Strategy
I'm a penhold looper and am having trouble getting the ball over the net on my returns. My opponent often attacks, has good placement limiting the time I have to get to the ball. I'm having trouble generating enough pace on the ball which usually falls short of the net. Any advice on attacking against dead Chinese rubber? Korey
Hi Korey,
It sounds like you might need to open the angle of your racket slightly. When playing against dead rubber the ball will sometimes reverse in spin so the more topspin you put on your shot the more backspin comes back to you. Even if it doesn't reverse, it will come back very flat so it will feel like it has backspin. Therefore opening the angle of yoru racket or lifting the ball more will work.
When playing penhold players it is important to remember to first analyse your opponent as you would if they used any grip. What are their strengths and weaknesses? A common weakness of penhold players is their forehand block especially against a slow spinny topspin. Their backhand may be a weakness if they use the traditional style, or you may wish to explore the crossover point if they are using the reverse penhold backhand.
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Benzene Chiral Posted 7 years ago
It'll be good to train yourself to track the ball throughout so there's more reaction time.
I presume, since your opponent is using a dead rubber, that he or she is a hitter. Firstly, when your opponent strikes, open your racket angle and get the ball on the table, block if you need (don't get too upright on attacking every single ball). Then, attack next ball or when you're in a better position. Don't attack when you're not in a position to, or you'll end up hitting the ball into the net, or over the end of the table.