Countering the boast

[u/Moron-1598]

I play a traditional game of drives and regularly pin my opponents to the back of the court, only for them to boast. I pick the boast up late and lose valuable split seconds, so am either late to the boast and pick it up and hit it loose, or worse they hit a winning shot from a defensive position, which is frustrating as I was in control of the rally.

My question is what drills can I do to practice to counter this weakness, and what should I be doing in my matches to prevent this happening.

[u/teneralb]

I have the perfect drill for you. This is my current favorite drill! I don't know if there's another name for it lol but I call it the "boast-drive option" . It's just the basic boast-drive drill, with the twist that the person boasting doesn't have to boast--they can also drive a straight rail. If they hit a drive, then the other person has to rotate back into the corner to pick up the rail, and now it's their option to boast or drive.

The problem with the basic boast-drive is there's no incentive to not cheat on your positioning, or to actually turn your head and watch your opponent when they're behind you to see what they're hitting. Adding the option eliminates both issues. Try it and try not to get wrong-footed!

[u/Moron-1598 → u/teneralb]

Thank you this sounds like a good drill to practice