Defensive playing

Robert Cole Asked 8 years ago

I belong to a club in Arizona, and one of the players uses angles to both corners, or wide to the opposite side.  He uses long pips, so he has good control.  I play with antispin on one side and Butterfly tackfire soft c on the other, using the Seemiller grip.  I have a good backhand slam, as well as a good forehand topspin.  However, he runs me around the table, and all too often wins the point.  What can I do to win points?

Alois Rosario Answered 8 years ago

Hi Robert,

The focus needs to be on the first few balls in the rally.  Also focus on keeping the ball deep and to the middle initially so that they can't get any angles.

If he does start moving you around, vary the speed and spin on the ball.  These types of players rely on the speed and creating angles to win their points.  Sometimes, just play a slower ball so that they need to generate the speed themselves as well.