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James Ignatowich
Hey guys, this is James Ignatowich from Delray Beach, Fl. People say you should not attack crosscourt—or at least, you should be attacking down the line almost every time, with the super rare crosscourt speedup. I say that if you can take the ball out of the air, especially on the backhand side, taking that speedup crosscourt as a flick can be a very effective play.
Why the Backhand Crosscourt Flick Works
So the reason for that is—standing behind the kitchen line—if you’re trying to go crosscourt with your backhand flick, you can actually reach further out towards the ball enabling you to hit it quicker than if you’re going down the line (figure 1).
(figure 1)
Secondly, if I’m going crosscourt with that flick, I’m going over a lower part of the net because the net slopes towards the middle as shown in (figure 2).
And lastly, if I go crosscourt with that flick, I have significantly more space/court to hit the ball.
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About James Ignatowich
Pickleball Portal Contributor
James Ignatowich is a contributor to Pickleball Portal, sharing insights and expertise to help players of all levels improve their game.
