Squeeze angles with the deep middle

The decision

Decision: Your opponent sends another deep ball. How can you limit their angles?

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

• Repeat deep middle — Deny the angles — GOOD READ: Behind the baseline, this placed shot gives you a large in-bounds target. The ball lands 3.9 m inside the sideline. The defender travels 0.2 m very little and returns deep in this example.
• Open a sharp angle — Change the pattern — 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 5.5 m across court and returns deep in this example.

What to take into the next point

A deep middle shot cuts down the defender’s angles.

What a good read looks like

The read this lesson trains: Choose a deep ball that narrows the next reply. 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

• Deep middle: Reset the rally — ORIGINAL LESSON · lesson 7 of 50
• Return plus one: Hold the middle — ORIGINAL LESSON · lesson 37 of 50

Free to play

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