Augie Ge is an MLP champ known for his cerebral approach to the sport. The crafty lefty is a master at decoding when to play it safe and when to get aggressive.
Here, he hits the court with fellow pro Kyle Koszuta to detail their “3-Part Kitchen Formula” for better decision-making when attacking at the kitchen line.
Play smarter, not harder.
1️⃣ No attacks off the bounce. As a rule, any neutral dink that bounces below the top of the net should not be sped up. This is just physics: You’re forced to hit this ball upwards since you’re attacking from a low angle. This should, and will, get pulverized back at your feet.
2️⃣ No attacks out of the air when the ball is below the net. It’s tempting to reach in and flick a speedup out of the air. This, says Ge, is high risk, low reward. You’ll likely pop it up or else be forced to hit it too hard, sending it long and out of play.
3️⃣ Attack any ball out of the air above net level. If a ball comes at you waist-level or above, attack it. Aim for your opponents’ feet and reload your paddle quickly in anticipation of a counter-attack. This is the ball you’ve been waiting for—now take advantage.
The key here is actively thinking through high-probability attacks and using the net cord as your guide. Know when to play defense and when to get aggressive and you’ll find yourself winning more games getting more invites to play at the next level.
