certainly at the professional level, a good net play is very important. if they can force a weaker lift, or just to force high lift, they have the ability to nail it onto the ground. at the amateur level like us mortals though, i think a all rounded game is just as important. even with a weak lift, not all amateurs can convert that into a winning shot.
The domination at the net has many factors for example there is shot delay of clears to upset the opponents footwork ,hairpin drops down the face of the net,spinning net shots forcing errors,deception above the net level such as faking a smash or drive and blocking straight or crosscourt and freezing the opponent.Below the net level such as crosscourt net with shot delay of straight net and then dropping the elbow and going cross (Zhao Jianhua's favorite) and the hold where the shot delay is used to make the opponent anticipate the clear and commit movement backwards to cover the net clear only to have a net shot performed.Speed of footwork and anticipation of shots and good reading of shots allows for the tap of high net and spinning netshots and brush shots of tight net returns which hug the net are also part of dominating the net.Oh yes and of course the ability to perform net tumbles as well as the ability to return the seemingly impossible net tumble.The ability to force the opponent to hit weak clears as Kwun pointed out ending in the thundering smash is also a part of the formula of dominating at the net.Domination at the net is an important part of the game and can be the deciding factor when the other shots around the court are of equal ability with the opponent.Mind you players who are stronger in the other aspects can compensate taking that part of the game away sometimes.All other skills being equal along with the ability to force the situation to happen definitely make it the deciding factor.Sorry if I stole your input on the issue JRMTL.Lack of appreciation of all these skills at the net often decide how well players do later on or better yet end up being the stumbling block you run up against in a superior opponent.
yes...bighook's xcourt net shot..haha.....might as well just stand and enjoy the view instead of going after it......
It's a big advantage but a player who can play excellent lifts from the net to the back of the court can negate the advantage. In fact, that could put a lot of pressure on the player who has good netshots because their most advantageous tactic has been taken away.
Won't necessarily win, but at a high level net dominance is a decided advantage. Both in terms of tight net shots, attacking lifts, drives etc. and speed to get on top of the net and intercept
It becomes harder to hit winners from the back of the court the higher standard you play, so dominance at the net is important to ensure weak lifts. However at the top level I think other factors such as movement, accuracy and deception from the back of the court are almost as important.
