Authored by Tony Roig as a series for The Kitchen Community Newsletter

This article is part of a series where we debunk three big myths that pervade our game. I’ve heard some form of these since I started playing way back in 2015. They hampered me as a player. They hamper other players too. I know because helping players get past these tired and wrong myths is a good part of what I do as a coach.

Myth Two of the Three Big Myths Series

In the last article, we debunked “Move with your partner.” In this article, we turn the debunking machine to one of my “favorites:” Forehand in the Middle. Let’s get this erroneous maxim off your play board so you can make space for what works: Respect the X (RTX) – a concept for middle ball coverage I unveiled in 2018, early in my YouTube content creation career.

Whose forehand?

Let’s start with an easy one: whose forehand is supposed to take the middle ball?

To make it interesting, let’s put you and me on the same team for this thought experiment. I am a left-handed player. Odds are that you are a right-handed player. If you're a left-handed player too, work through these questions assuming you are partnered with a righty.

You and I head out to the court. I take the right side of the court. You take the left side.

It’s my serve. 0-0-2 and we’re off. The return of serve is hit directly towards the middle of our court. Who takes it? Me or you?

If I had a nickel for each time a right-handed player on the left side comes over to take the middle shot, misses it, and then turns to me and says “Oh yeah, that’s your forehand,” I would be wealthy indeed ☺.

Seriously, what’s the point of a rule that doesn’t work whenever a right-handed player is partnered with a left-handed player? This fairly common situation lays bare the flaw at the core of Forehand in the Middle: other than suggesting the “stronger” wing (more on this in a moment) take middle shots, the “maxim” lacks logical strategic coherence. There is no strategic foundation on which Forehand in the Middle is built that can withstand the super simple situation where a lefty and a righty are partnered.

Why not my backhand?

It gets worse. Forehand in the Middle assumes the forehand is always the stronger wing. It isn't.

I guesstimate that more than 25% of players are actually stronger on their backhand side. Think about the group you play in. I am going to bet that you can think of at least one player who prefers to take shots with their backhand.

The best Men’s Doubles Player is Ben Johns. What is Ben Johns' most potent weapon (aside from bottomless discipline and a no-miss dink)? It's his backhand roll. He has even said that his strategy is to dink until you give him a ball that he can attack from the backhand wing.

Forehand in the middle is built on the idea that the forehand is always the stronger wing, and that premise is flawed. Conclusion: the maxim itself is likewise flawed.

How far over is too far over?

Two right-handed players are partnered. The game starts. 0-0-2 with Player A serving from the right side of the court.

The return comes near the middle, but is crossing over to the right side – a pretty normal shot trajectory for a ball traveling (from the return side’s perspective) from left to right.

Below, I’ll coach you through how Respect the X answers the question of who should take this ball. But first, let’s set aside the “X”: what does the right-handed player on the left side of the court usually do in this situation?

In my experience, from both playing and studying game tape, the player on the left regularly comes across the centerline to take the third shot in front of their partner. Sometimes they come over a little. Sometimes a lot. All in the name of the forehand taking that “middle” third shot.

Three problems arise from this approach to the third shot:

1. It’s harder – mechanically – to hit a shot when the ball is traveling away from your body. The left-side player usually must reach away from their body as they try to hit the forehand third shot in this situation. Strike 1.
2. As the left-side player comes across the middle, they create an imbalanced court for their team. Two players are on the right side of the court while the left side is left vacant – not ideal. Strike 2.
3. This last problem is usually not recognized at first. But study game tape of the left-side player coming over to take the third shot and you see it: the right-side player ends up pinned behind the left-side player and is “out of action.” As a result, your team ends up playing one player vs two. Strike 3.

Below we will flip this around and see how a third shot taken according to Respect the X works way better. For now, note the deficiencies created by the left-side player coming across to take the third shot because of Forehand in the Middle.

Does our relative court position matter?

In fairness, this is a problem for any middle rule. I raise it here because I have yet to hear a proponent of Forehand in the Middle articulate a modification based on court position.

Consider a team with two right-handed players – the most common formation. Player A is on the left side, making their way through the transition zone. Player B, on the right side, is already up at the kitchen line.

The shot coming toward the team is traveling through the middle. The team has to choose between:

1. Player B can volley the ball back from the kitchen line, albeit with their backhand, or
2. Player B can let the ball through so that Player A volleys it from the transition zone, alas with their forehand.

I am going to suggest that it is usually better for the team if Player B volleys the middle shot from up at the kitchen line than if the ball is allowed to travel back to Player A in the transition zone. Forehand vs backhand is, at best, secondary here.

The X works better

If not Forehand in the Middle, then what?

The answer: Respect the X. It’s a much better strategic principle to handle middle shots.

Remember the third shot coming from left to right. According to the X, that third shot belongs to the right-side player – yes, with their backhand (if they’re right-handed).

This approach reduces the mechanical difficulty from reaching away, doesn’t leave half the court open, and frees up the non-hitting player to move forward and capitalize on attack opportunities (a 2 vs 2 game).

 Let’s kick Forehand in the Middle to the curb. Also, be on the lookout for the debunking of Myth 3 – Get to the Kitchen.

Til next time.

Tony