OOAK Table Tennis Forum

One way to deal with hitters is to keep your chops long/deep toward their end line.

Follow the rules of ball quality to make more trouble for them: spin, speed, power (combination of the first 2), placement, deception.

Deep balls always give you time. Low balls mean that they can't hit as hard without the training. Depending on the hitter, heavier backspin may be effective. Making him move may also be.

The problem with hitters is that they may not give you enough spin to work with if they are using pips especially. So you may be forced to do a few things with your inverted side to get the right matchup.

_________________
Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

This particular post is more or less triggered by the thread below, the one about differences and similarities between "Modern Defense" and "Allround" playing styles:

http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=27526

I think it's fair to say that I originally wanted to chop as much as I could, so that's how I ended up with VKM setup in my signature. And I think it's great. However, pretty soon you realize that spectacular loop-chop rallies are not that frequent and you have to attack quite a bit to get points, especially on FH. Especially lately I find that I almost never chop on FH - instead it's more of block, loop, smash, fish etc., and looping/smashing with it feels a bit weird. Watched a bit of TT on youtube again and saw that at high levels there is some FH chopping, but not that much really.

Which made me think: hypothetically speaking, if I practically never chop on FH - why do I need slow defensive blade then? Would I be better off with my old W6 with LP on BH and something more conventional on FH? In other words - normal inverted player on FH, but with LP on BH to receive, block and chop - I think it worked fine for BH chopping couple of months back. What exactly is this style then? It is tempting to give it a shot - no new equipment needed

_________________
USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

I have more or less given up FH chopping. I can do it but never seem to fit it into my game. Counterattacks and fishing is more natural. And therefore I change to faster fh rubber now.

_________________
Def-attack's attempts to find balance between defence/attack | Getting better - health and game |
My Youtube

chopping fh is more effective than fishing or lobs
good chop (low and with high spin) or strong counterloop can take control over rally to your favor and u will be on attacking position
while fishing usually will not provide this, it will not change your posiotion, u still will be on defensive side

_________________
Butterfly Defence II / Victas Curl P1V 0.5mm / Tibhar Evolution MX-P 2.0mm -185g

I only agree partially with this. it's better to chop than to fish when you get a low spin ball in your FH. However, once the spin builds up, it's harder and harder to do a quality FH chop (because you need to overcome the rotation of the ball). Fishing is very viable then (if it has good placement and a lot of spin, especially sidespin).

I managed to get it into my game, but it took me awhile.

Were you originally playing with inverted on both sides? If so, I can see why old habit of being aggressive on FH would carry over.

_________________
USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

Yes. But I have been using pips on BH longer than I used inverted. But I think I just am too offensive oriented on FH. And also, I rarely comes into position to chop on FH due to fast attacks (not enough time) that mostly are above waist height when they reach me. And the size of my court rarely allows me to back away further away. Also, it is great fun to loop back a loop

_________________
Def-attack's attempts to find balance between defence/attack | Getting better - health and game |
My Youtube

I think the size of a court matters a lot. I luckily play at two clubs that have a lot of room to go back. But when I play in a smaller court, it breaks my game. Luckily most clubs here have good playing venues. That's why I decided recently not to play anymore on those small courts. It's a different matter when your own club doesn't have enough room. You might want to mention this in the board of your club.

When you say 'smaller court' - how much space are we talking about? I guess distance between end of the table and the wall/barrier in the back would be the most relevant, right? I suspect our club is kind of in the middle - not too cramped, but not ITTF standard either, since I do remember running out of space once in a while.

_________________
USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

for those spinny bals i twiddle and fh cop with LP (chen weixing do it as well sometimes)

_________________
Butterfly Defence II / Victas Curl P1V 0.5mm / Tibhar Evolution MX-P 2.0mm -185g

I have to confess I am yet to make a successful FH chop with LP - every time I tried it went straight into the net. Doing fine (well, much better) on BH. I know it's a stroke/technique issue - just did not have time to focus on it. Still, I find it amusing

_________________
USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

It's indeed the distance between the table and the wall/barrier that's the most important, but hard to say exactly how much space. When you encounter a powerlooper (bu his loops still have an arc) and his loops hit the end line and you need to chop them at knee height: that's how much space I need.

I am the board... (sort of president)...

_________________
Def-attack's attempts to find balance between defence/attack | Getting better - health and game |
My Youtube