Blocking 101

When you are at the net and hitting volleys, it is often a good tactic to take pace off the ball.  Taking pace off the ball will send it on a descending path when it crosses the net which will force your opponents to hit up from below the net. Taking pace off the ball from anywhere above the net can be done by just putting your paddle out so it intercepts the ball in front of your body with little or no swing at all. The momentum from your opponent's stroke is enough to send the ball back over the net. This type of shot is called a block.

Bison blocking traffic

Blocking is an important tool for play at the kitchen line.

Blocking Mechanics

The mechanics of a block are so simple, they can be taken for granted. Ideally, you want to make contact out in front of your body. The direction the ball goes after it leaves your paddle is determined by the direction of the blade of the paddle at the moment of contact.  Grip pressure is another factor. The harder you grip the handle, the more the ball will rebound. Loosening your grip will absorb the impact and take pace off the ball. This becomes especially important when one or both of your opponents is at the kitchen, or within a few steps of the kitchen. We will talk more about that later.

Let's take a more detailed look at the three factors you have to leverage in order to hit controlled blocks.

• Contact Point

You can block with a forehand or a backhand. Balls that are coming toward your body or toward your non-dominant side are typically handled with a backhand. Balls that are coming to the dominant side of your body are typically handled with a forehand. Your backhand can cover more area than your forehand when you are blocking. Your forehand has a more limited range; basically whatever comes to the outside on your dominant side.

The shots that come directly at your dominant side hip and shoulder will require you to move your feet, or twist your torso in order to get your paddle oriented right. If you do not move your body when a ball comes at your dominant side hip or shoulder, you will not have control of the ball and the result will be bad. Begin moving before the ball gets to you. Anticipate the trajectory of the ball and adjust your body so you are prepared to receive it comfortably in front of your body.

Okay, but how far in front? You want your elbow to be bent. If you are reaching or extended too far, you will lose control over the direction. Let the ball come to you. It is more important to move your feet to intercept the ball so you can receive it comfortably without reaching. If you are stretching or reaching, it becomes much more difficult to control the direction of the ball. Around a foot to two feet in front of my body is where I feel most comfortable. It doesn't have to be precise, but you want to avoid getting too close or reachingtoo far in front. You just need some bend in your elbow and to be capable of controlling the ball.

If you are making contact to the side of your body, where the contact point is in line with your body or behind it, again, you will have less control of the direction and the pace.

• Direction on Contact

There are two facets of this element of the block; vertical and lateral direction. If the ball is popping up after you made contact, the blade was angled up when the ball hit your paddle. Sometimes this is caused by a flinching reflex. Players who flinch when a fast drive comes their way sometimes raise their elbow. Sometimes they pop their butt backward as they brace for the impact. In either case, this can result in the wrist rolling out and the angle of the paddle blade opening up, which result in the ball rising as it comes off the paddle. If your opponents are closing in, a rising ball can present an opportunity for them to attack. Practice with a friend who can hit drives at you until you become comfortable with balls sailing at you and you don't flinch.

You want your block to clear the net, but it should ideally be descending before it gets to your opponents, wherever they are located on the court. If your block resulted in your opponents hitting up, that is a successful block. If your block allowed your opponents to hit down on the ball because they were able to intercept the ball while it was above the net, that is sub-optimal.

The other factor is lateral direction. You can angle your paddle (slightly) side to side in order to hit an angle. This can be used to shorten the block even more and sometimes to pull your opponents off the court. However, you want to be careful if you angle the ball toward the nearside court boundary. If you hit the ball out with your block, your opponents win the rally. Angling the ball to the opposite side (cross court) of the court is a safer bet. For balls you receive near the middle of the court, you can go in either direction. Just keep them in bounds.

• Grip Pressure

Grip pressure is tricky, because the amount of pressure also depends on the pace your opponents put on the ball as well as the result you want. There is not a right or wrong answer and you might use different grip pressure to achieve different results with the same opponents in the same game. The important thing to understand is that more grip pressure will cause the ball to rebound with more pace. Loosening your grip pressure will take pace off the ball. Experimentation and practice will help you master control and leverage this tool. If your opponents hit a hard drive at you from the baseline and you take the pace off and dump it into their kitchen, they may not be able to get to it. If they hit a drive and move in, hoping to get a pop up they can smash, but you hold your paddle firmly and angle it so it comes back fast and low as they approach, they may not have time to react.

All three elements of blocking are important. Making good contact in front of your body allows you to have the control you need to make best use of the other facets of blocking. Angles and grip pressure control will allow you to take advantage of your opponents' positions and movements on the court.

Let's talk about three common scenarios when blocking is used. In the first scenario, your opponents are back near the baseline when hitting. The second scenario is when your opponents are at the kitchen line. In the third scenario, your opponents are at the net, but you are in the transition zone. Blocking can be an effective tool to use in all three of these situations.

You at the Net, Opponents Near Baseline

If your opponents are near the baseline and they opt to hit a drive, using a block to take pace off the ball can be effective because the ball is less likely to bounce high. If you deflect your block at an angle, you may also force them to chase it. Hitting a low bouncing ball while you're on the run is difficult and often results in an error or a pop up.

Softer shots, like attempted drops that are high enough to volley, are not ideal for blocking because if you try to block a soft shot, you many not get it over the net. You will probably have to add some momentum to your hit by swinging a little when your opponents send soft shots.

The other consideration in this scenario is your opponents' positions and movement after they hit their shot. Some players will run up when their partner hits a drive (or when they hit a drive themselves) hoping that you will pop the ball up and they can attack it. When your opponents are charging in, that is looming danger. This is where paddle direction and good use of angles is crucial. Most of the time, the player who is closing on the net is going to favor the center of the court. If you can direct the ball low and behind them, that is a great way to avoid the danger and also to cause trouble for them.

If your opponents stay back, hitting a short drop on an angle can be very effective. This is where light grip pressure and angling your paddle are both very important. Opponents who are quick enough to get to a ball that is dropped in the kitchen when they are near the baseline may have trouble controlling the height of the ball once they get to it. If they pop it up, that is your chance to attack. Many opponents won't have the wheels required to cover that distance. If you can become proficient this skill, your opponents may think twice before blasting you with a drive from the baseline.

Everyone at the Net Dinking, Opponent Hits a Flick

Speed ups are common during dinking rallies at pretty much every level of play where people are skilled enough to get themselves to the net and engage in a few dinks. If you have quicker hands than your opponent and you feel that you can win more fast paced hand battles with them than you will lose, you might opt to engage when they speed the ball up and make them pay for their impatience. However, some people you play against will inevitably have faster hands than you. When those players try to speed things up, you don't want to play their game. Slow things back down by blocking.

To block a flick from below the net, you will just put your paddle out and let it rebound. These flick shots are not going to have the power of a drive from the back court because the swing is more compact. The speed is generated from the wrist (...if you do see someone load up with a big backswing, just dodge the ball because 99% of those shots are going to sail long if you can get out of the way).

Grip pressure is key for these blocks. You just need enough so the ball makes it back over the net. You want it to descend into your opponent's kitchen. Angling the ball cross court will also be more forgiving if your block isn't perfect.

Preparation for these shots is also key. Expect it every time. Any ball your opponents send that is slow, you will be ready for because you have time to move and receive it as it comes to you. But faster balls that are rising at you can catch you off guard with little time to react ...unless you are anticipating the possibility EVERY SINGLE TIME. Keep your paddle out in front of your body in a ready position.

Opponents at the Net, You Are in the Transition Zone

Blocking is also useful when you are transitioning from the baseline to the kitchen. The return has to bounce before you hit the third shot, but for the fifth shot and after, taking volleys using blocking shots that take pace off will help you keep things slow and direct the ball better.

I frequently see players hitting volleys from the transition zone and swinging away putting pace on the ball. Even if you have fast hands, the fact that your opponents are at their kitchen line and you are not at your kitchen line means they have the upper hand in a fire fight. They will have better angles. They will have an easier time hitting into your feet.

Instead of engaging in a firefight with opponents who have a positional advantage that you do not have, use blocking shots to hit slower volleys to force your opponents to hit up from below the net. These slower shots will also give you more time to get yourself to your kitchen.

I hope you found this helpful. In a future article, we will talk about some drills you can use to practice these skills.

Happy Holidays to those who celebrate.

See you on the courts,

No Fun David