Returning smashes

Stefan Liew Asked 14 years ago

How do you return a smash when it comes at you very fast and low? Sometimes i am able to return the smash but i cannot control the power.

Jeff Plumb Answered 14 years ago

Hi Stefan,

Great question. We actually filmed a lesson for this in our video zone recently. You can read a little bit about it in the blog entry how do I return that smash?

Basically it is very difficult to return a smash. If you are back from the table you can try the lob. However the best tactic is to stop your opponent from smashing in the first place. This is what will make you a good player.

The best way to stop your opponent from smashing is by playing a good short game. By this I mean when you serve, serve the ball short so it would bounce twice on the table. That way it is very difficult for your opponent to attack. Then you can try and make the strong attack. If you opponent serves short to you, you can return the ball short using the push. Again this stops your opponent attacking. It is this "short game" that separates the good players from the rest. You can have the best forehand in the world but without the corresponding short game, it is useless.

So work on your short game and you'll have other players telling you that they can't return your smashes.