There’s a moment in every shot that determines its success or failure—long before it crosses the net or lands in or out. That moment is contact. Specifically, where you make contact with the ball in relation to your body. Most players focus on shot selection, footwork, or spin, but overlook the most fundamental variable in clean, consistent execution: contact point discipline.

Poor contact point isn’t always obvious. It doesn’t feel like a big mistake. It shows up as mishits, misfires, or inconsistent shot depth. It’s a forehand drive that lands three feet long, or a dink that floats just high enough to get crushed. When you trace these errors back, the common denominator is often contact that’s either too close, too far, too late, or misaligned with your target line.

Great players make contact with the ball in front of their body, with their paddle face aligned to the intended target. The forward contact point ensures leverage, control, and follow-through. When contact drifts behind the body, the paddle angle changes, control disappears, and recovery time increases. This doesn’t just affect the current shot—it affects your ability to be ready for the next one.

Let’s break this down by shot type

Drives: The ideal contact point is out in front, slightly to the side of your lead foot, with your shoulders turned and paddle accelerating through the ball. If you’re jammed or reaching, your drive becomes a slap, often with poor spin and low margin for error.

Drops: Contact should happen in front of your lead foot with a soft, controlled motion. If you wait too long and make contact too far back, you’ll pop the ball up or lose your ability to brush under the ball cleanly.

Dinks: Here, precision is even more important. You want contact just in front of your knees, paddle face slightly open, with no swing—just a lift. Dinking from the side of your body leads to directional inconsistency. Too far back, and your wrist starts to overcompensate.

Volleys: Because of the short reaction time, contact point discipline is critical. Good volley technique requires stable, compact motion and early preparation. You should contact the ball just in front of your body with your paddle out and centered. If you retract your paddle before swinging (a common error), your contact point gets pushed too far back, causing pop-ups or weak blocks.

The contact point is also deeply tied to court positioning. In transition (moving from baseline to kitchen), most errors come from trying to volley balls at your feet or too close to your chest. You need to either step into the ball to get it earlier or reset and let it drop into a manageable zone. Recognizing when you're drifting into bad contact zones is a skill you can train.

Drills to Practice Your Contact Point

To train contact point discipline, start with slow, repetitive drills. Use a ball machine or partner feed to place balls at different depths and lateral positions. Focus on hitting each one with the paddle slightly in front of your body, feet set, and shoulders aligned. Record yourself. Most players are shocked at how often they’re late.

A great drill for dinks is the “mirror dink”—place a cone two feet in front of you, and make every dink over it. This forces you to keep contact forward. For drives and drops, film your swing and freeze-frame the moment of contact. Is the paddle face square? Are your hips and shoulders behind the ball? If not, you’re likely fighting against your own mechanics.

Another helpful technique is using verbal cues. As you train, say “now” when you make contact. If you’re saying it late—or not at all—you’re probably reacting instead of controlling.

In doubles, poor contact points also mess with your partner’s rhythm. If you pop a ball up from late contact, your partner gets attacked. If you mishit a dink, they’re forced to scramble. By improving your contact point discipline, you’re not just cleaning up your own game—you’re protecting your teammate.

The contact point seems like a micro-detail, but it affects every macro outcome. It’s the foundation of clean mechanics, effective strategy, and shot variety. And the better you get at recognizing and correcting it—especially under pressure—the more your game levels up across the board.