Bad habits with Blocking
Strategy
Random Person Asked 11 years ago
My backhand is stronger than my forehand. When blocking I have a bad habit of sometimes making a backhand block on the forehand side. Do you have any suggestions on fixing this?
Alois Rosario Answered 11 years ago
Hi Will,
This is not always a bad thing. Especially if the ball is curving to the right then the angle of your bat with the backhand is a little easier to block with.
However in general you should try to define where you will hit a forehand and hit a backhand.
In training, draw that imaginary line in your mind or put something on the table and if the ball goes to the left then you must play a backhand and if it goes to the right then you must play a forehand. This will start to get you to get more used to blocking with the forehand.
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Tactics Against Penhold Players
When playing penhold players it is important to remember to first analyse your opponent as you would if they used any grip. What are their strengths and weaknesses? A common weakness of penhold players is their forehand block especially against a slow spinny topspin. Their backhand may be a weakness if they use the traditional style, or you may wish to explore the crossover point if they are using the reverse penhold backhand.
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Dakota Castleberg Posted 9 years ago
I also have this habit, to the degree my fellow players call my shot a "chicken wing" because I end up going so wide to my forehand side with my backhand. Because I have done it so much it is still fairly effective as a block, but the more confidence I can gain with my forehand the better. Iv'e tried standing more open to my forehand side to force a forehand block, and has seemed somewhat productive. Do you recommend this, or are there better alternatives?
I think this is a good method. It should help you to be more open to play forehands.