Defensive game
Sweetiele asked 6 years ago
Hey Tom and Dan,
How can I improve my defensive game(mostly blocking) from the backhand side? I find it difficult to block balls specially from my backhand as result some players feel that they don’t get enough offensive practice practising with me. Best regards!
Dan Academy Coach answered 6 years ago
Hey Sweetiele,
Good question. When you block perhaps your taking the ball to early or to late? You want to block at the top of the bounce. Bend your knees and have your weight forward. As you block you don’t want a thick contact, we’re just looking for you to get a closed bat angle and cushion down into the ball, pressing down slightly more for a heavy spin ball and adjusting the bat angle. Another key point to a consistent backhand block is making sure you have your body behind the ball when contacting it, this adds control and allows you to maintain balance and consistency.
Here’s a link to our backhand block video which gives a greater insight into this area.
SweetieleThanks for the reply Dan!
I think that I take the ball too late. I have problems with balls with more spin, and they fly out most of the time. However, I have improved my defensive game a bit lately by cushioning the ball and by keeping a very relaxed grip. The major problem with me is that my hands can be very shaky at times. I guess I can’t do much about that but your advice will certainly help. I read somewhere that it’s better to block on the rise(early) what do you think?
Thanks for the reply Dan!
I think that I take the ball too late. I have problems with balls with more spin, and they fly out most of the time. However, I have improved my defensive game a bit lately by cushioning the ball and by keeping a very relaxed grip. The major problem with me is that my hands can be very shaky at times. I guess I can’t do much about that but your advice will certainly help. I read somewhere that it’s better to block on the rise(early) what do you think?
In the match analysis video in which Tom plays against a Swedish player in the Swedish league, Tom talks about holding the ball on the bat a bit longer in case the Topspin has more spin. Can this be done by keeping a very relaxed grip. Are there any other ways to hold the ball a bit longer on the racket?
