defending

sarthak gupta Asked 15 years ago

hi alois,

i wanted to tell you that whenever i play with a guy who is offensive they always give me smashes and topspins on my stomach.so,can you tell me how should i defence those smashes?

Alois Rosario Answered 15 years ago

Hi Sarthak,

The first key is to stop them from making those smashes.  You need to be aware of the height of your shots and also the placement.  Of course sometimes, you can't avoid giving them a high ball.  In this case, if you have time, move back from the table to give yourself a better chance of seeing the ball.  From there you may be able to Lob the ball back.

If you don't have time to move back, then watch the ball as well as you can and attempt to Block the ball.  This is a difficult shot off a smash because you really don't have enough time.  Even if you get 1 out of 5 back you are doing well.

There is an insightful lesson in our Master Classes on this subject as well.