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For most players this is one of the most difficult shots to hit. The flip side is that when played well, it is one of the most devastating too. Here we have 2 different examples of the kill shot from the rear court in the same rally!
Firstly and most importantly, you need to choose the right time to hit this kill shot as it does have a high degree of risk. You will need a little bit of room to hit it well, so wait for a ball that’s slightly over-hit by your opponent which sits up off the back wall.
Nicol (in the white top) has the opportunity here. The ball sits up off the back wall, but it is also quite tight to the sidewall. With this in mind Nicol decides to try to get the ball to bounce before the sidewall, but be on the sidewall when her opponent, Shelley, wants to hit it. Notice also how she takes some pace off her shot. As the shot is not at full power Nicol has more control of the ball to do this – she’s building a margin of error into her shot.
It almost works perfectly, with Shelley just managing to scrape the ball off the sidewall. Nicol gets the loose ball she wanted but unfortunately she is too short with her attacking length and lets Shelley back in the rally.
After a bit more sparring down the backhand side with both players looking for a loose ball to attack, Shelley gets the over hit ball courtesy of a loose defensive length by Nicol. The major difference with this position from the last, is the width of the ball from the sidewall. It’s much further away here and the angle to the nick is very inviting. Now here is a chance to play for a kill into the nick as outright winner. It’s not wasted and she powers the ball into the nick, rally over!
Finally, as with all variations on the percentage shot, which from this rear court position would be another straight length, hitting a kill, even if it is not a winner, has the added advantage of keeping your opponent on edge in future, unsure of which shot to cover.
So the major points to take away.
Wait for a high bouncing ball that comes away from the back wall.
Choose how you intend to create a problem for your opponent, either by aiming for the nick or by leaving the ball on the sidewall.
Select your pace of shot wisely to build in a margin of error if required.
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