Cross-Court Kill

Straight Kill | Cross-Court Kill | Straight Volley Kill | Cross-Court Volley Kill

The Cross-Court Kill is a very hard and low shot played from one side of the court to the other.

The Cross-Court Kill is best played with some deception, as if your opponent reads it and is in a good position, they can intercept it around the middle of the court.

The shot is enjoying popularity at the moment played from the front of the court, with the idea being to lure an opponent forward expecting a Straight Drop before whipping in a low Cross-Court Kill to catch them out.

It can also be very good if your opponent is expecting a Cross-Court Length and Drops back deeper into the court, as again they can be caught out but this time by the unexpectedly short second bounce.

Play a dangerous Cross-Court Kill in Three steps:

When playing a Cross-Court Kill, you are largely adhering to the same steps as when playing any type of Kill. You need to make sure you take this one out in front of you though to get the right angle and also use a bit of disguise to hide your intentions, perhaps using your body.

Hit the ball early – This is the main difference between the Straight and a Cross-Court Kill. The Cross-Court Kill is a Cross-Court shot so make sure you hit the ball when it is still some way in front of your front foot to aid the achievement of the cross-court angle. The earlier you can hit it, the more time you take away from your opponent and the more dangerous your shot.

High Backswing/Racket above the ball – As you prepare for the shot, make sure your racket is high so that it is above the ball.

Extreme high-to-low swing – As with the Straight Kill, you need to really go from to high to low and do so quickly and dramatically. Find your range and see how vicious you can make your Cross-Court Kill shot.

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Changing the pace of the game, Hitting the Nine Corners, Following up short shots from the back