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Created 12/31/01

Shot Selection by Carl Moody

The choice of shot depends primarily on three things: where you are, where your opponent is, and where the ball is. It also depends on your skill level, your opponent’s skill level and the score, but I am going to ignore those considerations for simplicity.

The six major offensive shots to choose from are the down the line pass, cross-court pass, wide-angle pass, pinch, reverse pinch, and splat. The two major defensive shots are the ceiling ball and the Z-ball.

You should hit the ceiling ball when your opponent is in good center court position, you are in deep court, and the ball is not in your hitting zone (ankle to waist). You might go defensive even if the ball is in your hitting zone if you are off balance,  you don’t have time to set your feet and take a good swing, or your opponent hates ceiling balls..

If you are off balance or the ball is in an awkward position in the front court, you should hit the Z-ball or ceiling ball (because of the angle you might hit the top of the front wall first on the ceiling ball, but that is OK). Hit either one of these shots with some enthusiasm, to make it hard on your opponent to cut it off.

If you have an offensive opportunity (you are set up and the ball is in your hitting zone), you should rely on the pass as your primary offensive shot. It is the shot you should consider first.

Which pass you choose depends on where your opponent is located. Since you have your eye on the ball, you must rely on your peripheral vision to see where to hit the ball. Essentially, you should follow the baseball axiom: hit ‘em where they ain’t.

If your opponent is behind you, but you don’t know where, you at least know where he was when he hit his last shot, so hit to the other side. A good cross court or down the line pass will draw him into one of the corners, as far away from the front wall as possible which is exactly what you want to do.

The height of the ball helps determine the shot. If the ball is above your waist, you should probably hit a ceiling ball. If the ball is between you waist and knee, hit a passing shot. If the ball is below your knee then all six offensive shots are available to you. However, avoid the pinch, reverse pinch, or splat unless the following three conditions are satisfied: (1) your opponent is behind you, (2) you are within 30 feet of the front wall (not in deep court), and (3) the ball is below your knee. If your opponent is in front of you and you are less than thirty feet from the front wall, you could hit a pinch, but a pass will be just as effective and you don’t have to kill the ball. If you are trying to kill the ball with a pinch or splat from beyond 30 feet, good luck. If you are trying to pinch when the ball is above your knee, you will leave too many up on the opposite side wall as setups for you opponent.