of them, low and ideally below the knee, so they’ re handling it on the move and on the rise.
Your target isn’ t a spot on the court— it’ s the space in front of the player who is farthest back, away from the middle where the partner might poach. Usually that’ s crosscourt. Sometimes it’ s straight ahead. Always it’ s low and at their feet.
Advanced( 4.5 +): Reading and Neutralizing
At the 4.5 level and above, the third shot is rarely a gift. The serving team is dropping cleanly and transitioning in, or they’ re driving with intent and structure. Now the fourth shot is about reading what they’ re doing in real time and choosing between three responses:
• Apply pressure— if the ball is at a height where you can hit down or drive through it without leaving it high.
• Neutralize— if the ball is low and you can’ t do anything good with it, drop it back off the line and keep them from advancing.
• Concede the kitchen— if they’ ve hit a great drop and you’ d have to hit up, don’ t force offense. If both partners have done a good job advancing forward and you can’ t apply real pressure, leave the ball well in front of them and allow them to come all the way into the kitchen. That’ s the concept: you’ re trading position for a clean reset, knowing the ball you give them is going to bring their feet to the line anyway.
This is the part some players never learn. A huge portion of this sport is oscillating between offense, neutral and defense— and the fourth shot is one of the clearest places where that decision plays out.
Sometimes you can apply heavy pressure. Sometimes you can’ t, because the serving team has done a good job with their third shot and how they advanced behind it. Recognizing the difference is what unlocks the next level.
How you handle this matters. A lot of players don’ t handle good drops well and end up making a mess of this shot. Take the ball out of the air if you can— that’ s always your first option. If you can’ t, back up, clear space away from your body so you don’ t get jammed, and let the ball rise.
It is completely fine to be defensive or neutral here. Just getting the ball back in play in a way they can’ t attack puts you at neutral with your opponents, and neutral is a win when the alternative is handing them a ball they can finish.
The nuance most players miss is that not every fourth shot is an attack opportunity. Once you start recognizing the difference in real time, your consistency jumps— not just in theory, but in actual matches.
Conceding the kitchen is not losing the point. Forcing a shot when the ball is below the net, leaving it high, and watching them put it away— that’ s losing the point. The good players know the difference.
THE SHOT THAT SEPARATES YOU: TOPSPIN SWING VOLLEY
Here is where I want you to pay attention, because this is one of the biggest technical upgrades I teach at my camps and in private lessons— and it’ s the shot that wins fourth-shot exchanges at every level from 3.5 up.
Most players hit the fourth shot as a punch volley. Paddle goes forward, ball goes forward, no spin, no shape. That works against a weak third shot. But against a real drive, or a ball you want to keep deep and penetrating, a punch volley softens the ball and gives the other team time to transition in and reset.
A lot of players also pop this ball up, leave it soft, or only barely neutralize— they’ ve applied pressure for exactly one shot, and now they’ re back to even or worse. The compact topspin swing volley keeps you in control. Topspin lets you hit harder, because the ball dips and stays in. It lets you hit deeper safely, which keeps the serving team pinned back. And it lets you stay in control of the point instead of handing it back.
The Forehand Swing Volley
Start in your ready position. As the ball comes, turn your hand and paddle so the paddle face is flush— parallel with the net— and load slightly onto your back foot so you have something to transfer into the shot. If you hit flatfooted or off your back foot, you’ re going to be defensive: balls in the net, balls left high.
Your contact starts slightly below the ball and swings forward and up through it. You’ re brushing up the back of the ball, not swatting down on it. It’ s a small swing, not a windup. Keep your wrist quiet. No flick. The wrist stays stable, so the paddle face stays stable.
Finish with your elbow coming forward and up, paddle rotating back to ready position on its own. You don’ t have to do anything special with the follow-through; if the swing is clean, the finish takes care of itself.
The Backhand Swing Volley
The backhand is where people get in trouble, because they try to hit it like a punch and the ball dies. The mechanics are the same idea as the forehand: a small, stable swing that starts slightly below the ball and comes up through it.
From ready position, drop your left hip back a touch and let your hips rotate into the shot. Don’ t take the paddle way behind you— keep your wrist parallel with the net and your paddle face parallel with the net. The paddle stays in front of you with just a small amount of room behind to swing through. A little swing, not a lot.
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