Defending against top spin

I've watched the video on how to defend against top spin but it is not completely working for me yet so I am trying to figure out what I am doing wrong.

I play against a guy who hits hard and with lots of top spin and when the ball hits my bat it flies high and long. I use a soft grip and no push but it almost always goes long. I have been trying to avoid this by keeping the ball low and to his backhand so he can't get the chance to hit that way, but it is inevitable.

Do I need to angle the bat downward more?  Does it matter where the ball hits on the bat?

Any help would be great.

thanks,

Adam

Hi Adam,

I think you are on the right track.  Perhaps angling the blade down a little will help.  You could also think about getting a slight brushing contact on the ball to get a little topspin to help to get the ball down after it goes over the net.  Blocking is a matter of touch and a lot of practice.

In training, make sure you use the time when your opponent is doing a drill to practice your blocking for them.