I’ve received a ton of messages about the full-tracking at the kitchen that I’ve been talking about lately, and how much I think it’s not helping. It’s actually HURTING your game. You just don’t know it.
What is full tracking? It’s when we stare at the ball from out opponent’s paddle all the way to our partner’s paddle.
Why do players think they need to do it? Because they believe watching their partner’s paddle will give indicators of the shot they’re going to hit.
Why do I hate it and believe (know) it’s not helping and is slowing down your hands? Because with your head turned to your partner, if he attacks, you’ll have to spin your head around, while simultaneously track the ball back, calibrate pace, trajectory, where it’s being hit, and the angle in which you need to cover on opponent’s counter-attack. Omg! Why would you put yourself through all of that? Your reaction time will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS be slower using the full-track.
What’s the better technique instead? The half-track. Watch the ball from opponent’s paddle cross the net and as it’s about to bounce, peripherally get a sense of your partner’s body language and then shift your eyes to the opponent directly in front of your partner.
There are only two shots your partner can hit at the kitchen: A dink and an attack (bc lobs are so easily read after they’re hit, I don’t include them). If your partner dinks, you’ll have more than enough time to find the ball. If your partner attacks, he’s 95% hitting through the straight ahead opponent or inside through the middle. Because your eyes are already there, your reaction time will be infinitely faster than if you had to spin your head around and find the ball.
I don’t care about the, “The pros full track and look how fast their hands are” argument. What if they half-tracked stead? Their hands would be even quicker. A top male pro just adopted the half-track last weekend and improved his already lightning hands.
*In the below pic, I’m half-tracking even while my partner’s hitting his 3rd. My eyes are on the straight ahead opponent.
