Tactics against the lob
General
Yuriy Unknown Asked 14 years ago
How I can win my opponent that go far away from the table and is using a lob?
Thank you!
Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago
Hi Yuriy,
Remember that from that position it is difficult for them to win the point. They are looking for you to make a mistake. So be patient with your strokes. You don;t need to hit the ball hard all the htime. Wait till they give you a ball that is closer to the net and then you can use more power to win the point. Otherwise keep placing the ball to keep them away from the table.
Another good tactic is to develop your drop shot. we will have a lesson on this available soon.
Thoughts on this question
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Ji-Soo Woo Posted 14 years ago
At the low levels it's all about smashing as hard as you (safely) can. As the level of your opponent improves, it's often a bad idea to just smash as hard as you can because if you are being predictable the opponent can just camp far back and return everything...which is a very hard way of winning a point!
At that stage it is about SETTING UP the killer smash. This might involve smashing in unexpected angles (even if it is not at full pace) and mixing in a few soft shots, blocks and drop shots if you can...while not allowing the opponent to counter attack. And then, when you get the short ball, THEN you kill it with everything you've got.
The complications continue as the level of your opposition increases further. At higher levels you get opponents who don't just hit high soft lobs like a wall, but who put so much spin into their lobs that it becomes a real challenge to attack consistently. Even the pros can have problems with spinny lobs (look at Michael Maze's performance in the Shanghai WTTC!).
chip Phatak Posted 14 years ago