Tip of the day

The Secret to Pro-Level Speedups: Set and Snap

Zane Navratil introduces the "Set and Snap" technique, a fundamental concept used by top professionals to execute powerful and deceptive attacks at every level of the game.

Many amateur players struggle with inconsistent speedups because they rush their motions, leading to body and paddle movement right up until the moment of contact.

Pros, however, ensure their wrist position is completely "set" before they begin any forward acceleration toward the ball.

By stabilizing the wrist early, you eliminate extra variables and allow for a much cleaner, more reliable strike on both forehand and backhand shots.

For the forehand off the bounce, laying your wrist back allows you to brush up the back of the ball, generating the necessary topspin to keep it in the court.

Once you have mastered a stable wrist position, you can gradually introduce a "snap" to increase the pace or add more deceptive spin.

The "windshield wiper" motion with your hand can create additional spin and make your shot direction much harder for opponents to read.

When attacking with a two-handed backhand, the left wrist (for right-handed players) does the heavy lifting to brush up and over the ball.

One-handed backhand rolls, a signature of players like Ben Johns, rely on a stable wrist and a low-to-high shoulder motion rather than excessive wrist flicking.

Elite players like JW Johnson use a compact wrist snap to generate incredible power and spin with almost no visible body movement.

Key Points:

• Prioritize setting your wrist early in the shot preparation to avoid shanking the ball during an attack.

• Focus on mastering speedups with a fixed wrist before attempting to add advanced wrist snaps or rolls.

• Use a "set and snap" approach for both off-the-bounce and out-of-the-air attacks to improve your consistency.

• Incorporate a low-to-high shoulder brush to generate topspin without sacrificing your accuracy or balance.

• Observe how top pros like Gabe Tardio and Anna Leigh Waters use subtle wrist adjustments to disguise their shot placement and speed.

Watch the full tutorial here.

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Happy pickling,

Paul