Tactics against defensive players

Submitted on 27-Aug-2007 02:24:20 PM by Jonathan
Last updated on 10-Nov-2009 09:08:26 AM

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 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

Dai Lee 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 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 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 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.