How to beat phishy players?

break his arm so that he cannot play!

Don't just hit the ball over and over again , try to bring him down to the table by giving a short ball and then hit him back again.

Buy him some long pips to use.

there are a few things which work against those players.

usually those players don't stand close to the table so give them a short service and a quick ball afterwards in the other corner.

Another possibility is a quick long service to the corner or to the elbow and then again to the other direction.

In general you have to play short and long balls and let them run, angles also help a lot. If you just smash, you are making it easy for them, it's their game.

Can you smash really good? maybe work on that. I feel that the smash is almost somewhat forgotten, people still loop on high balls. Try to vary the tempo and placement so he need to move. Maybe you can try to smash directly "at the bounce". Maybe you can also play very soft so you forces him to play offensive.

TableTennisNerd said:

So last night I played one of the other top players in my division. I have been finding my division that I’m in fairly easy. However, this guy that I played played like Adam Bobrow with a horrible, phishy, snakey style. He beat me pretty comfortably but I have to play him in a cup match on Wednesday again. How would you go around playing someone as evil as this?

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Does he have a real forehand counterloop close to the table or even off it? If yes, then what I am saying may not work. If no, then read carefully.

Serve with backspin to get a long push. If he isn't offensive on serve return, let the ball drift half long if it makes you comfortable but short is best. Short forehand especially. But anywhere short is good.

When you get the push back, open with slow heavy topspin to the forehand. If you can't and you know he is not offensive, push to wherever you think will get you a push until you can open with slow heavy topspin.

The setup is important because lobbers who are incomplete players usually can't play balls that require close to the table angles and he will mostly lose the point on a slow topspin into the forehand (some of them have good backhand blocks, but if his backhand block close to the table is also weak, you can slow spin there as well).

If the lobber survives this slow heavy topspin close to the table strategy (and usually, they won't without giving you a major advantage)
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The other thing is to try as often as possible to make sure that you are playing balls you can read. Very often, people just look at the ball when it is coming, but they don't look at how the lobber hit the ball. Very important. Sometimes, the lobber makes good spin contact, sometimes they make flat contact.

Always MOVE your feet to play a forehand. Don't start moving when the ball is coming, always be moving to play a forehand. If you find yourself swinging across your body, then you are not moving enough, you need to be able to play real smashes by being side on to the table and swinging forward.

The depth of the bounce is also important. Balls closer to the net can be either dropped short or smashed really wide. The ones that come in deep force you back off the table so don't feel bad taking them late.

If you have a chance in the club, have someone feed you multiball with balls coming from really high so you don't feel 100% uncomfortable. Have them feed you the balls to places you have to shuffle to and don't like.

Fabian said:

In general you have to play short and long balls and let them run, angles also help a lot. If you just smash, you are making it easy for them, it's their game.

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+1

I'm generally a believer in trying to play a style, even if I have to switch mine a little, that are out of the opponents comfort zone. You'd think "Well doesn't everybody?" Actually no. I know several players who ride by "this is my game and my one style and I will try to be so good at it, there's nothing you can do about it" which works for some players. I know some that are very good with this approach.

Anyways, Yeah vs lobbers, I think just smashing over & over is playing their game. It's what they play all the time and I think it's unlikely one can just smash them all day. You'll likely make an error form exhaustion before they miss a lob. So developing a good drop shot is key. Like Fabian said. Keeping bringing them in & out. Over & over.

Me personally vs lobbers I'm quite willing to play a lot of short, slow points vs them simply not allowing them to drop back to their comfortable 10 feet off and begin lobbing. Keep bringing them back in over & over. Several times multiple drop or dink type shots in a row. See how they handle it.

Long pips will not help unless you twiddle and hit through his spin with the LPs on the FH. I actually practiced this with my first coach. My first coach loved hitting high spinny balls and laughing at me as I would swing and miss the ball. I eventually learned. I doubt pushing the balls back push blocker style would work.

I played a person that was fishing against me. I was playing with double inverted at the time. I was doing OK but I was getting tired from hitting the balls hard. I didn't want long rallies because I would eventually lose due to being too tired. My solution was to fight fire with fire. I didn't slam the ball back directly. I put side spin on the ball. After hitting the table, my balls would curve making it difficult for him to get the ball back. I used two strokes. One was like a tomahawk serve but starting from much higher because of the lobbed balls coming back at me. The other was a side swipe where the balls would curve in the opposite direction. I think I had the advantage because I could hit the ball relatively fast and directly. This made his spin less effective whereas my balls had plenty of distance to curve as opponent was so far back from the table.

Nets and edges, sink the ball close to the edge, change every hit - short to deep, spin and flat, corner to corner, low and high - some players often go wrong with higher balls - "the curse of the high ball" /not to be messed with the whiskey stuff/

Hamasaki_Fanz said:

break his arm so that he cannot play!

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You must have previous employment experience in Tawnya Harding, Consulting LLC.

However, that firm might aim for the knees.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Knee works, too.

Wide opposite placements

Any special plan about how to beat Adam Bobrow ? Dan showed us. But any other advice ?

To take it further any advice about how to make Adam look ridiculous

TTN:

Everyone has already given you great advice. I was going to post to vary the tempo of your smashes but I see Lula mentioned it already. Don't do this during the match if you haven't practiced this to a decent skill level. You may end up missing the ball more than you want. I love to smash aka flat hit and sometimes initiating your smash just after the bounce will quicken the tempo. Good luck!

For inspiration on the drop shot, one of my favorite players Ma Lin was adept at this technique.

Please check out the following timemarks for short drop shots:


https://youtu.be/JR8UNmjK0Pk

0:30-0:51
1:25-1:36
2:13-2:20
2:26-2:35
4:21-4:32
5:46-6:04

There are a few longer drop shots interspersed which I did not note for you between 2:35-4:21.

Also note how Ma Lin attacks both sides making his opponent move side to side as well as adding in some drop shots to draw opponent in.

Enjoy and good luck again!

HTH!

suds79 said:

I'm generally a believer in trying to play a style, even if I have to switch mine a little, that are out of the opponents comfort zone. You'd think "Well doesn't everybody?" Actually no. I know several players who ride by "this is my game and my one style and I will try to be so good at it, there's nothing you can do about it" which works for some players. I know some that are very good with this approach.

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You and Sun Tzu ... great minds think alike!

From his The Art of War Chapter 6: Weak Points and Strong (Lionel Giles translation)


"So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.
•
Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.
•
Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.
•
He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain."

........



Unless there is a huge disparity in skill level where the higher skilled player can force their game on the weaker opponent, it is good to be a well-rounded player.

One may adapt their game to attack their opponent's weaknesses and not always try to impose their game/will on their opponent.

A chopper comes to mind of an inflexible opponent... they will try to chop their opponents down even if their opponents are great loopers.

Takkyu_wa_inochi said:

Any special plan about how to beat Adam Bobrow ? Dan showed us. But any other advice ?

To take it further any advice about how to make Adam look ridiculous

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I think if you are pretty good player and can play a little harder i think you have No problem beating Adam.

I have a hard time Seeing that Dan played all out there. Or Maybe it is that he plays a Lot in one tempo and seem to have somewhat a problem with looping hard, smashing hard. Maybe due to older injuries. Do not know.

I can also imagine many players have a hard time taking the game seriously when they play someone like Adam.

Here's an instruction video on how to make the rally last long

Except a couple folks here can beat lopping players, the rest I can see just talk and offer strategy which easier said than done.

There is one player in Northern CA who can lop and counter attack well. To beat him one must have a very strong smashing game (Lula is 100% right). Looping doesn't work well. Don't try to imitate Ma Lin (I understand you want to drop shot but it requires a lot of touch and no way you can have such skillful touch like Ma Lin, seriously), especially when the ball is so high and close to the edges. You still can drop shot but it depends on situation. See videos from a player who actually beat James with simple strategy and skills.

http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7696