Finding the Sweet Spot

Successful boasting relies on knowing the target on the side wall that will produce the desired results. For a drop shot the general target is easy, hit it above the tin. The pace and height will determine how good the drop will be. For boasts the side wall can be divided into a front and back portion. With proper pace and height any boast to the front portion will be good. Attempted boasts to the back portion are doomed. The sweet spot is knowing where that dividing line is. A boast hitting the sweet spot will reach the left front corner.

The geometry of a boast changes depending on the position of the ball when struck. While it is not precisely true, a ball will travel much like a laser beam. A laser beam perpendicular to the side wall comes directly back. A beam shone a little further up the court will bounce off at the same angle. Angle of incidence equals angle of reflection.

The magenta line shows the ball to the side wall and directly back.

The green lines show the path to the wall and the path of the reflected ball. The angle between a perpendicular and the incident ray is the angle of incidence.

Three scenarios are shown. The ball flight always originating from the same spot but reflecting off the side wall at different targets. “C” is the sweet spot; boasts to that spot and anywhere further up the side wall will be good shots. Boasts deeper than “C” will not reach the front wall fairly.

Yes, a ball could travel from the right side wall to the left side wall and then fairly on the front wall, but that is not a reasonable situation for a referee to judge. It is tough enough to judge if a boast will immediately reach the front wall fairly.

Boasts ahead of the sweet spot.

Target “C” is the sweet spot.

All boasts hit beyond “C” with proper pace and height will reach the front wall fairly.

A boast that hits the left corner is deadly. The ball often just drops or goes left or right unpredictably. Another desirable boast goes from front wall to side wall nick. The danger is that the ball hits the floor and then onto the side wall; the ball tends to be an easy put away for the opponents. A boast that contacts the front wall near the middle can be effective if the ball does not come too deep from the front wall. A boast near the front corner can be effective as it runs away from the opponent covering front right.

But back to Rule 5 a iii. All the boasts shown are entitled. An opponent that blocks any, not just the four scenarios shown, but all boasts that would contact the side wall from “C” up to the front right corner is guilty of interference. Rule 5 says the striker is entitled to boast to the front 2/3 of the side wall. Entitled because the rule says that opponents must not block such shots. The unwritten caveat is, a shot is entitled only if it would be a good (reach the front wall fairly) shot. On paper an opponent would not be interfering on the wall between “C” and the short line. In a game it would be up to the referee to judge that.

An opponent that is reasonably close to the side wall and interfering with any boast beyond “C” would not be interfering with a shot directly to the front wall. The striker does have the entire front wall available, but there is interference of an entitled boast. Not everyone agrees on how to interpret the intent of the rules.