Beach Training

I was watching a replay of the Klagenfurt grand final yesterday and thinking about that line shot that Rogers is so good at. I think his ability to hit this shot so well is one of the most obvious differences between him and the players that he beats so consistently.

I thought I would write a short post explaining why this shot is so effective for both side out and transition.

Below are two diagrams showing two side out scenarios.

In the first diagram, the right side player is attacking the ball from near the antenna. Assuming that the block is on the line, he/she has three main options.

1. Roll line over the block
2. Power angle
3. Sharp angle shot

This is a standard set up. The standard defence for this is to wait on the angle for the power hit, and then chase a shot if it comes. If you have a very big blocker, then chasing that line shot can sometimes be quite easy because the attacker needs to give the ball a lot of height to go over the block. (This was the problem that Rogers faced against Alison in the final.)

In the second diagram, the side out attacker, is hitting the set about 2.5 – 3 metres inside the antenna. While this makes the sharp angle hit a lot harder, it opens up the fast line shot option. The attacker now has the following options.

1. Roll line over the block
2. Power angle
3. Sharp angle shot
4. FAST Short line shot

This fast line shot passes the side of the block, so it is impossible for a defender to dig, unless he/she anticipates the shot and moves early. You can’t wait on the angle and chase it. It’s too fast. So now the side out player has a fast option either side of the block forcing the defender to show his/her hand early.

When Rogers made this tactical chance against Harley – Alison, Harley stayed on the angle most of the time. When Rogers played the fast line shot, it left Harley about 6 metres from the ball with no hope of making a dig.