Forehand Topspin
Match Strategy
Sujeet Kalsekar Asked 6 years ago
Hi coach, I really need some help. I keep on making the mistake of playing counter hits instead of forehand topspin. I keep on making mistakes. I play the topspin very well in practice but in a match I try to counter hit or flat hit the ball. It always lands me into trouble. Is there any drill to get rid of that habit?
Alois Rosario Answered 6 years ago
Hi Sujeet,
I don't think there is a drill but it is more about your mindset. Try to play some practice matches where you are only using topspin strokes. If you play a counterhit then you lose the point. See if that helps you.
Thoughts on this question
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Sujeet Kalsekar Posted 6 years ago
Thanks a lot coach.Will try and let you know
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 6 years ago
Thanks Sujeet.
Sujeet Kalsekar Posted 6 years ago
2nd day today.I am playing only topspin in practice matches.Hopefully I should get rid of my bad habit
D K Posted 6 years ago
Though,I would not forget to practise the drive hits sometimes too.
Good players must have wider range of stroke,right,Alois?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 6 years ago
Yes having a range of strokes is good.
Marcin Lonak Posted 6 years ago
I don’t know if its a „Bad Habit“ or just the usual Thing in a development. I have the same Issue but i bet many people have it, and there are probably many reasons why. I think the most common is, people tend to forget that hitting 20 Clean Topspins without mistake against block in the training is way easyJet thanks to great utopian conditions. Namely, The ball comes back as a block mostly with less speed and spin, but especially to the same place. If i play a game and miss 2 Topspins because im for example too late with my stance at the optimal position (Place and staying low), i start more and more to block or at least shorten my stroke just because im not on time. (Sometimes i stay patient and after a while they start to come in. Then i always realize how complex actually the whole movement and timing around the topspin is). This is, i think, absolutely logic behavior. Shortening the stroke makes also the preparation for the next shot way easier.
I think the mastery is when you can move to the ball in such way that you as early at the right spot so you actually can perform the topspin stroke with significant outcome. Also very important at least as a goal for my game, finding the right moment for the heavy topspin in the rally. Even when i topspin strongly, there are still 2 factors wich have to improve. Good placement, and being ready for the next shot whatever is coming back. Also alone the changing between defense and offense in a rally has a small riskfactor, wich sometimes stops us from topspinning a perfect-for-topspin incoming ball. I think there are so many possibilities what is wrong, that this can be solved with individual advice over a longer period of time.
Quite important is the Consistence. Once its not anymore a wonder how spiny we get the ball on the other side, we can connect much better to the next stroke. As long as we appreciate our own strokes too much, we loosing the necessary focus for the next shot.