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Tips

How to Handle the "Waterfall Overhead" - Mike Gillespie
December 2003
The waterfall overhead is a down up overhead hit short in the court that bounces high in the screen and can be very difficult to return. If you let it play itself out, you end up looking like “the victim”.

Am I building my point? No. It is pure defense here. If you are hoping the ball bounces out of the court, this is not a very offensive mindset. You need to add the “spike” to your arsenal of weapons. Here is how to handle the “waterfall overhead”.

There are few shots that are as feared or aggressive as the spike. The spike is a shot hit by the backcourt player who sees the net person hitting a down up overhead, aka “the waterfall”. He moves in, up the side screen and jumps up, catching the ball on the way up and hits an overhead. This play will only work if the “spiker” moves up by the second post on the side screen early enough before the ball bounces over his head, and his partner is ready to cover his corner.
I see that the lob is shallow and that the opponent directly in front of me (not on the T) is planning on a down up overhead. I have moved my position next to the side screen by the second post before he hits the ball. This move will encourage him to use more wrist snap and he could easily bounce the ball over the screen and out of the court.
I am preparing to attack. Arms up, shoulders turned. I now need to time this shot so that the ball is in front of me and up at my contact point (12 o’clock). A little bit left of 12 o’clock is good for pronating. Pronation is a movement of the forearm inward. This creates more power.

There are 2 choices where to hit the spike. I could hit it directly at the player in front of me, or I could spike it at his partner. Hitting the spike at the partner is good for 2 reasons. You will be making the partner pay for the bad shot, and there is more room hitting cross-court.


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