Blocking topspin during practice

Hello Alois & Jeff,

I have a training partner who is quite strong physically but lacks coordination and consistency. when i do the blocking during topspin to block, i have a hard time to adjust for his very varying strokes. So far its great, cause i have to stay alert on every ball. My problem is, quite often, he is hitting very strong but flat. How to Block it? I feel that everytime i close the bat the ball lands in the net but just the little opening and it goes out. it feels as if there is no tilt right.  in the game i would probably look to go a step back, but in the practice i actually want to stay close to the table. please help. Does an active block helps there with a short brushing action? or should i make really soft hands?

Hi Marcin,

A little topspin on the block will help here.  It will give you that small margin for error that you need.

You can also try slowing down the ball with softer hands and just giving the ball a little more air over the net.  The soft hands will help with this.