s harder to generate more power with a control paddle than it is to get used to hitting soft shots with a power paddle.

2. Where do you typically aim returns?

Obviously this depends who you’re playing, but I typically return to the person who I’m more fearful of crashing. Most times this is the left sider or the guy in mixed, but definitely not always. That being said, if that person happens to be dialed in on their drops that day, or you’re not having success for whatever reason, you need to be willing to mix it up. Don’t forget about the middle return too, or even middle/right side to force the left sider to have to move over if that team wants to find a forehand.

Maintain your balance when dinking out of the air ⚖️

Activate the lean in from your legs  🦵

⬆️ Click The Video Above ⬆️

Driving in Singles with Ryan 💥

Hitting your drives low rather than hard is especially important in singles. It’s tempting to overhit them - especially when you see space in the court, but over the course of the match a “80%” low drive will serve you better. There’s a few important reasons for it:

1) Crosscourt drives: When you go crosscourt, you’re bringing the sideline into play. The deeper it goes, the thinner your margins with that sideline. Keeping it low is literally a safer shot on a crosscourt pass.

2) Forcing slice volleys: an aggressive singles player is looking for an open paddle face off of their drive. If you can keep it low enough so they have to slice the volley upwards, this is your queue to start rushing in, looking to put away the 5th shot.

3) When you keep the ball low the worst thing that’s gonna happen is you have a 5th shot from the baseline. You’re keeping yourself in the point. You might miss a couple drives in the net, but it’s better than hitting consistent higher drives. You don’t want to give your opponents the satisfaction of an easy put-away anyway!