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A guide to smarter speedups

June 29, 2025

Tip: Hit speedups based on your opponents positioning

I’ve been watching one of Ben John’s MLP games and focusing specifically on where and when he chooses to speed up the ball. Ben will typically hit speedups down the line (see Part 3 below), but this isn’t always the case. His decision is based on reading his opponents’ court position.

Part 1: Speedup cross court at the paddle side hip. Why?

Cross court speedups are typically less effective because they give your opponent more time to react. But in this case, Will is crowding the middle so much he’s barely cross court. You can see Will favoring his forehand as he’s protecting the middle of the court as Zane is prepared to slide to protect his sideline. Ben takes advantage by aiming at Will’s paddle side hip to catch him off guard.

Part 2: Hit a dink cross court to open up the middle

Collin sets up the next play with a wide cross court dink, forcing Will to stretch to cover his sideline. That movement pulls him out of position and opens up the middle. Ben capitalizes and speeds up the ball through the opening before Will can recover.

Part 3: Down the line speedups

Down the line speedups give your opponent the least amount of time to react as it’s the shortest distance away.

You can aim down the line if your opponent leaves the sideline exposed, or aim for their paddle side shoulder/hip, which is an awkward spot for them to counter the ball.

🎥 See these breakdowns in motion on YouTube by clicking on the links above.

Selkirk made their best paddle so far?

Selkirk recently released their ERA paddle. You know it’s their best paddle when all of their sponsored pros switched to it.

Some reviewers are noticing how much this paddle resembles the 11six24’s power series. Look how similar the paddle cores are from their X-rays below.