More Patience

I talk a lot about patience and the resulting benefits, and I have one more tip that I haven't mentioned before - learning this will improve your game dramatically.

When you are anticipating a shot, you should be learning to read your opponent's "tells". There are three common things you can be looking for:

First is the body positioning, especially the feet. Often you can tell exactly what his plans are by watching how he sets up his body.

Second, right after his body is in position, is the paddle angle. This should also give you a good indication of where he wants the ball to go, long before he actually hits it.

And third, most players will put their head down to look at the ball just before they hit it.

I find that as soon as the eyes go down, it is time for me to move. Any earlier and there will likely be time for my opponent to change the angle of his paddle, to put the ball somewhere else. Be patient and wait for him to tell you exactly what he is going to do.

This kind of in-game knowledge is especially important if you are no longer young and athletic, and you don't move quite as quickly as you used to.

If you get good at this you can even invite an opponent to hit at what looks like an open spot. At the NVZ I usually play slightly closer to the center than the line and I often see my opponent noticing what looks like an unguarded spot. As soon as I see his eyes go down (no sooner), I move over and intercept his shot. And since he wasn't watching me, the element of surprise will often get me a winner.

So again, patience is the key. Move out of panic mode and enjoy the game!

See you on the court.

Michael Gauthier