Middle Ball Coverage and Moving Together as a Team

Key Points

• “Up the middle solves the riddle”
• Try and stay an arm and paddle lengths away from your partner
• Move together with your partner, imagining there’s an invisible rope that ties you together
• Cover the middle, leaving no gaps on the court and forcing your opponents to go for risky, wide passing shots
• Follow the line of the ball, moving together as a team
• 1 player should always be in the middle
• Leaving the crosscourt open is low risk, as players only option to get it past you is with a slower shot giving you time to react and get to the ball
• Your response to a ball hit out wide at an angle should be either down the line or through the middle, so you don’t expose your partner