When do you play the gancho?
The gancho is the Spanish word for an overhead shot. The gancho allows you to hide the shot you are going to make and allows you to counter your opponents if they stick the net after playing a high ball. In this video you will learn everything about the gancho.
Technique
The gancho is more often played on the right hand side of the court, because the ball will more often go over the left side of the body. In addition you play the gancho when the ball is lobbed from cross court, the center or down the line, you will play the gancho on the right hand side of the court. When it is lobbed on the left hand side, you better use a vibora or bandeja.
The form
The form of your body when playing the gancho is:
- An overhead position
- Play over the top of the head
- Have a straight arm
- Contact with the ball is in from of your body
- Contact slightly down and hitting through the ball
Target
You want to hit the glass or play it to the fence. Make the ball bounce, rebound and die at the back of the court. Because of its high contact, the ball will bounce higher than a bandeja. It is also important to involve an obstruction (glass or fence).
Gancho over bandeja
You need to choose the gancho over the bandeja because:
- When you got a lob over your left shoulder, the bandeja will leave a lot of space for your opponent and you will have no time to recover into your position
- The higher point of contact (allows you to be further up the court and you always get good force on the shot)
