JOOLA USA

Short Game:  Easy Does It Against Short Balls

By Carl Danner

Many players get it backwards when trying to attack in the short game: They try to hit the ball too hard, and forget about positioning.  By contrast, the right focus (for those little flips, angled pushes and the like) is on footwork rather than an attempted winner.

Flips and angled pushes work because they force your opponent to handle a deep ball for which she is not prepared.  Ideally, what you get next is an off-balance return, which will be deep to you.  Unless you are attacking a really weak short ball, it is hard to hit an outright winner on a flip, and easy to err when trying.  The key to the whole exercise is to be in position for that deep return so you can attack it strongly.

Therefore, a good short flip or angled push includes three steps:  (1) getting in position over the table to make the shot, (2) executing the flip or push, and (3) getting back in position behind the table, quickly, to attack the deep ball that's coming next.  By contrast, too many players get in over the table, take a big swipe, and then stay there admiring their handiwork even though they are in no position to do much with the next ball if it happens to come back.

You should train yourself to feel distinctly uncomfortable when in close over the table, as if a calamity could occur at any minute and you better "get out of Dodge" in a hurry.  Get in, make a safe quick flip, and get out of Dodge.  That recipe will serve you far better than trying to kill the ball and be a short game hero.