Tip 15 — Starve the dominant player by targeting weakness
When facing a team with an obviously stronger player who hovers near the middle, the statistical counter is simple: starve them of contact. The instinct is to test your skills against their best, but efficiency dictates you route every third shot and dink exclusively to their partner. Most teams have an asymmetric foundation, yet opponents continuously feed the stronger player out of habit or intimidation.
Keep a running mental tally of how many consecutive balls the weaker opponent hits. If that number exceeds two, you are drifting away from the high-probability strategy. Force the weaker player to construct points, handle transition balls, and make volley decisions under pressure. Even if they are competent, they rarely possess the same comfort level as the dominant partner under sustained duress.
This tactical freeze-out creates a dual effect on the court. Not only do you extract errors from the target, but you also frustrate the dominant player by rendering them a spectator. When players are forced to watch from the sidelines of their own half, impatience sets in, causing them to poach recklessly and expose their own court positioning.