Backhand improvement, and advice

[jammmail]

About 1 month ago, I lost a few frustrating matches against a few guys who just do 1 single action in a match, they just slice to my backhand. I was always pinned on the backhand, and couldn't do much and would just throw away points left and right. I decided that my biggest weakness was my backhand, and I decided to practice backhand opening loop and backhand drive every session for 1 month, and see how far it could come. Against a practice partner, we played little matches where the rule was he had to slice to my BH, and I had to loop it everytime. My partner said that he noticed how much I improved in just 4 weeks. He said in our early matches, I would throw away 7 or 8 points just trying to loop the slice. He said now I am only losing 1 or 2 points, and winning far more points from my backhand loop. Today I played a guy who is maybe 1600 or so, and I managed to win 3-1. I was able to win a lot of points in the games from BH opening loop as well as BH follow up drives.

But during practice, I still can't consistently do BH loop against topspin. If my partner just blocks for me, I can't loop consistently from the BH. I can drive with power pretty consistently, but not loop. Is there something different about looping against backspin that makes it easier? Maybe because the racket angle is more open? Why is it harder to BH loop against topspin?

How can I improve my backhand loop against topspin?

I think for people to give advice on what you struggling a bit more information or video is needed? Is the ball going low into the net? Too high and dropping down? Flying off the table? or a mixture of all these?

I do agree though that the key 'loop' of the BH is openups then after that it should be topspin/drive.

Like I mentioned in a thread I had made the other day - Im thinking of slowing down my equipment to help my BH catch up with my FH, as my FH is far more safe and secure and grooved than the BH. Maybe you need something easier to handle on the backhand to gain consistency?

 

[Michael Zhuang]

Seems like a lot of people think BH loop against topspin is not a high priority shot. If thats true, which stroke should i practice?

These strokes I feel reasonably confident in: serve, block, fh drive, bh drive, fh loop, fh loop against topspin, bh opening loop.

Thse strokes i rarely use in game: aggressive receive, bh loop against topspin, bh flick against underspin, fh flick against underspin, short push.

 

[cytivrat]

Seems like a lot of people think BH loop against topspin is not a high priority shot. If thats true, which stroke should i practice?

These strokes I feel reasonably confident in: serve, block, fh drive, bh drive, fh loop, fh loop against topspin, bh opening loop.

Thse strokes i rarely use in game: aggressive receive, bh loop against topspin, bh flick against underspin, fh flick against underspin, short push.

Strokes you need depend on how you play now and how you want to play in the future. If you return loops to your bh consistantly enough either with block or drive (and you feel fine with returning them this way), then, on my opinion, flicks and short push seems to be more important, since they will allow you to start your attack or not to start attack to your opponent, both seems to be more important.
But what else you can focus: movement, transitions from left to right, right-left, short-long, some combinations that you will use in the game (like serve, return and what you are doing next 1-2 balls)

 

[Michael Zhuang]

How would you start to practice flicks and short push?

RE short push: I imagine its very hard to practice this shot unless your partner can also do this shot well? It may be hard to find somebody willing to practice this with you?

RE flicks: I often use little flicks in game against non-spin short balls. But flicking against underspin seems way out of my league at this moment. How would you even start to practice this shot?

 

[cytivrat]

How would you start to practice flicks and short push?

RE short push: I imagine its very hard to practice this shot unless your partner can also do this shot well? It may be hard to find somebody willing to practice this with you?

RE flicks: I often use little flicks in game against non-spin short balls. But flicking against underspin seems way out of my league at this moment. How would you even start to practice this shot?

All practice starts either with coach or with partner willing to practice certain things. If you don't have somebody willing to practice (which is quite often seen at lower level, unfortunately), then I don't know how you can do it.
Assuming you have somebody willing to practice, you need to simulate situation lots of time. For short push: either you both are trying to do it at the same time, or you should learn how to feed balls in multiball sessions. The same for flicks, some feeds lots of pre-defined balls at first, the other tries to flick (probably watching some tutorial on youtube before that if you don't know how to perform certain shot), then you switch sides. Maybe recording video and asking what needs to be changed from time to time is also a good idea.
For underspin balls, you might try return it with short underspin ball, and then wait for either longer ball to start looping or with less amount of spin to flick. Get simpler things consistent first: like flicks on non-spin short balls, then with weak underspin, then with not that weak one.

 

[Michael Zhuang]

I think I found a system that works pretty well.

When the ball is slightly above the net height, then I use a hard/flattish drive on BH.

When the ball is slightly below net, then I use a more spinny loop on BH.

Does this system make sense to play at a high level?

 

[ricospin]

I think I found a system that works pretty well.

When the ball is slightly above the net height, then I use a hard/flattish drive on BH.

When the ball is slightly below net, then I use a more spinny loop on BH.

Does this system make sense to play at a high level?

Definitely!

You can also spin while doing a flat drive on BH, gotta activate the sponge and hit forward.

If the ball is low regardless of where it is, you still need to lift somehow so that it clears the net. This observation is correct. But you have to adjust the height for the spin. Lifting a low topspin ball is different from no spin, to underspin. A mistake I catch myself is lifting too much on topspin, in this case lift and forward movement is a suggestion.

 

[ricospin]

Just wanted to add to this topic.

Since we defined that a bh loop is against under, we can say that if chinese players are attacking, they are doing a loop drive.

LGY generates spin and speed, inferred open angle racket

https://youtu.be/XO_56LSHfi8?t=59