Do you have an opponent that gives you problems? Let's develop a simple strategy!

[TensorBackhand]

Describe the opponent's main playing pattern and what specifically is giving you trouble, and let's see if we can come up with 2 or 3 simple strategies to take away his weapon.

I often play a 2000 level player, he is a real two winged looper and very aggressive. His loop is very spinny, and he just tries to loop the serve return and the 3rd ball very aggressively. These are not easy to block, and if he hits those shots, I have no chance against him. Also, he has a large variety of very tricky and spinny serves. It's very common for me to lose 4 points to his serve in a single game. Last time I played him I lost 3-4 games, with deuce in the 7th game. I went home and wrote down a few notes to remember how to play him. After that I started playing him again and was winning 2-1, and I felt slightly more in control, but then we ran out of time and had to go home. Anyways, these are the simple notes I used:

- Use the short low serve to prevent him from looping. Occasionally mix in fast long serve
- Anticipate his serve spin, dont just react to it
- Attack his serve with 10% more aggression when possible to take away his 3rd ball
- Play 5% faster and open up faster to take away his opening loop
- Inevitably he is still going to loop and its going to be spinny, so mentally prepare to block low

What other little instructions might you add to my notes?

Do you have a particular player you struggle to beat?

 

[JJ Ng]

Describe the opponent's main playing pattern and what specifically is giving you trouble, and let's see if we can come up with 2 or 3 simple strategies to take away his weapon.

I often play a 2000 level player, he is a real two winged looper and very aggressive. His loop is very spinny, and he just tries to loop the serve return and the 3rd ball very aggressively. These are not easy to block, and if he hits those shots, I have no chance against him. Also, he has a large variety of very tricky and spinny serves. It's very common for me to lose 4 points to his serve in a single game. Last time I played him I lost 3-4 games, with deuce in the 7th game. I went home and wrote down a few notes to remember how to play him. After that I started playing him again and was winning 2-1, and I felt slightly more in control, but then we ran out of time and had to go home. Anyways, these are the simple notes I used:

- Use the short low serve to prevent him from looping. Occasionally mix in fast long serve
- Anticipate his serve spin, dont just react to it
- Attack his serve with 10% more aggression when possible to take away his 3rd ball
- Play 5% faster and open up faster to take away his opening loop
- Inevitably he is still going to loop and its going to be spinny, so mentally prepare to block low

What other little instructions might you add to my notes?

Do you have a particular player you struggle to beat?

Agree with serving short low serve with spin to neutralize his loop.

Does he have trouble looping heavy backspin ball or not?

As for his serve, you should know his serves well by now. So there are two strategies: 1) is to return his serve onto the table no matter what but if he is going to loop kill your return when you try to play it safe thn stratge 2) is to return his serve aggressively. Spinning serves bounce differently when they are back spin v.s. top spin serve. Sometimes you have to look at the first bounce and then go for it! High level players can fake serving motions but the spin on the ball does not lie.

As for attacking his serve with 10% more aggression or play 5% faster, I am not sure what you mean. I think what you mean is, if it is top spin serve, then block it heavier and faster; don't block it passively. As for playing 5% faster, I think what you mean is that you want to or need to learn counter looping. Blocking works well at some level. Beyond that, you need to learn how to counter loop so it is a skill that you acquire over time in practice. I don't think it is a skill you can get overnight.

For two wing looper, fast block to the elbow area can create confusion and mistake. So that's one thing I would add. Always remember the middle. So when you block, there are only three choices: far forehand, far backhand or in his middle, elbow area. Anywhere else you block it, you are toast.

Final point. I agree with you. Once he opens up loop, keep you hand and elbow high so you are naturally block "downward." Sometimes when you leave your hand and elbow low, you might block it out.

Another point, if you want to start countering him, then you need to step away from the table. When a loop is very spinny, there are two ways to handle it: 1) block the ball right at the bounce. That makes the blocking very easy but 2) if you cannot block the ball right at the bounce, you may want to play mid-distance away fromthe table so you have the reaction time to deal with his loop. But if you do that, you have to learn how to counter loop.

I don't really have any particular opponents I have trouble with at the club. The ones I have trouble with, they are all higher rated than me. I know what I need to work on which is looping with more consistency, developing my backhand loop and read people's serves better. Otherwise my strokes are fine.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Does he have trouble looping heavy backspin ball or not?

As for attacking his serve with 10% more aggression or play 5% faster, I am not sure what you mean. I think what you mean is, if it is top spin serve, then block it heavier and faster; don't block it passively.

He doesn't really have trouble looping heavy backspin. But naturally, the deeper and heavier I slice the ball, the more trouble he has with it.

10% more aggression means heavier or spinnier balls.

5% faster means that I take the initiative to loop 5% earlier in the point than I normally would.

 

[blahness]

Your opponent sounds like me lol... Does he have the chiquita stroke?

I hate good blockers, especially if they're He Zhi Wen like penholders who block early and very wide and make me run 😂 I play probably like your opponent with tons of tricky serves and receives. Its annoying to get the initiative with some genius fake shot, attack hard only to find the ball blocked back to the open court.

I'm working on rallying skills and footwork so that I can continue the aggression up to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th loop.

 

[Tyce]

Yeah my first instinct is: try to make him run. Getting his feet out of place is likely to reduce the ffectiveness of his looping.
Aggressive attackers tend to rely on the element of overwhelming their opponent, so they can get balls back in predictable places.

 

[_ak]

I have a short and skinny opponent with very good reaction who basically never pushes. Either very aggressive flick FH or BH or loop. In the beginning I was able to trick him with spin but it's much more difficult now. I guess I should turn into a good blocker to beat him consistently.

 

[Migzkulit]

I have a short and skinny opponent with very good reaction who basically never pushes. Either very aggressive flick FH or BH or loop. In the beginning I was able to trick him with spin but it's much more difficult now. I guess I should turn into a good blocker to beat him consistently.

I often play against people who are very aggressive in that sense.
I keep them in check by varying my service in this way:
Short Forehand, Long backhand, long to their middle, short to the middle, wide-short backhand.

Most people are good at going forward and backward from short to long. But also making them move laterally while trying to recover causes them more mistakes.

But when you're receiving their service, you want to make strong spinny receives. If you can't keep it short, push it long with heavy underspin, then get ready to counter.
They often are better at flicking when it's the same side twice.
Forehand short push, forehand flick
Backhand short push, backhand flick.

Of course, you'll have to improve with blocking as you'll eventually be on the back foot and have to recover.
This aggression often leads to unforced errors from them, so keeping the ball on the table is very important.

 

[_ak]

Yep, that works. He mostly serves side-top so it's either hit hard, place the ball well or get killed.
Playing with him makes wonders about my footwork 🤣

 

[Migzkulit]

Yep, that works. He mostly serves side-top so it's either hit hard, place the ball well or get killed.
Playing with him makes wonders about my footwork 🤣

Most people prepare their receive against a short backspin ball.
What you can do is expect the side topspin serve.
Oftentimes it's a half long or long serve so you can stand a little further back.

This gives you enough time to read the service and counter the ball.
If he mixes it up by giving short backspin then you just have to live with what you're willing to give up.

If you can't counter something that you expect, then the only thing you can do is get better.