ATP Trap

How to create an ATP opportunity...

Author

Shea Underwood
August 31, 2025

Week 58

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 Alejandra from Michigan!

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

  • Tips for hitting one of the best high-level shots

  • A way to practice creating ATP opportunities

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!

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You can get it on Selkirk’s website here and use my code INF-SHEA for a gift card toward a future purchase.

ATP Hacks

Most players think of the ATP (around-the-post) as a flashy highlight shot, but in some situations, it’s actually the best shot option. If you want to advance your game and start whipping out the ATP, you need to know how to do it right.

One of the main things you should know is what kind of spin to use. Make sure that you’re applying sidespin rather than topspin. Unlike topspin that pushes the ball down, sidespin makes the ball curve to one side. This effect will help you curve the ball around the net post and back into the court. To do this, you want to brush up against the side of the ball with your paddle at an angle so you can cut across it. Applying this sidespin makes your ATP much more likely to land inside the court.

The beauty of the ATP is that you can actually set yourself up for one. If you’re the player on the right side of the court, you might find yourself in a position where your crosscourt opponent is targeting you in a dinking rally. They’ll try to put a lot of pressure on you by hitting you several attack dinks back to back, and odds are, you’re trying to do the same to them. But here’s where you can switch it up. Purposefully feed them a soft, high dink with no spin, one that they can and will easily attack. With such an easy ball, they’ll most likely hit a very aggressive, fast, topspin dink to push you out wide off the court and out of position. That’s exactly what you want. Because when they hit that kind of shot, you’ll be ready to step out and hit an ATP.

Next time you’re in one of those grinding crosscourt battles, remember this setup. By controlling the kind of ball you give your opponent, you can actually bait them into handing you the perfect opportunity for an ATP.

Baiting Practice

Try putting what we talked about this week into practice. It’s really simple; just grab one other person and position yourselves crosscourt from each other at the kitchen. Start a dinking rally where you are both trying to attack the other, like you would if you were trying to target the weaker, right-sided player in a doubles game. Whenever you see a good opportunity, hit a really soft, slightly high ball with no spin that your partner can’t resist attacking.

Your partner’s job is to hit an aggressive dink that’ll push you out wide. Be ready for it, run out to meet the ball, and hit your ATP, using sidespin to ensure the ball curves around the post and lands in the court. Aim for midcourt to give yourself plenty of margin for error. Reset and do it again several times so this shot starts feeling more automatic.

Discounts for You