Playing Against Hard Bats

andrew brand Asked 15 years ago

recently i have started playing some mature players who use short pimple hard bats.  i have found this frustratingly difficult to play against, they dont do any real big or attacking strokes, and these are not athletic players but i have been really struggling to adapt to these games. i have found that i cant read their backspin shots and serves so i go into the net, and most of play tends to be short over the table because these hard bats just kill the spin and pace i play with, it makes me think i should start to learn the flick because i dont have any attack this close to the net.  i am relatively new to the game (about 3 months at club level plus about 6 months basement before that).  any tips on playing against this style?  ps how is the new dvd coming? thanks.

Alois Rosario Answered 15 years ago

Hi Andrew,

Yes, playing against hard bats can be frustrating.

The things to remember is that they can not attack the ball well.  They are relying on you to make a mistake. Be patient and wait for your opportunity to attack.

Often playing with slow topspin is good.  These bats cope well with flat fats strokes but not as well with topspin.  The fast shots will come back fast.  

As frustrating as it can be, just use it as experience and learning how to deal with different types of spin and styles.

The Training Secrets DVD is going well.  We always end up needing twice as many filming sessions as we first plan for.  We are in for another filming session tomorrow morning at 6.30. Better be off to get my beauty sleep!!