Just came back from the club, and we have a new guy. He was a basement player, and his technique is poor.
However, he is very good at keeping the ball on the table, while making incredibly weird shots. It felt like playing Truls Moregard.
I swear he himself doesn't understand what shot he is making, and neither could I.
It threw me off so much, that after just one set I completely lost my focus, because I couldn't read him most of the time. It felt like playing chaos itself.
What would you suggest I work on to play against such players, whose every shot is literally random in speed, spin, arc, and everything else?
You simplify your game and play your game.
Here is what I would do:
One, I assume he has anti rubber. That's what all basement players have. They don't upkeep their rubber so it is anti until proven otherwise. So ask yourself, how do you usually play against an anti rubber player?
Two, I test his ability to read my spin. I basically serve heavy heavy serves right off the bat, heavy backspin first. If he eats heavy backspin, then keep on serving heavy backspin all over the table until proven otherwise. If heavy backspin poses no problem for him, then I serve heave topspin that kicks. If he keeps on hitting my heavy top spin out, then I keep on doing it. Then once he is used to my heavy backspin and heavy topspin serve, I give him heavy side spin, using a forehand pendulum motion. I don't care how chaotic he is, he is a basement player after all. By now I should have won a lot points on my serve.
Three, if he does not eat my serve, then I serve him fast no spin, to the forehand, middle and backhand. Over and over again. My goal is to loop kill when the ball comes back. I am not interested in a rally. I will keep my racket angle relatively closed because he has anti and the no spin serve comes back, well, no spin. I will have to lunge more foreward to loop kill because I know the ball will wobble a little bit.
Four, return of serve. His serve most likely has no spin. I will start off by pushing it back with back spin. I want him to make mistake and I will keep on pushing until proven otherwise.
Five, if your pushing does not work, then you have to start attacking his serve. Regardless of what motions he uses, just assume it is an anti rubber and the ball has very little spin. When you attack, you have to remember to lift the ball up a little bit because that's how anti makes you flounder.
Six, if you are more steady than him, then you will win. Just be patient and let him make mistakes. If he is more steady than you, you have no choice but to attack always first and finish the point ASAP. The longer the rally goes, the more weird the ball becomes. So you have to finish the point ASAP.
That's all there is to it.