Wall Press & Hold

Steps

1. 01Stand an arm's length from a flat wall, feet shoulder-width, hips loaded in a quarter-squat, and hands up near your eyes in 'ready hands.'
2. 02Jump straight up without swinging your arms down; keep the pre-loaded hands high the whole way up.
3. 03At the peak, press both palms flat and high against the wall: shrug your shoulders to your ears and flex your wrists so the fingers point up and the heels of the palms drive into the wall, mimicking the reach over the net.
4. 04Spread your fingers wide and stiff, thumbs up and in, hands closer together than the width of a ball so nothing can split the seam.
5. 05Freeze the pressed shape for a beat, then land softly on the balls of both feet with knees bent.

Common mistakes

• Reaching straight up instead of pressing over and forward, so there is no penetration.
• Swinging the arms down to generate the jump instead of keeping the hands pre-loaded high.
• Loose wrists or fingers held together so the shape is soft and porous.
• Landing stiff-legged instead of absorbing with the knees.