Tactics against defensive players

Jonathan Unknown

Submitted on 27-Aug-2007 02:24:20 PM
Last updated on 12-Mar-2011 03:42:42 PM

You Asked

Hi Coach - great website - I think you should have a section purely around tactics. For example I struggle against choppers - Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards

and Jeff Plumb said...

Hi Jonathan,

We will be adding more and more information to our lessons page and almost certainly we will include a section of tactics so stay tuned.

As for some advice against choppers, here is a couple of things to concentrate on:

Watch the spin - It is crucial against a defensive player to be able to tell if the ball was chopped with a lot of backspin or a little backspin.
Direction - Try hitting your attacking shots into the body of the chopper cramping them for room and then wide to either side.

I believe these two points are the most important in improving your game against defensive choppers. I often see attacking players hitting 5 or 6 amazing, powerful forehands straight into the perfect spot for a chopper to make an easy return. And then I watch a player who is good against choppers and even though they do not hit the same amazing shots, they win the points easily by using good placement and attacking the right ball by reading the spin.

Good luck Jonathan. Let us know if these tips help you out next time you play a chopper.

Comments on this question

Jeff Plumb commented...

on the 18-Sep-2007 10:44:25 PM

Thanks for the great advice. The tip on placing the ball has really helped my game. By varying where I hit the ball it makes it much more difficult for the defender.

Jeff Plumb from PingSkills said...

on the 18-Sep-2007 10:56:16 PM

Hi Jonathan,

I'm glad you found the advice helpful. And don't forget about watching the spin the chopper puts on the ball - it will really help you out when you want to hit a more aggresive shot.

david Unknown commented...

on the 09-Nov-2009 12:40:18 AM

dear all, if you want to win against a chopper, you must learn to consistently loop/drive against backspin,without this skill your chances are dim

andrew brand commented...

on the 10-Nov-2009 08:12:00 AM

also learning to do good drop shots that bounce twice on the table. if you smash a couple of times to draw them away from the table then do the drop shot they might not get back in time for the second bounce.

Alois Rosario from PingSkills said...

on the 10-Nov-2009 09:08:26 AM

We have just filmed a lesson on the drop shot. It is in the editing stage at the moment. Watch out for it soon.

Stefan Liew commented...

on the 24-Oct-2010 05:44:46 PM

My question is that should you play the ball short with a defender to prevent him from chopping?

Alois Rosario from PingSkills said...

on the 24-Oct-2010 08:54:46 PM

Hi, yes playing short can be a good tactic against a defender. The wait for a loose ball that you can hit hard. Hitting hard, while the defender is close to the table is effective because he hasn't got as much time.

gian crispino commented...

on the 26-Oct-2010 11:20:46 PM

the general plan of most choppers is to make you tired by letting you loop again and again whenever i face a chopper i use short-long-short-long ball technique to make my opponent tired first

Paul Johnson commented...

on the 12-Mar-2011 03:42:42 PM

I will hit short on different sides with various amounts of backspin until the ball go into the net or a bit high for a nice flick long to the corner or elbow shot. It usually is way to fast to get to it. If I notice they don't have good footwork and position then I will play their backhand with a mix of short and deep shots to work them to the corner and then when I get receive a shot to middle or right side I hit it fast to their forehand corner or far forehand just over the net. Either way they have to rush to get to it and I am able to get the point then or after their next shot which usually sets me up for a lovely smash. Also taking their backspin and giving topspin loop is crucial to learn.

Add your own comment to this question