Thought it might be helpful if we pooled some of our collective knowledge and created a step-by-step guide for players who are interested in twiddling but aren’t sure where to start. I am by no means an authority on the subject, but there seems to be a lack of practical advice for players who are interested in learning how to twiddle, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. Please feel free to post your own strategies/tips/suggestions!
A Working Definition
Twiddling: the strategic turning of a combination racket in order to introduce spin variation and/or assist in overcoming some of the physical limitations of playing surfaces such as pips or antispin.
Mechanics
The first step in integrating twiddling into your game is finding a way to smoothly and quickly turn the racket in your hand without requiring much conscious thought. It should become instinctive—a reflex even. There’s really no excuse for not practicing this step because it can be practiced virtually anywhere. You can start off practicing the twiddle with your hand motionless, but it’s important to eventually transition into having the twiddle become a seamless part of the backstroke for your next shot, so you should also practice twiddling mid-swing. This will allow you to twiddle much more quickly than if you keep it as a separate movement. Some find twiddling easier with straight handles, but it’s really down to personal preference. I know many players who twiddle just fine with flared handles…
Next you’ll need to learn a few basic strokes with the inverted rubber on your backhand and the pips/anti on your forehand. If you’re a former double inverted player, then you only really need to worry about practicing with the pips/anti on the forehand a bit. Really just a basic inverted block/drive and push for the backhand, and a pips push/flick and block/chop for the forehand will take you a long way. No need to worry about a devastating backhand loop or a forehand pips smash just yet. At this point you’re just looking to cover your bases in case you get caught out with the wrong side of the racket mid-rally. In those situations just try to keep the ball in play and don’t worry about making any point-winning shots. If you are consistent with the above mentioned shots, you should have an answer for any type of spin.
Twiddling During a Game
Now you’re ready to start twiddling in a game. Many people see higher level players twiddling on the fly and get intimidated. They assume that they’d never be able to do that and consequently dismiss twiddling altogether. This is a mistake. Twiddling at-will or at random during a rally is the most advanced and difficult way to twiddle. There are many other ways to twiddle that are easier to learn and can be used to progress up to the ability to twiddle at will:
1) Double-twiddle: this can be an effective mind game and is ideal for starting out because you do not really have to do any strokes with the reverse rubber. A double-twiddle is when you twiddle the racket twice in quick succession resulting in the racket surfaces ending up in the same place they began. The best time to do this is during the opponents serve, right before they toss the ball. Ideally, they notice you turning the racket and get distracted thinking about what kind of return to expect. You can also double-twiddle during your serve, possibly causing confusion about which surface you’re serving with.
2) Twiddling during service: this is something that most players do even if they don’t twiddle any other time. This can be extremely effective depending on the opponent—especially at about 2000 USATT and below. The basic idea is to have an identical looking pips/anti and inverted serve and then to randomly and covertly switch between the two. After you serve, twiddle back to normal and proceed as usual. You might be surprised how long it will take some players to catch on to this strategy. Like the double-twiddle, this doesn’t involve rallying with the racket switched around so it’s ideal for beginners. One caveat, each serve must be a good service in its own right. Don’t depend on them misreading it: you must be ready for the return.
3) Twiddle for service-reception: this is a little tougher to learn but can pay off big time, especially when alternated with the double-twiddle. Generally, it’s best to wait until you have a pretty good read on your opponent’s serves before attempting this. You may have to wait until game two or three before you can do it. The obvious use for twiddling on service reception is to deal with a tricky serve. Fortunately, the types of serves that are difficult to return with pips/anti are generally fairly easy to handle with inverted (and vice-versa). Don’t overhit, often the element of surprise is more than enough to force a poor return. Alternatively, you could twiddle not on the serves that give you trouble, but on the ones that are easy to return (using the twiddle to introduce spin variation). For example, your opponent, being wary of your pips/anti backhand, keeps serving short underspin to your forehand which you’ve been pushing back with inverted. Once you can predict the serve, wait until after he has tossed the ball and twiddle so you can push with the pips/anti on the forehand side. Quickly twiddle back to normal and get ready for a pop-up.
Triggered Sequences
Once you can do the above three things effectively during games it’s time to start thinking about twiddling during rallies. These twiddles should be premeditated, not random spur of the moment decisions. The best way to do this is to identify common patterns during rallies that tend to develop based on your style of play. Once you have the pattern you can decide on a trigger, i.e., if x happens, twiddle.
A chopper, for example, will likely face the following scenario many times throughout a match: he chops, opponent loops, he chops again (much heavier), opponent pushes. It can be very difficult to field a push with pips/anti because you can’t put much spin on the ball. This means the placement and height of the push must be spot on to prevent it from being killed (not easy to do when you’re running in at full tilt). Twiddling can help alleviate this problem. By pushing with the inverted instead you can really load up the spin and help prevent the next ball from being killed.
As a chopper myself, here’s how I think about it. Anytime I give a nice heavy chop that doesn’t bounce too high or too short I immediately twiddle. That’s my trigger. Odds are they’re going to chicken out and push anyway, so I can come in and push heavy with inverted. If they do decide to loop it, because it was a heavy push, the loop is usually slow and high-arcing making it vulnerable to a quick inverted block. The change in speed is quite startling when they’re used to a pips/anti block or chop from you’re backhand, and most are lucky to even get their bat on the ball.
The above sequence is triggered from a shot that you play. Another possible trigger could be a response to a particular shot or strategy that your opponent consistently employs. These can be more difficult to pull off at first because it requires some anticipation on your part. A common strategy against pips/anti is to attempt to “pin you down” on your backhand side by playing deep no spin/light spin shots. It’s typically very obvious when an opponent is adopting this strategy, so it’s an ideal opportunity to twiddle and give them something they don’t expect. Again, you don’t have to murder the ball. Just use the inverted to reintroduce some spin to the rally so your pips/anti can be effective again.
Putting it all Together
The important thing to remember when trying to incorporate twiddling into your game is to start small and gradually increase its use. In the beginning twiddling should never be random. Too many players start trying to twiddle too much during a game with no plan in place. Invariably, they end up forgetting which side is which, they get caught with the wrong side at the wrong time, and eventually get discouraged and give up. If in the beginning you only learn and concentrate on service/reception and then maybe 1-2 triggered sequences, then you’ll be much less likely to fall into the traps that plague most beginning twiddlers. After a while, twiddling will become more and more natural, and as your strokes improve over time you can begin to twiddle at will. Unexpected pop-ups can be neatly put away with an inverted backhand smash. Forehand chops can be taken below the table with a hidden twiddle. The possibilities are virtually endless…
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