Attacking fast deep chop to the body

OK so this is possibly two questions in one:

I am getting better at attacking backspin and the deeper the ball the more chance I have.  However if the ball is played fast and deep then I tend to always mistime my shot and it ends up in the bottom of the net

Also if the ball is bounced deep at my body I seem to find it very unnatural to move back (and don’t) and so I end up chopping back which I return a bit high and then my opponent takes advantage.

Hi Dan,

For the fast chop ball the thing to adjust is the angle of your swing.  Make your swing more vertical. When the ball hits your bat fast it sinks into the rubber and hits the wood so doesn’t get the lift from the rubber.  You need to make the stroke more vertical to lift it over the net.

This previous Ask the Coach video will help. Long, fast serve with lot of back spin

For the longer ball to your body, try having a wider stance.  Often when the ball comes fast at you, it doesn’t give you time to move your feet out of the way.  If you have a wide stance you will be able to sway your body out of the way and still maintain good balance because your centre of gravity will still be inside your base.  Give it a try.