How can I break past a chopping duel to win?

I find that I often get 'stuck' in an exchange of strong backspin shots with my opponents in our Table Tennis club.  Each time we both seem to be cautiously waiting for the other to make their mistake.  Either we hit into the net or off the edge. We'll wind up with easily 10-14 hits.  Neither of us seems able to change over to hit aggressive top spin shots. 

I want to be able to break past this, and exert my own command of the rally. I think it's my technique that needs to change, rather than a limitation of my bat/rubber. 

Hi Richard,

It's great that you want to learn how to be more aggressive. It certainly is a challenge but with practice you'll be able to make the change.

You need to practice the Forehand Topspin Off Backspin. Watch the video and try to picture the stroke in your mind. Concentrate on the start position and the finish position. The other important thing to remember is to brush the ball. It is the brushing contact that will generate the topspin you need to get the ball to dip onto the table. You need to develop the stroke quite a bit to give you the confidence to use it in a game situation. See if you can get a partner to help you practice this. A good way is for you to serve a backspin ball, have them push it to your forehand and then you loop the ball. You can either stop the rally after that, or you can play the rally out.

Put in plenty of practice and let me know if it helps you out.