Chopping with Long Pimpled Rubber

Yosua Yosan Imanuel Tanto Asked 14 years ago

Dear PingSkills,

Its been a while I am chopping with a LP rubber on my backhand.

I always chop based on my feeling without actually knowing the actual basic of chopping with LP.

Even though my chopping results are low and deep, it seems sometimes my own feeling could trick me, thats why I wanted to ask the pros :)

So here is my question :

1. The harder the hit (speed), should I chop more vertically (brush) or slightly push it (contact) (assume the position is about 1-2 meters away from table) ?

2. The spinnier the spin, should I chop more vertically (brush) or slightly push it to (contact) (assume the position is about 1-2 meters away from table) ?

3. How to float the ball while making a chopping motion? Which is one of the deceptive weapons of a defender.

 For a reference Im using a sponged LP (Tibhar Grass D.Tecs 1.2mm black)

Thank You in advance

Yosua 

Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago

Hi Yisua,

Your instincts are correct.  For the faster and spinier ball your stroke will become more vertical. 

To float the ball you need a flatter contact on the ball and not so much downward action.  It almost becomes like a block from a long distance. You need to have a downward movement though to give the attacker the impression that you are chopping the ball. At the point of contact you slow down a little so you are not brushing the ball so much.  You could also think about scooping the ball on contact which will have a flatter contact.