Dubs: When your opponents are about to hit an overhead smash...

[Cawlin]

...do you adjust, if you have time, by moving back to a defensive position to at least give yourself a possibility of handling it, and if you're hopelessly caught too close up to the net, do you turn your back/get out of the way/protect yourself?

Or do you stand where you are, trying to psych the person hitting the overhead out by being in the possible path of it and then complain if/when that opponent hits the smash at or very near you?

What I notice is that the better the player is (higher in the lineup, or higher level overall) the more likely they are to either protect themselves or try to get into a solid defensive position. The lower level the player is, it seems that more often they try to get in the line of fire of that OH and then complain/whine if they get hit or if the ball comes too near to them.

 

[n8dawg6]

i get myself into position to hit a tweener return

 

[n8dawg6]

and i usually screech a little bit, sort of an EEK!

 

[kevrol]

Playing 7.0 mixed with my wife I get to practice this alot. If given time I will retreat to the baseline. If no time I will turn my back and concede the point. However I notice when I get an overhead that my 3.0 female opponents just stand there right in the service box daring me to hit near them.

 

[J_R_B]

I try to read where the player is likely to hit the ball, get into a position near where it will land (typically around the service line), and get my racket in position to try to stab/block it back over the net. If it hits me, it will likely be in the ankle, so no big deal, and I can get usually steal a point or two per match doing that.

 

[ShaunS]

What I notice is that the better the player is (higher in the lineup, or higher level overall) the more likely they are to either protect themselves or try to get into a solid defensive position. The lower level the player is, it seems that more often they try to get in the line of fire of that OH and then complain/whine if they get hit or if the ball comes too near to them.

That has not been my experience.

I'm going to try and put myself in a place where I can reasonably play the shot with a "quick reaction" block. As @J_R_B said I'm getting points every match doing this, so it's only logical. I'm very rarely actually hit by a ball, and if I am it's almost always because I misread the shot.

The reasoning here is twofold. By showing them you're going to play it forces them to actually hit a good shot, and that increased pressure leads to some errors. Also, there are a lot of people who simply don't hit good putaways, and you should punish them for that.

On the opposite side of the equation, this is why I thoroughly finish the first couple putaways that I have in a match. I want my opponents to believe that I can hit it that hard with accuracy each time, and hopefully dissuade them from trying to disrupt me later on.

 

[OnTheLine]

I will never concede the point by turning away .... there is always a chance!

I will drop back to a defensive position but rarely all the way to the baseline ..... like others said, force them to hit a good overhead .... and if I am all the way at the baseline, the smarter players will just hit a very short angled drop.

What I do not understand are the players who stay put .... or worse the ones that move forward. Once I line up for my OH, I am not looking at where you are. I have already picked my spot. If you happen to be where I am crater-ing the ball .... your problem, not mine.

 

[NoQuarter]

I stand my ground, take wide base (just like after split step), racquet up and out front with conti grip and then try to see/guess where they are going. This played a huge part of my combo match win last night as it just so happens. We had won the first set 7-6 and it was opponents serving at 6-5, 30 all in second set to me in the deuce side. I had worked my way in during the point and they hit a great low shot to my forehand and I was just inside the service line. All I could to was pop it back up to the guy right in front of me who was just slightly behind the service line on the add side. I got ready, took my stance and guessed he was going down the middle as my partner was up as well but wide. I ducked to the right and brought my racquet up to the backhand side and put it nice and soft to their deuce side short and they netted the next ball. I think we won the next point due to them being disappointed in loosing that sure point.

 

[Cawlin]

So those of you who "stand your ground", if you see your opponent is RIPPING overheads - like hitting them 100mph+ (as hard as a very hard rec serve) from the service line or even deeper in the court, let alone right on the net, do you still stand your ground? If one of those 100 mph Hulk Smashes buzzes you, or even hits you, do you complain?

In situations when I have a chance to react to the coming overhead, I try to retreat to a place at or near the baseline so as to give myself the most chance to hit what I assume is going to be a hard, fast shot. If the opponent just dinks the overhead and drops it over the net, so be it, it was his shot to win in the first place, I was just trying to give myself the best chance to maybe steal one back. I do agree that if the opponent hits a crappy OH that you can easily return, you absolutely should punish that.

In situations where my partner is continually fluffing the ball to the net person for an easy OH smash, I'll attempt some defensive moves once or twice, but if it continues, I'll just turn my back and get over to the alley to protect myself. If my partner can't do more than fluff easy overheads to the net player, I sure don't see much hope of being able to cover for such play.

 

[J_R_B]

I will never concede the point by turning away .... there is always a chance!

I will drop back to a defensive position but rarely all the way to the baseline ..... like others said, force them to hit a good overhead .... and if I am all the way at the baseline, the smarter players will just hit a very short angled drop.

What I do not understand are the players who stay put .... or worse the ones that move forward. Once I line up for my OH, I am not looking at where you are. I have already picked my spot. If you happen to be where I am crater-ing the ball .... your problem, not mine.

In high school, I used to charge overheads just t get the other kid to panic and make a mistake, LOL. It worked occasionally, but I found it's more effective to actually try to play the ball.

 

[J_R_B]

So those of you who "stand your ground", if you see your opponent is RIPPING overheads - like hitting them 100mph+ (as hard as a very hard rec serve) from the service line or even deeper in the court, let alone right on the net, do you still stand your ground? If one of those 100 mph Hulk Smashes buzzes you, or even hits you, do you complain?

In situations when I have a chance to react to the coming overhead, I try to retreat to a place at or near the baseline so as to give myself the most chance to hit what I assume is going to be a hard, fast shot. If the opponent just dinks the overhead and drops it over the net, so be it, it was his shot to win in the first place, I was just trying to give myself the best chance to maybe steal one back. I do agree that if the opponent hits a crappy OH that you can easily return, you absolutely should punish that.

In situations where my partner is continually fluffing the ball to the net person for an easy OH smash, I'll attempt some defensive moves once or twice, but if it continues, I'll just turn my back and get over to the alley to protect myself. If my partner can't do more than fluff easy overheads to the net player, I sure don't see much hope of being able to cover for such play.

No, I don't complain. Getting hit occasionally is just part of the game.

In fact, there was one time in a doubles match (4.0 level mens) where I popped up a short LOB that I saw was going to be be an overhead, so I moved into position at the service line to try to block it back. The "smasher" was looking up at the ball, not at me, until the last second when he was swinging, he saw me standing in the path of his shot. He hit the shot and immediately started apologizing for hitting "at" me, not realizing that I had actually intentionally gotten in the way. I blocked the shot back over his head into the corner where his partner was running behind him to try to catch up to the ball and return it, so you had this kind of weird situation where simultaneously the "smasher" was apologizing to me, I was actively playing his shot, and his partner was scrambling to get the ball back. We laughed about it after the point was over.

 

[tennis4me]

I moved back (from net position) as fast AND as far back as I can, then stop and take a wide, ready position just before my opponent make contact with the ball.

Many people either stand their ground way too close to the net or still have their feet moving backward while trying to block the overhead. It just doesn't work because your racquet is not on ready position and your feet are still shuffling backward.

 

[RyanRF]

If there's time I'll start running back.

If there's no time I'll just crouch down and cover my face.

 

[ShaunS]

Many people either stand their ground way too close to the net or still have their feet moving backward while trying to block the overhead. It just doesn't work because your racquet is not on ready position and your feet are still shuffling backward.

Important distinction you've made here. You want to be in position & ready to play the ball not just be "in the way".

So those of you who "stand your ground", if you see your opponent is RIPPING overheads - like hitting them 100mph+ (as hard as a very hard rec serve) from the service line or even deeper in the court, let alone right on the net, do you still stand your ground? If one of those 100 mph Hulk Smashes buzzes you, or even hits you, do you complain?

When you decide to try and play the point you lose the right to complain about being hit. That said, it shouldn't really be a common issue. You should be playing based off what your opponent can do. If they have the ability to drill very hard putaways, you're going to need to back off a little more to give yourself a real chance. That's why I mentioned my preference to hit a couple shots early on myself. I am hoping to push them back and give me more opportunities.

In situations where my partner is continually fluffing the ball to the net person for an easy OH smash

So, there's a pretty small window where the ball is going to be an easy putaway, and I don't have time to move back to a defensible position. It's sort of that 7 foot high floater where the net player is coming across near the center line to put it away. I'm often not going to try and stand my ground at the net in that scenario because there's almost no time for a reaction volley, and I'll be located right in the center of their best target area. Better chance that your partner, who dang well better have hit that trash from the baseline, will be able to run it down than me taking one off my forehead.

 

[TagUrIt]

I won’t EVER concede the point by turning my back. I’ve seen too many people miss overheads or send them into the net to do that. If I have time, I’ll try get back as close to the baseline as I can. If my opponent angles it out with soft hit than so be it. I will do all that I came to get that overhead smash back in play if I can. Depending on the court size, you can make a play on a poorly hit overhead. “No retreat, no surrender”

 

[NoQuarter]

So those of you who "stand your ground", if you see your opponent is RIPPING overheads - like hitting them 100mph+ (as hard as a very hard rec serve) from the service line or even deeper in the court, let alone right on the net, do you still stand your ground? If one of those 100 mph Hulk Smashes buzzes you, or even hits you, do you complain?

In situations when I have a chance to react to the coming overhead, I try to retreat to a place at or near the baseline so as to give myself the most chance to hit what I assume is going to be a hard, fast shot. If the opponent just dinks the overhead and drops it over the net, so be it, it was his shot to win in the first place, I was just trying to give myself the best chance to maybe steal one back. I do agree that if the opponent hits a crappy OH that you can easily return, you absolutely should punish that.

In situations where my partner is continually fluffing the ball to the net person for an easy OH smash, I'll attempt some defensive moves once or twice, but if it continues, I'll just turn my back and get over to the alley to protect myself. If my partner can't do more than fluff easy overheads to the net player, I sure don't see much hope of being able to cover for such play.

Always stand my ground, may put the racquet right in front of my face, but always stand my ground...and never complain. I'm a big guy so I'm an easy target...besides not going to ever be able to get back in time...so I'm better off just staying put and try to react to whatever is coming. I've gotten pretty good at staying in points that way.

 

[Ronaldo]

Happens all the time in mixed. Get back to where the service line meets the centre line and block. Be A Man!

 

[kevrol]

I won’t EVER concede the point by turning my back. I’ve seen too many people miss overheads or send them into the net to do that.

And if they hit it into the net you win the point even though you bailed out of the play.

 

[Luke Yonex]

.... or worse the ones that move forward.

Actually if there is not much room behind the baseline, and you are behind or close to the baseline you can sometimes only hit the ball by moving forward and getting it on the bounce (as its rising up) otherwise they just bonce it over your head into the back fence. Of course this takes perfect timing and guts

 

[Cawlin]

Happens all the time in mixed. Get back to where the service line meets the centre line and block. Be A Man!

So, speaking of mixed... (let's assume we're playing league mixed here, and let's assume everyone is near the same rating level), what about when the woman decides to stand her ground right in your crater path, and you blaze it in her direction because that's where you were planning on going all along, and you'll be damned if she's going to take away the biggest spot to hit into by standing there... maybe you even hit her, with a VERY hard shot, does she have a legit complaint?

 

[Ronaldo]

So, speaking of mixed... (let's assume we're playing league mixed here, and let's assume everyone is near the same rating level), what about when the woman decides to stand her ground right in your crater path, and you blaze it in her direction because that's where you were planning on going all along, and you'll be damned if she's going to take away the biggest spot to hit into by standing there... maybe you even hit her, with a VERY hard shot, does she have a legit complaint?

Nah, probably hit her a half-dozen times in the cocoanuts by then

 

[Powderwombat]

Depends how much time you have and how close to the net you are - if you have time obviously drop back to the baseline and attempt to return - if you're at the net with no time, you turn your damn back...you would be a fool not to.

 

[CHtennis]

I won’t EVER concede the point by turning my back. I’ve seen too many people miss overheads or send them into the net to do that. If I have time, I’ll try get back as close to the baseline as I can. If my opponent angles it out with soft hit than so be it. I will do all that I came to get that overhead smash back in play if I can. Depending on the court size, you can make a play on a poorly hit overhead. “No retreat, no surrender”

I want to live by this philosophy but when I am crowding the net and my partner hits a poor lob volley, I still turn away as I have no chance at it (I feel like). In general though I try not to do this and chide myself for doing so, but there are some instances that are so close to the net and easy where it might be okay to concede it instead of getting hit.

 

[Ronaldo]

Saw a guy wearing glasses get a stem stuck in his face by a forehand so goggles, a mouthguard and a steel cup may be in order.

 

[brettatk]

I've turned my back a few times mostly in disgust after my partner has repeatedly thrown up very short lobs.

 

[NoQuarter]

Saw a guy wearing glasses get a stem stuck in his face by a forehand so goggles, a mouthguard and a steel cup may be in order.

HAHAHAHA!!!! This made me chuckle!

 

[WhiteOut]

...do you adjust, if you have time, by moving back to a defensive position to at least give yourself a possibility of handling it, and if you're hopelessly caught too close up to the net, do you turn your back/get out of the way/protect yourself?

Or do you stand where you are, trying to psych the person hitting the overhead out by being in the possible path of it and then complain if/when that opponent hits the smash at or very near you?

What I notice is that the better the player is (higher in the lineup, or higher level overall) the more likely they are to either protect themselves or try to get into a solid defensive position. The lower level the player is, it seems that more often they try to get in the line of fire of that OH and then complain/whine if they get hit or if the ball comes too near to them.

depends where I am on the court, and where the short shot is. generally if I'm already at net, and the overhead is about center court, I'll shift back and in a step or two, and get ready for a stab/bunt/block back. this makes the smasher think the side is open, so he may change his mind at the last second and shank it, or I may get lucky and get my stick on it...it's happened way more than even i would have thought. I'm watching the hips -- this is a good indicator of where the smasher is trying to go.

if i'm at baseline, I'll stay there and maybe pinch in or shift outward a step, depending again on where the hips are pointing

in either case it's a pure luck of the draw thing. if i get hit it's just part of the game. i pretty much never really turn my body away, but if i'm playing a really hard hitter, I will turn my head down/to the side to protect my eyes. I used to play a lot of raquetball and always wore goggles...been thinking i should maybe start wearing them again for tennis...i know three guys who have been hit in the eye, and one was a total fluke.

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

1. Turning and walking back often results in unforced errors by the opponent, well 30% of the time in my experience, which is high. 2. I was caught too close to the net on a bad lob my partner hit in playoffs, I turned my head and stuck my racket out facing the opponent, he hit an overhead into my sweet spot and it bounced back for a winner, violently, I pretended it was on purpose lol

 

[OnTheLine]

So, speaking of mixed... (let's assume we're playing league mixed here, and let's assume everyone is near the same rating level), what about when the woman decides to stand her ground right in your crater path, and you blaze it in her direction because that's where you were planning on going all along, and you'll be damned if she's going to take away the biggest spot to hit into by standing there... maybe you even hit her, with a VERY hard shot, does she have a legit complaint?

No she does not. End of discussion. Period. Forever and all times.

 

[Cawlin]

No she does not. End of discussion. Period. Forever and all times.

I know your answer on that OTL, and Cindy's too... but thank you for chiming in.

Anecdote: Locally we had a situation like the one I described with one of the teams in my mixed division. The husband of the woman who got hit jumped over the net and beat the sh*t out of the other guy on the other team, put him in the hospital. I suspect that husband will be regretting it when the civil suit comes down.

Also, never put your racket down during a match!!!

 

[r2473]

I yell “switch”

 

[Luke Yonex]

I've turned my back a few times mostly in disgust after my partner has repeatedly thrown up very short lobs.

Partner or opponent??

 

[ptuanminh]

For those that like to stand your ground, you will get hit haha

 

[Cindysphinx]

I know your answer on that OTL, and Cindy's too... but thank you for chiming in.

Anecdote: Locally we had a situation like the one I described with one of the teams in my mixed division. The husband of the woman who got hit jumped over the net and beat the sh*t out of the other guy on the other team, put him in the hospital. I suspect that husband will be regretting it when the civil suit comes down.

Also, never put your racket down during a match!!!

Yup.

Becky needs to get out of the way.

I think most of the time the people who don’t move aren’t being strategic. They don’t move because they don’t move.

 

[zaskar1]

...do you adjust, if you have time, by moving back to a defensive position to at least give yourself a possibility of handling it, and if you're hopelessly caught too close up to the net, do you turn your back/get out of the way/protect yourself?

Or do you stand where you are, trying to psych the person hitting the overhead out by being in the possible path of it and then complain if/when that opponent hits the smash at or very near you?

What I notice is that the better the player is (higher in the lineup, or higher level overall) the more likely they are to either protect themselves or try to get into a solid defensive position. The lower level the player is, it seems that more often they try to get in the line of fire of that OH and then complain/whine if they get hit or if the ball comes too near to them.

in competitive tennis, i will do what you suggest first, get into a defensive position, and protect myself.
in a fun mixed doubles, sometimes i will stand my ground and try to hit it back, but that's kind of "high risk"
as most of us are not accurate enough not to hit the opponents, when we arent aiming for them.


z

 

[zaskar1]

Always stand my ground, may put the racquet right in front of my face, but always stand my ground...and never complain. I'm a big guy so I'm an easy target...besides not going to ever be able to get back in time...so I'm better off just staying put and try to react to whatever is coming. I've gotten pretty good at staying in points that way.

NQ
you must be a "man of steel" , i usually run off the court or turn around when i see an opponent hitting an overhead smash sitter.
z

 

[Cawlin]

I think most of the time the people who don’t move aren’t being strategic. They don’t move because they don’t move.

I think that's likely true in a lot of situations that I see too...

 

[kevrol]

No she does not. End of discussion. Period. Forever and all times.

Sadly you and Cindy seem to be the exception because Becky is what I see everytime I play.

 

[J_R_B]

So, speaking of mixed... (let's assume we're playing league mixed here, and let's assume everyone is near the same rating level), what about when the woman decides to stand her ground right in your crater path, and you blaze it in her direction because that's where you were planning on going all along, and you'll be damned if she's going to take away the biggest spot to hit into by standing there... maybe you even hit her, with a VERY hard shot, does she have a legit complaint?

If the woman decides to stand her ground and looks like she's actually trying to play the ball, then to me, that means she's prepared to deal with a shot that might be right at her. I don't ever purposely hit at people (in fact, I prefer to hit away from them if possible - people definitely can't return shots they can't reach...), but I do hit in directions regardless of who's standing there, and if the woman looks prepared to play it, I won't change the direction or pace. If I see the woman has given up on the point before I hit it (either turned her back or raised her racket or somehow taken a self-protective posture rather than a tennis ready position), I will try to ease up on the shot instead of smashing it. It's harder for me to change direction and not make an error, but if the player has signaled that she isn't going to try to return it, then there's no reason for me to hit full pace.

 

[NoQuarter]

NQ
you must be a "man of steel" , i usually run off the court or turn around when i see an opponent hitting an overhead smash sitter.
z

Not really...just to old and slow to get out of the way!

 

[Cawlin]

Sadly you and Cindy seem to be the exception because Becky is what I see everytime I play.

A-FKN-MEN!!!!!

I have not seen video of either of them play, but I can say that they are on the short list of female rec players that I would consider playing mixed with - which is not to say that I am super great or anything, or even to imply that they'd ever consider playing mixed with me (though I suspect they might enjoy it if it ever happened), but just that those two actually seem to understand the game in a way that so few female rec players (in my experience at least) seem to.

 

[Cawlin]

If the woman decides to stand her ground and looks like she's actually trying to play the ball, then to me, that means she's prepared to deal with a shot that might be right at her. I don't ever purposely hit at people (in fact, I prefer to hit away from them if possible - people definitely can't return shots they can't reach...), but I do hit in directions regardless of who's standing there, and if the woman looks prepared to play it, I won't change the direction or pace. If I see the woman has given up on the point before I hit it (either turned her back or raised her racket or somehow taken a self-protective posture rather than a tennis ready position), I will try to ease up on the shot instead of smashing it. It's harder for me to change direction and not make an error, but if the player has signaled that she isn't going to try to return it, then there's no reason for me to hit full pace.

Yep, I hear you there... I never hit smashes AT people, though I do volley and hit groundies at their feet. However, if I go up for an overhead, especially if it's a real "gimme" at the net, I'm going to crater that SOB, I'm hoping it bounces in play and then goes over the fence. If someone floats one of those up to me at the net in a league match, and then stands in front of me, it is at their peril and I refuse to try to change directions at the last second.

 

[weelie]

I step back and/or sometimes turn away. I might even step out of the court, depending.

 

[Turbo-87]

I just concede the point hoping they hit it out or net it. The chances of me actually getting strings on one hit at me are low and not worth the risk/reward in rec tennis.

 

[ttbrowne]

I won’t EVER concede the point by turning my back. I’ve seen too many people miss overheads or send them into the net to do that. If I have time, I’ll try get back as close to the baseline as I can. If my opponent angles it out with soft hit than so be it. I will do all that I came to get that overhead smash back in play if I can. Depending on the court size, you can make a play on a poorly hit overhead. “No retreat, no surrender”

What level would you play where you would NEVER be turning on an overhead?

 

[Dartagnan64]

So those of you who "stand your ground", if you see your opponent is RIPPING overheads - like hitting them 100mph+ (as hard as a very hard rec serve) from the service line or even deeper in the court, let alone right on the net, do you still stand your ground? If one of those 100 mph Hulk Smashes buzzes you, or even hits you, do you complain?

Yes I stand my ground and I complain. Nobody at my level should be ripping 100 mph overheads because a) they'll likely injure themselves or someone else, b) it is unnecessary since a properly placed 60 mph OH is more than adequate to finish a point. If I'm at the net a firmly struck cratered overhead will be unreturnable against the back fence. A 100 mph cratered OH will knock the ball out of the tennis court. What's the point of that.

Hit as hard as you need to, not as hard as you can. It's still a gentleman's sport. None of the 4.5-5.0 level players I've played with and against hit an OH with all their power. They just hit them firmly and accurately away from everyone.

 

[Cawlin]

Yes I stand my ground and I complain. Nobody at my level should be ripping 100 mph overheads because a) they'll likely injure themselves or someone else, b) it is unnecessary since a properly placed 60 mph OH is more than adequate to finish a point. If I'm at the net a firmly struck cratered overhead will be unreturnable against the back fence. A 100 mph cratered OH will knock the ball out of the tennis court. What's the point of that.

Hit as hard as you need to, not as hard as you can. It's still a gentleman's sport. None of the 4.5-5.0 level players I've played with and against hit an OH with all their power. They just hit them firmly and accurately away from everyone.

So you're of the opinion that your opponent should be playing your game, not theirs...

 

[Dartagnan64]

So you're of the opinion that your opponent should be playing your game, not theirs...

Not sure what that means. A 3.0-4.0 level player hitting 100 mph OH's is reckless. They don't have the control to be safe with that power. So it's tantamount to headhunting. It's no different than guys that hit as hard as they can at the net man on a short ball, even though their sending the ball a mile out. That's reckless play and i've only seen it from lower level players. Higher level players all know exactly how hard and where they need to hit a ball to win a point and do so without being crappy sportsmen.

If your game is intimidation tactics then yes it's my opinion you should play a different game. Bringing a real and tangible threat of injury to tennis is not something I'm going to approve of. Fortunately most people I play with know exactly how hard to hit a ball to win a point and not cause anything more than a bruise if they happen to hit someone. The wild swingers all get ostracized.

 

[Cawlin]

Not sure what that means. A 3.0-4.0 level player hitting 100 mph OH's is reckless. They don't have the control to be safe with that power. So it's tantamount to headhunting. It's no different than guys that hit as hard as they can at the net man on a short ball, even though their sending the ball a mile out. That's reckless play and i've only seen it from lower level players. Higher level players all know exactly how hard and where they need to hit a ball to win a point and do so without being crappy sportsmen.

If your game is intimidation tactics then yes it's my opinion you should play a different game. Bringing a real and tangible threat of injury to tennis is not something I'm going to approve of. Fortunately most people I play with know exactly how hard to hit a ball to win a point and not cause anything more than a bruise if they happen to hit someone. The wild swingers all get ostracized.

Well, the person I know who hits the 100+ mph overheads does so with great control... and he will punish any sitter or poorly placed lob that he can... and his opponents often complain, but they're complaining because they're not used to not getting away with crap shots. I also know that there are a ton of people (especially playing mixed) who believe that they can psych out the opponent with the "chivalry" card...

I say play your game. If you're actually hitting people with reckless shots, that's a problem. If people are trying to jump into your main hitting area or standing in front of your overhead hoping you'll choose to hit around them into a smaller, lower percentage area, then they do so at their own peril.

 

[NastyWinners]

Kind of depends on where they are hitting the overhead from and where I am located. More often than not standing my ground or backing up a few steps to the service line and holding strong on the racket to maybe redirect/block the ball back.