Shots of the Game

Offensive Shots

Straight-in shots are usually meant to hit the front wall as low as possible. They are normally attempted with the idea of hitting toward the area of the court the opponent cannot cover. If the ball contacts the front wall so low as to bounce twice in front of the opponent it is called a 'kill' shot.

Pinches and splats are shots that strike the side wall before the front wall. This often makes the ball bounce twice quickly to end the rally. Pinches normally strike the side wall towards the front part of the court, often within a few inches from the front wall. The splat shot is an elongated pinch that strikes the side wall towards the back part of the court. It often makes a distinctive 'splatting' sound.

These shots are classified as frontside or reverse. A right-handed player shooting a forehand shot to the right front corner is shooting a frontside pinch. A right-handed player shooting to the left front corner is a reverse pinch. A right-handed player shoots a backhand frontside pinch to the left corner and a reverse pinch to the right corner. Everything for a left-handed player would be the opposite.

Defensive Shots

The ceiling ball shot is the primary defensive shot. This is a shot that strikes the ceiling and then the front wall to bounce high and make the opponent shoot from deep in the court. Other defensive shots are the high Z and the round-the-world.

The high Z is shot ten feet high or higher into the front corner. The ball then bounces from the side wall all the way to the opposite side wall, usually travelling over the top of the opponent, hitting the opposite side wall and dying deep in the court. The round-the-world shot is hit high into the side wall first so the ball then hits the front wall and then the other side wall, effectively circling the court.