Backhand counter against chop
Strokes and Technique
aishik das Asked 11 years ago
I am very poor in this technique of playing a backhand against a chop. Every time I play the ball the ball goes out of the table or sticks to the net. I tried many times to do it The consistency is we can say zero. My opponents target that point. I have to improve it. Please Help me out.
Alois Rosario Answered 11 years ago
Hi Aishik,
This is a stroke that will take time to develop. Watch the lesson on the Backhand Topspin Off Backspin and take particular note of the start and finish positions of the stroke.
The stroke is a difficult one because you will get different amounts of backspin coming to you. This will mean that your stroke needs to vary a little with each of these variations. That is why it takes so long to learn.
Thoughts on this question
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bertus bertus Posted 11 years ago
Hi,
Don't you have enough time to pivot around the ball and hit the chopped ball with you FH-Topspin stroke?
Sammy Serea Posted 11 years ago
Hi there,
I also used to have some trouble with this shot (I still do, but it's gotten far better), and what proved to be key for me was the following - when I play topspin against topspin I brush the ball more and hit less, when I play topspin against backspin, I hit the ball more and brush less, in order to overcome the incoming spin.
It's still an upward and forward motion, but when playing against topspin the blade is more closed and the emphasis is on the upward movement, while against backspin the bat is a little less closed and the emphasis is more on the forward movement than on the upward movement.
Does that make any sense, Alois?
Thank you,
Sam
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 11 years ago
I would say against the backspin ball you need more brush and lifting to get the ball over the net.
Sammy Serea Posted 11 years ago
Yes, I just watched the video lesson and indeed, you kind of suggest the exact opposite of what I'm doing at the moment :P
Well, not quite the exact opposite - the one thing that we both agree on is that the bat face is more open, or less closed.
And the one thing that this influences - the one thing that is the same in both your approach as well as mine, is the contact point to the ball - the back of the ball, where as, in case of a shot against topspin you would target the upper side of the ball.
So, maybe that is the biggest deciding factor in whether or not the shot is successful - targeting the back of the ball, instead of its upper part.
Of course, from there, it is absolutely clear that the more you brush it (with that vertical motion), the more spin you will impart on the ball - I am 100% sure that Jeff's balls have a lot more action than mine do. Which bakes another question: what rubber is Jeff using on his backhand in this video?
Thank you very much,
Sam
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 11 years ago
It is probably Sriver but that doesn't matter too much. He would do the same with most good quality rubbers.
Anthony Agpaoa Posted 11 years ago
Wouldnt it be better to have a simple push from backhand against a chop( specially if they chop with LP) This would force the chopper to come close to the table and increase odds of a pop up or an error. At the same time it's a higher percentage shot just to push and disrupt the amount of spin so you can alternate topspin and backspin to a long pips chopper to your backhand. After a few topspins to an LP chopper, it becomes extremely hard to overcome the spin he adds to your own topspin balls.
I'm a chopper and thats the thing that gives me the most problems , in and out from the table instead of side to side.