Deep middle: Reset the rally

The decision

Decision: You are stretched wide. Where can you buy recovery time?

You are behind the baseline. The defender is near the middle, deep in court.

• Deep through middle — Take away angles — GOOD READ: Behind the baseline, this placed shot gives you a large in-bounds target. The ball lands 4.1 m inside the sideline. The defender travels 0.5 m very little and returns deep in this example.
• Sharp sideline — Risk an angle — TOUGH CHOICE: Behind the baseline, this tight target leaves little room for error. The ball lands 0.4 m inside the sideline. The defender travels 5.9 m forward and returns shorter in this example.

What to take into the next point

Deep middle targets give the defender fewer sharp replies.

What a good read looks like

The read this lesson trains: Choose a deep target that reduces return angles. Deep, central targets that shrink the opponent’s angles and buy recovery time. In the interactive lesson you play the rally, make the call, and then read why it worked or did not. The coaching grades the decision, not just the point outcome — a good read can still lose the rally, and the lesson says why.

Part of the Deep middle pattern

Every lesson that trains this pattern is collected on the Deep middle pattern page.

Related lessons in this pattern

• Return plus one: Hold the middle — ORIGINAL LESSON · lesson 37 of 50
• Squeeze angles with the deep middle — ORIGINAL LESSON · lesson 43 of 50

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