How to Beat a Very Consistent Player

eugene lu Asked 6 years ago

Hi alois,

I've been struggling to beat some players who barely makes mistakes. No matter how fast and spiny I attack with my forehand, they return it. I vary speed with my backhand and yet they can cope with it. I've forced them back from the table and start smashing and yet they won't die. And they can always find away to turn things around.

Can you tell me what to do against such players?

P.s. Placement has not been working too

Alois Rosario Answered 6 years ago

Hi Eugene,

Sounds like he could just be good.

Work on your game and improving your overall level. Work on increasing the ability of your forehand topspin. You can get it to a level where he will struggle with the speed and spin that you will be able to generate.

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Marcin Lonak Posted 6 years ago

I love Alois answer,

but there might be a possibility, you just did not find the weakness. Also do you know your strengths?

What does the opponent do consistently? Blocking? Attacking (gets every topspin)? Defending (Chops everything back)? How is he/she moving? Do you get an weaker ball back if you play to the elbow? Does the opponent has a great stamina? How he/she deals with pace change or spin? etc

probably, when you have the feeling that someone is very consistent, because you get a lot of balls back, the opponents weakness could be(unless much better than you) reading the game. I have always the most painful losses against guys who read me well. You feel like an idiot who either runs for your life or just getting right away outplaced. There are seldom long rallies and the attacking shots of the opponent are at moments where you already have almost no chance to defend.

Rohan Keogh Posted 6 years ago

"You feel like an idiot who either runs for your life or just getting right away out-placed. There are seldom long rallies and the attacking shots of the opponent are at moments where you already have almost no chance to defend."

LOL, I know that feeling well Marcin. I look forward to the day when I'm on the other side of that experience :)

eugene lu Posted 6 years ago

Hello marcin,

Come to think of it, I might not have never thought of all these. Yes, I've thought about my strengths. Which is my forehand topspin of a push ball. It's very spiny and most player just block them out. But against these consistent players, they treat it like it's just a counter hit. Weakness of mine? Too many. I've never thought of the opponent's weak point. Even if I have, my weakness prevents me from doing so. And I feel your pain as well too because I feel like a newbie trying like crazy and they could just return everything back even while looking somewhere else.