How to smash when the ball is near the net ?

Melody Unknown Asked 17 years ago

Hi pingskills ,

I really need your help ..

I don't smash on my FH that good when the ball is high , and its even worse when the ball is near the net .. I just leave it bouncing there alone .. My coach lobs the ball sometimes at the end of our practice .. And it bounces really really high .. and lands near the net then goes back to his side of the table  .. I find it nearly impossible to reach it in order to smash it , even when I stretch my hand I can't stroke it with a regular forehand .. so I wonder what to do , do I have to go to the left/right side of the table to get near it ?

And thank you so much .. 

Jeff Plumb Answered 17 years ago

Hi Melody,

The lob your coach is giving you at the end of the training session is a trick shot. This would be used very rarely in a serious Table Tennis match. It is particularly difficult to smash a high lob that has some backspin and lands just over the net. As you mentioned if you stand at the end of the Table you will be unable to reach the ball.

To smash such a shot you really need to run down the side of the table to get near it, just as you suggested. As it is a lob you should have plenty of time to decide the best side of the table to run to (either the left or the right). Then you should be able to hit a winning shot as you have so many options as to the direction you can hit the ball.

So the key to returning a really short lob is to be watching the ball closely and pick up early that you need to run down the side of the table.

I've accidently hit a lob like this before in a match and won the point. The ball hit the edge of my bat and lobbed really high with some backspin. My opponent thought he had won the point until he realized too late that is was going to land on the table. It actually generated some backspin when it hit my bat and so bounced back over to my side of the table!