Stop Reacting Late

What to look for before hitting an Erne...

Author

Shea Underwood
June 23, 2025

Week 52

Welcome back to the Road to Pro Newsletter! Just by opening this issue, you are now automatically eligible for this week’s paddle giveaway. Last week’s winner was Jax from Arizona!

Here’s what I’ve got for you this week:

  • How to know when Ernes make sense in a game

  • The right process for developing the Erne

If you’re reading this, you now have a chance to win this week’s paddle giveaway!

Now, let's get to it!

Big shoutout to Selkirk for sponsoring this newsletter and making all the paddle giveaways I do possible! I personally have been using a Selkirk paddle for over five years now, and every paddle I’ve used has been better than the last one. I recently started using their newest paddle - the Project 008, and it’s giving me more power and spin than I’ve ever had before. You can pick yours up on their website here and use code INF-Shea for a gift card on a future purchase.

It’s All About Body Language

Everybody wants to hit an Erne—but most players don’t really know when to go for it. The key is knowing what to look for. If you can read your opponent’s body language, you’ll know when the shot makes sense. It’s a really useful move when timed right—and let’s be honest…it just looks cool.

What do you look for?

One of the biggest giveaways is your opponent’s hips. If their hips are turned toward the sideline as they hit the ball, they’re probably not going crosscourt with their shot. From that position, it’s tough to angle the ball away from you, so chances are they’re sending it straight down the line. That’s your cue to go for it. Jump over the kitchen and keep your paddle out, ready to meet the ball. And if you happen to miss, then ideally your partner is covering you and you can get back into position and continue the rally.

That’s your starting point for practicing Ernes: look for that body language, get into position early, and be ready. The quicker you can train yourself to see the signs and go for the shot, the quicker you can start hitting more advanced Ernes.

What’s the right footwork?

It’s best when you can catch your opponents off guard with an explosive jump over the kitchen, but you need to establish great footwork before you start going crazy with it.

If you’re a right-handed player, here’s how you do it:

When you’re on the left side of the court → Push off with your left foot so you land outside the court on your right foot. This lets you easily keep your paddle extended over the kitchen while you’re in the air.

When you’re on the right side of the court → You’ll still push off with your left foot and land on your right. This will allow you to keep your body squared towards the net as long as possible while you use your backhand to hit the Erne.

Note: For left-handed players - simply reverse everything.

Once you know what to look for and train the right technique, you’ll be able to put a lot of pressure on your opponents with your Ernes.

Little by Little

To get the Erne down, start small and build up your movement. All you need is one partner across from you at the kitchen line. Here’s how you can start practicing this shot:

Start by feeding a dink to your drilling partner and have them give you an easy, attackable dink back. Off this shot, you should hit an aggressive dink to their backhand close to the sideline, aiming for their feet. This will force your partner to step back and turn their body sideways to respond to the shot.

As soon as you see their hips turn to the side, jump over the kitchen and keep your paddle up. Moving early here is important—waiting until the last second could mean missing the shot. Plus, in a real game, if your opponent sees you move for an Erne, they could feel pressured to hit the perfect shot, which could quickly cause them to make a mistake.

Practice this simple setup several times—set yourself up with that aggressive dink to their backhand, watch for their hips to turn, and then step over the kitchen and hit the ball.

Once you’ve got the footwork down and the movement feels more natural, you’ll start reacting faster to the cues. You’ll be quicker to spot opportunities for an Erne, and because you've trained your movement, your reactions and reflexes will naturally be sharper.

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