OOAK Table Tennis Forum

So I have been getting to a point where I am comforabley getting the ball back onto the table now with forehand chop (inverted) against topspin.
When brushing against a topspin ball, how should you control the ball most of the time?
Should you:
A) Control the ball by brushing with the sponge, using more contact
B) Control the ball by brushing with the topsheet, making as little contact with the sponge as possible

Having watched Paul Pinkewich chop, I would see it as engaging the sponge, otherwise, what is the point of having sponge?

In watching him, it is almost as if the ball doesn't engage directly with the wood at all.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74

Definitely A) for me - more sponge. I think this way you have more control and it's easier to vary the spin (from no-spin to heavy spin).

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My ooak blog.

If when you say control means manipulating ball spin,

Both school exist.

Many chopper prefer to chop late and perpendicular to incoming ball, engage more sponge, Joo Se Hyuk, Shiono Masato, and arguably the most exciting chopper ever, Matsushita Koji. Paul Pinkewich belong here. I also belong to this group, far down the level.

And there also those who chop earlier and more parallel to the incoming ball, engage less sponge, Ding Song, Wu Yang, and arguably the best chopper ever, Angelica Rozeanu.



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Some people like thin sponge for more blade feeling and less spin sensitivity. I agree with bego.

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