Looping against half long chops

One of my opponents is a very good chopper.i practice with him a lot to improve my forehand topspin of backspin.but sometimes he gives me a half long chop and and it just barely crosses the table and i am afraid to give a full upward swing because i feel i will hit my hands on the table.How should i tackle this?

Also he gives me different amounts of backspin with the same action and when i look at his bat movement it always feels the same.but he says there is different amount of spin on the ball and i have to adjust my racket accordingly.How will i understand this?

Hi Vineeth,

It is important to follow the ball in this situation.  If you are following the ball out, then if the ball starts to drop short you will push it and if it continues out of the table then you will topspin it.

Understanding the subtle differences in the spin takes a long time to get right. You need to play against a lot of shots like this to be able to recognise the differences quickly.  Really watch the contact of the bat on the ball when he is hitting it and then watch carefully the flight of the ball to get the most information you can.