Far forehand reach counterhit

Collin Hill Asked 12 years ago

Hi Alois & Jeff, I've been having a problem counterhitting a very wide (to my forehand) and fairly quick ball... So, do I have to move my feet to get into position to counterhit it, or should I reach with my whole arm and hit it? Also sometimes the ball is coming too fast to move (with my feet) into position to counterhit it and I try to return it low and fast but it just seems like i'm blocking it... So how can I make a full follow through and stroke on that wide and somtimes fast of a ball?     Thanks

Jeff Plumb Answered 12 years ago

Hi Collin,

The real key to this is to make it harder for your opponent to play such a quick ball in the first place. By developing a good short serve and a good short push return, you'll make it much harder for your opponent to do this to you.

If you do get caught in this position then you can use the lunge step where you just move one foot out wider to the ball and then just play a block to get the ball back on the table. If you can't get into a good position you can't play an effective stroke easily so you have to compromise in this situation.

You can also work on your footwork and as you get better you may find you can get into position quicker and be able to play more than just a block. You can practice your footwork with some fairly simple drills. Just ask you training partner to play one ball to your forehand and one ball to your middle. You can play forehands on both of these and practice your footwork to move into position.