Hi. So I was wondering, if my opponent clears to my baseline either during a serve or a rally should I clear it back? Of course if he is expecting a smash and falls a bit back I should do an overhead dropshot. Likewise if he is still lingering at the net after a backhand lob I would then do a clear. But what should I do if he serves? What would be the optimum return, a drop, smash, clear? Or is it just whichever one you would prefer? And also how often should I do an attacking clear? I don't play very good players much, but when I do they almost always beat me with fast attacking clears to the back. At least, that must be my weakness. How often should I execute this shot? I understand that if I do an attacking clear it would give me less time to move, but I feel that by the time he hits the attacking clear I would be ready. Can the attacking clear be spammed?
The optimal shot is one that he does not predict, so its important to maintain variation in your first return. Attacking, or punch clears are extremely effective especially if your hitting motion is deceptive. If you can generate sufficient power with your wrist to clear with a small motion, you can feint a drop and punch it to the back at the last moment. I think if unless your smash is very good, it is greedy to return a proper high serve with a smash. Therefore, you should look to play the corners with either a drop or a clear. As for being unable to retrieve attacking clears, this has to do with your own footwork and learning to adjust to a faster-paced game. Just keep at it!
exactly! as your game advances, the execution of the most basic shots matter most. Feints give the necessary edge. cheers!
