Around-the-Post (ATP)
Also known as: ATP
An around-the-post, universally shortened to ATP, is a legal shot played around the outside of the net post rather than over the net, at any height at all. It arises when a sharply angled ball pulls a player outside the sideline. This leaves the outside route as the only way back into the opponent's court.
The legal basis sits in the rules governing where the ball must travel. This means it has to land in the opponent's court, and nothing requires it to pass over the net on the way. A ball that goes around the outside of the post, entirely beyond the court boundary, and then curves back in is perfectly legal. It may be well below net height on the way past, because it never crosses the net at all. That is what separates this from a groundstroke or volley, where clearance is always required.
The opportunity comes from extremely wide crosscourt dinks or sharp angles that draw a player past the sideline. When a sharply angled ball lands near the sideline and kicks or angles further wide, the player chasing it arrives outside the court boundary. From that position, returning the ball over the net requires lifting it upward to clear 34–36 inches. This means but the angle back into the court is nearly impossible from that far wide. Going outside solves it. This means contact at waist or knee height, curved back. As a result, the ball enters just inside the far sideline. This means usually a winner. This is. This is because the opponent had set up to cover a conventional return.
It is technically demanding. This means read the ball early, commit to the chase past the sideline rather than conceding it, and apply inside-out topspin or sidespin to bend the ball back into court. Arriving late and swinging while still running rarely works; the best ones are struck from a stable base after the chase is finished. Going for it leaves your partner covering the whole court alone, which is why calling it out beforehand is standard practice at higher levels.
Chase every wide ball past the sideline before deciding whether to attempt it. Most players give up too early. Once you are genuinely outside, you can judge in real time whether height and balance permit the attempt or whether a safe reset over the net is wiser.
Engineer the chance with a crosscourt dink that angles your opponent wider than they expect. If your opponent is trying to bring you wide with their dink, read it early, start moving before the ball reaches the net, and arrive at the sideline in balance rather than at full sprint. A stable contact point is worth more than arriving a half-second earlier off-balance.
Example
A sharp crosscourt dink kicks wide past the sideline. The defender chases, sets up outside the court, and bends the ball around the outside of the post at knee height. This means it drops in near the sideline, unreturnable.
Why it matters
The shot converts what looked like a certain winner for the opponent into a potential winner for the chaser. Beyond its direct value, the mere threat forces opponents to commit fully to any angled shot, knowing wide balls will not be conceded cheaply.
How it shows up on video
Watch position relative to the sideline at contact. This means a legal attempt is struck from at or beyond the line, in the space beside or behind the post. The ball's trajectory after contact should curve noticeably back toward the court rather than traveling straight. Look for whether the player sets their feet before contact (higher success) or attempts the shot running full speed (lower success rate but sometimes necessary).
Common mistakes
- Not chasing wide enough — stopping inside the line makes the geometry impossible, since the shot requires being genuinely beyond the boundary.
- Making contact too late. This means swinging. At the same time, still running removes any controlled spin. The earlier the feet are set, the more reliably the ball bends back in.
- Applying no spin — a flat attempt leaves in a straight line and misses wide, because bending back into court needs deliberate sidespin or inside-out topspin.
- Not alerting your partner — the attempt leaves that whole side uncovered, and a call gives them time to shift.
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
SwingVantage identifies situations where the geometry allowed one. This means balls that pulled a player to or past the sideline. This means and shows whether it was attempted and whether contact and trajectory would have worked.
Frequently asked questions
Does the ball have to stay below net height?
No — there is no height restriction at all. The ball only needs to travel around the post and land in the opponent's court. In practice most ATPs are hit at knee-to-waist height. This is because that is where the ball naturally arrives when a player is pulled wide. A low ball is harder to defend.
Can I run out of bounds to play it?
Yes. This means the player may go outside the court boundary (beyond the sideline or baseline) to play a ball, as long as the ball was not yet dead when they contact it. Leaving the court to chase a wide ball is legal.
What if the ball clips the post on the way past?
If the ball contacts the net post, it is a dead ball and a fault for the hitting team. The ball must travel around the post without touching it.
Related terms
- DinkA dink is a soft, controlled shot hit from near the kitchen line that arcs just over the net and lands in the opponent's kitchen. This forces them to hit upward and preventing an aggressive return.
- Speed-UpA speed-up is an offensive attack launched from the kitchen line during a soft dink exchange. This means a sudden hard drive aimed at the opponent's body or shoulder to force a reflex error before they can reset.
- ErneAn Erne is an aggressive shot where a player jumps or runs around the outside of the kitchen to volley a ball beside the net post, legally contacting it outside the non-volley zone for an unexpected, sharp-angled winner.
- Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone)The kitchen is the 7-foot non-volley zone on each side of the net. You may not hit a volley (a ball out of the air). At the same time, standing in it or touching its line. This means you must let the ball bounce first.
Related guides & benchmarks
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