Hi, a technical question for those who use TPB. How do you approach very low spinny topspins to the backhand? The ones that look like they are almost bouncing below net height but not enough energy to block back with any force.
Reflecting on the past few games, I wasn't able to get enough racket speed from a TPB counter-loop and found it hard to get the right angle for a reinforced side-swipe that doesn't bounce high.
Would love some inspiration on how to play more actively/hard against these shots.
I'm not sure if you mean low spin topsins As in almost dead or when you talk about them being low you mentioned vs net height so I'm thinking you mean low bouncing topspins to your BH.
In either case, I'll address kinda overall what I try to do. Take this with a grain of salt as I'm left handed and given I play mostly righties, points play out differently for me than I assume they do for you. (assuming you're right handed).
But if I have an incoming low topspin ball to my TPB, I have to be careful not to block it with my normal angle as that ball can go into the net quite easily. Also, say I'm playing a topspin ball that's low in height. As in it's not that much, if at all above the net. Kinda in both cases I have the same mindset.
I'm looking to pretty much angle block that ball in a way that works out for me. I accept that I will not be able to hit all that of an agressive or fast shot back. But because I'm left handed and when I largely do TPB shots I'm close at the table, it's all about angles. I'll block cross-court wide to their FH. If they get that back then I block down the line. Very much like you see He Zhi Wen do. But for me if it can't be about power, it's about angle and placement.
Second question is how do you hold the racket to close down angle on very wide backhands? Right now I have a moderately wide pinch with Xu Xin like extended fingers and both knucles of the middle finger in contact for backhand. Great support for close to the body, but maybe this is hurting my angles?
I don' actively think about this but I suppose I never really stand in a position to where I could have a really wide shot go to my TPB to where I can't handle that. I'd much rather cover that more and dare someone to hit it to my wide FH where I can then employ a side/top FH loop.
Now I won't say that's never happened to where I got caught with a ball really wide to my BH and I can barely reach it. That almost sounds like a reach your paddle out there and just try to save the point situation, lob it back on the table and step back. You might have to get into the Xu Xin like lobbing game waiting for your moment hit a FH loop to get back in.
If me personally because I also have a LP on my RPB side, if I'm really out of position and need to buy time to get back into position, I'll often here pull out a RPB chop with the LPs. The slow backspinning ball to them allows me time to get back into position. Theoretically, the same could be done with inverted I suppose. It's just a lot easier with LPs.
Are you a single sided only penholder?