Wondering what kind of styles/tactics players here employ.
I'll start...
Cpen, FH looping, TPB with occasional RPB for high balls/flips. Always close to table. Opponents are mainly SH and not good enough to re-loop.
Serves/third-ball:
* TPB top/under-sidespin, underspin being more common. (Only recently managed to do top/under deceptively.)
* Served to their BH 2/3 of the time (top/under), FH 1/3 (only under). At my level, they are half-long serves.
* Serves to BH: opponent usually returns to my FH side or the middle given the spin. If ball pops up, loop kill. If they push well, I push back.
* Serves to FH: they miss the return often given the surprise factor and the fact that SH FH pushing is harder.
* I also have a pretty lousy FH topsin serve to wide BH. They block it back, sometimes a bit out of position. However I don't attack well...I just block back, should really place it to their deep FH.
Receive:
* TPB for BH, otherwise brush-loop half long balls and loop long balls. I'm not good enough to be mindful of placement.
* Sometimes TPB for FH too if I miss a couple loops or don't feel confident...(working on this)
* Push for underspin serves. Again not good enough to be mindful of placement. Unless they consistently serve short then I'll push short.
* Stand in the middle and banana flip anything if I can't read their spin
* Would try a FH flip if they serve to short FH often
Rallies:
* Pushing rallies: being penhold I have an advantage. I would add spin sometimes and they put it into the net. Or I FH loop it after a couple balls and finish it off with couple loops.
* Topspin rallies: If they loop well (from at least mid-distance), I block the ball but vary the speed/placement, then when they have a slower ball I loop kill. (Easy to make mistakes tho given the spin.)
* No-spin rallies: TPB safely, usually to their BH/middle, sidestep and loop whenever I'm ready. Managing to loop over-the-table balls lately.
* Against choppers: I'm kinda afraid of them as I can't loop heavy underspin consistently. Probably push back a lot until a weaker ball comes.
Defense:
* Reaction TPB blocks or FH counters (stand low and reach out my arm, only fast enough in doubles usually, lethal when works).
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USATT 1502.
Long pips pushblocker, inverted RPB.
Blog (Ramblings of an ordinary penholder...):
http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=32694