What are building shots?
A building shot is any shot played with the purpose of creating opportunities to win the rally.
Think of it like this: you are building the foundations of an attack.
Using clears to create an advantage
Clears are an essential tool for moving your opponent away from their central base, establishing pressure in the rearcourt, and opening up the forecourt and opposite side for potential attacking shots.
Using drop shots to create an advantage
Drop shots can be among the most deceptive singles shots, offering great opportunity for applying movement pressure to your opponent.
Compared to a clear, a downside is that you will have less time to reach a base position after playing a drop shot.
Using net shots to create an advantage
Net shots are a crucial building shot, because they create opportunities to attack with smashes.
Using lifts to create an advantage
In singles, lifts are not just for defence: you can use them to place your opponent under huge movement pressure, thereby forcing a weak reply.
Using drives to create an advantage
Drives are not a common singles shot; nevertheless, you need to know whether to initiate a drive war, and how to respond to drives from your opponent.
Using smashes to create an advantage
Smashes are not just a winnning shot, but also an effective building shot. Using smashes as a building shot is an especially important idea in high-level men’s singles.
Using smash defence to create an advantage
When your opponent smashes, you can easily apply movement pressure by playing a block to the net.
You also have the option of playing a lift, drive, or long block (push).