OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I've been working on really honing in my short blocks using anti - those that bounce twice or more on the opponent's side.

What I do some times on really fast hits is to keep a loose grip, and then on the moment of impact, drag my blade from left to right and a bit backward ever so slightly, catching the ball closer to the tip of the rubber and not in the center of the blade. Maybe an inch or two. I play with anti on the forehand, which is why I move in that direction. I know most say to keep your blade still when blocking with anti for the most spin reversal. And I do that most of the time, however I find the slight side/back movement on fast balls acts as a cushioner. For those shots, I'm mainly trying to draw the player in, so the spin reversal is not so critical as long as the ball is very short and low.

The biggest issue I face when doing this is, of course, blocking TOO high! The ball will be short, but way above the net so it can easily be attacked. The other tactic I use, against really heavy top spin, is to almost chop-block the ball directly after the bounce. I say almost because it's not really a chop, but again perhaps an inch or two of downward movement. I do this literally right after the ball contacts the table when possible, trying not to let it rise at all. This seems to kill the speed and send back all of the spin, keeping the ball very low/short over the net.

Those blocks usually work for me, as I like to banana flick the short returns/pushes back at the opponent. So the spin reversal isn't as important to me, so much as re-positioning the other player.

Anyway, I was curious how others get their blocks to go short or if they use any different techniques? Is the standard technique to simply relax your grip and absorb the ball with a stationary hand?

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SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...

I try to move my bat slightly upwards if Inmove it when blocking, that tends to help the spin stay in the ball. Also, I try not to block very close to the bounce - those blocks carry less spin than those made 10 cm above the table. Also, if you keep your bat at net height when blocking, you can direct the ball's trajectory more forward instead of upwards. This can make the ball drop quicker after the block. Also, if blocking a little later you have more time to get the bat in position.

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My blog: Def-attack's attempts to find balance between defence/attack | Serving techniques and strategy section

skinless,what anti and what thickness are you using m8

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igorponger wrote:

Day -by-day inhalation of the speed glues is not any good for health..

Oh lord, peter! I've been flayed! A skinless slapper!

I mainly use mega block 1.5 and transformer 1.5. Just got a new sheet of rhino from dr n, not yet tried it though. I swap between inverted/pips/anti on my forehand, but generally prefer the anti on that side for attacking back spin. Using these currently on a garaydia ALC, t5000, and zlc. I might be more inclined to try long pips, but haven't found any with similar braking capabilities. The mb/transformer antis really just kill the speed of the ball a good deal on passive blocks.

My favorite part of the anti spin is attacking pushes/chops. So easy to do over the table with the forehand, and they go over the net like bullets! I would say my attacking skill with the anti is quite a bit better than my blocking, though my blocking with inverted/short pips was very good, however my loop was not!

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SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...