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The ball hits the mesh near the corner and dies. What can you do?
Off the mesh, the ball dies. Get low, lift it high and deep, and reset. Do not try to do more.
A sliced volley bounces, hits the metal mesh near your back corner and drops almost dead. What is realistic here?
Off the mesh, the ball dies. Get low, lift it high and deep, and reset. Do not try to do more.
Why
The metal mesh behaves nothing like the glass: the rebound is small, slow and unpredictable, and a ball that hits it near the corner often just drops. The defender has one realistic option: get to it fast, get low, and lift it as high and deep as possible to stay in the point. Trying to drive or place a ball from the base of the fence produces errors. Good net players aim sliced volleys at exactly this spot for exactly this reason; the counter is to read the slice early and take the ball before it reaches the mesh whenever you can.
What this means at your level
Beginner
If the ball goes into the fence and drops, get down to it and hit it up high. That is the whole plan.
Intermediate
A high, deep lob from the mesh corner gives you time to recover. Depth first, direction second.
Advanced
Notice which opponent finds your mesh and how. If it is a sliced volley from a particular position, stand a step wider when they are on that ball.
Common questions
A sliced volley bounces, hits the metal mesh near your back corner and drops almost dead. What is realistic here?
Get low fast, lift it high and deep. Off the mesh, the ball dies. Get low, lift it high and deep, and reset. Do not try to do more. The metal mesh behaves nothing like the glass: the rebound is small, slow and unpredictable, and a ball that hits it near the corner often just drops. The defender has one realistic option: get to it fast, get low, and lift it as high and deep as possible to stay in the point. Trying to drive or place a ball from the base of the fence produces errors. Good net players aim sliced volleys at exactly this spot for exactly this reason; the counter is to read the slice early and take the ball before it reaches the mesh whenever you can.
Why not drive it hard down the line before it dies?
From a dead ball at the base of the fence, a hard drive goes into the net or the glass. Lift and reset.
What should a beginner do here?
If the ball goes into the fence and drops, get down to it and hit it up high. That is the whole plan.
How does this change for an advanced player?
Notice which opponent finds your mesh and how. If it is a sliced volley from a particular position, stand a step wider when they are on that ball.
Puzzles like this one
The ball is at your feet at the net. What now?
A ball below the net cannot be attacked. Block it deep and wait for one above the tape.
beginnerThe ball is coming off the back glass. When do you hit it?
Move back with the ball, let it pass you, hit it in front of your body.
beginnerThe ball bounced then hit your own back glass. Still in play?
One bounce on the floor, then any number of walls. Only a second floor bounce ends the point.