Return to the ready position even during blocking exercises or warm-ups

One of the hurdles of my coaching life is players who lazily block drills just by holding out their racket, ruthlessly blocking ball after ball with great efficiency in a way they never would in a real match. And of course, when they play matches, they come back to this and their blocking falls apart.

Instead, even if you perform a simple blocking exercise, return to ready position after each shot. For example, if you’re blocking a backhand, immediately move to a neutral position with the tip of your racket pointed at where you expect the opponent to hit the ball, ready to cover both the forehand and backhand, even if you know in this drill it’s going to your backhand. If you don’t, practice with your forehand block to avoid being ready. And vice versa with forehand blocking. (This also applies to other exercises and shots. For example, if you do a forehand counter walk during an exercise, you should also return to the neutral position between shots.)

Coaches often do this for a very simple reason: they are no longer competitive players and thus no longer need to return to the ready position. And because it’s easier not returning to the ready position after each shot, they don’t do that. Sometimes players see this and accidentally copy it.

By keeping that racket pointed at the opponent’s point of contact between each block, ready to cover the entire table with forehand or backhand, you’re ready to become a mean green blocking machine! (Wearing green is optional.)