How to play against long backspin serve
Service Return
samad ZAKir Asked 12 years ago
hi alois,
There is a friend of mine with whom i play almost everyday. He is really very good at attack and doesn't give me any chance to attack first, i am good at lobbing but after returning some of his smashes ,he hit's it out of my reach, eventually he gets the point, he usually serves a long back spin serve from his backhand to my backhand(we are both right handed).
i return his serve with a simple chop but the ball tends to go too high which results him in smashing,even if i return it correctly the chopping rally continues and once in a while i throw it up high, i am not good at doing back hand topspin so i don't try that much, on the other side he is good at picking up my serves and doesn't give me any chance to attack .i sometime try to loop on a service but i am not confident at hitting those shots,he is good at both smashing either from FH or BH and is consistent. is there any way i can start attacking first?it's been a while since i won from him, what strategy should i adopt? help me :)
Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago
Hi Samad,
You need to focus on getting that backhand topspin better against backspin. If you can do this it will change the whole game. At the moment he know that he can just serve the ball long to your backhand and then attack the next ball because you are always going to push the return.
Your backhand topspin doesn't have to be fantastic but just lifting the ball with some topspin will change the look of the rally.
In the meantime, you can try to be a little better with your push return. Sometimes these type of players don't like it if you push the ball faster and more decisively to them. Try taking the ball a little earlier so that he has less time. Also think about the placement. Try going out deep and wide to the forehand or deep and fast to the backhand and see what his attack is like off these balls. This will get him away from the table and can be an awkward ball to make an attacking stroke from.
Thoughts on this question
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samad ZAKir Posted 12 years ago
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 12 years ago
samad ZAKir Posted 12 years ago
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 12 years ago
Rama Camatchee Posted 12 years ago
Hi Alois,
My topspin is not working effectively when someone serves fast and low backspin. It simply goes to the net eventhough I make a good lift . Sometimes , I simply miss the ball when I do it fast . Last week, I simply push against the backspin but the player had a very good forehand loop and he kill me. I am not good at defense but my backspin is relatively good. Is it a good practice to return backspin to fast and low backspin serve rather than complicating things with Topspin. I also realise that when the ball falls just 20cm off the table it's hard to have the fast topspin movement.
Kindly advise
Regards Rama
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 12 years ago
Hi Rama,
It is best if you can keep working on making a topspin stroke. In the long term this is the best option. If the ball is going into the net think about getting a better brushing contact on the ball. The brushing contact will grip the ball and lift it over the net.
You also need to check the quality of your rubber. Rub your finger across the rubber to make sure it still has some grip on it. If it doesn't you will find it difficult to make this stroke. You will need to replace your rubber in this case.
Take a look through our lesson on Forehand Topspin Off Backspin. This will show you the stroke you need to be working on.