The around-the-post shot, or ATP, is the one that makes spectators stand up. Instead of hitting over the net, the player hits around the outside of the net post, often barely above the floor, and the ball lands in the court before anyone has worked out what’s happened. It looks illegal. It isn’t.
The rule
The rules don’t require the ball to go over the net. They require it to land in your opponent’s court. A ball that travels around the outside of the net post, at any height, and lands in counts. It can even pass lower than the top of the net.
When the ATP is on
You need a very wide ball: usually an angled dink or a sharp cross-court shot that bounces near the sideline and carries on outside the court. Chase it far enough wide, past the line of the net post, and you’re no longer behind the net at all. You can hit straight down the line, around the post.
How to hit one
- Recognise it early. The ball needs to be heading wide of the court, not just near the line.
- Let it come to you. You need room between you and the post. Stay low and let the ball drop rather than rushing.
- Hit flat and straight, down the line, around the post. You’re aiming at the court, not at the net.
How to stop one
Don’t feed it: avoid sharp, wide angles to an opponent standing near the sideline. If you do, cover the line on that side, because the ATP almost always comes straight down it.
Is it worth practising?
A little. You’ll only get a handful of chances a season, and plenty of club players go years without one. But knowing it’s legal means you’ll recognise the chance, and you’ll never argue against one that’s hit past you. For its cousin that also uses the space beside the court, see the Erne.