styles of play

Ram Unknown Asked 14 years ago

hi coach ,

I use both topspin and backspin in my game , but i ve noticed in match videos that top players use only one type of spin . thus there seem to be an attacking looping style and a defensive chopping style . at most the attacking player blocks or loops the ball . why is this ? wouldnt it make more sense to change it up ? and should i convert to a specific style to go the next level ?

thanks in advance

Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago

Hi Ram,

There have been successful players that play in this allround manner but it is extremely difficult to convert from one to the other during a rally or match.

Most defensive players though will have an extremely strong forehand topspin attack for when they get a weaker opportunity.

If you are playing this style successfully then keep going with it because it can be very effective. Just remember it is difficult to master.

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Kronos Chow Posted 14 years ago

I can think of a player who do both chopping and looping: Chen WeiXing of Austria. Yet his style is not exactly what you expect, he only chops with backhand (and rarely with forehand) and loop (or lift) with forehand, instead of both sides doing top and backspin.

If you can loop and chop with both sides it is probably a very powerful combination, yet extremely hard to master.

Ji-Soo Woo Posted 14 years ago

Generally speaking the only players who switch between chopping and topspin are defensive players (especially the modern defenders like Joo). It is quite rare to see offensive players employ the chop during a rally. From what I've seen so far, Schlager uses the chop more than most other offensive players... But even the most offensive player can chop if they really need to...as in when they are completely out of position and need time to recover.

andrew brand Posted 14 years ago

i am quite new to the game. i started out as defensive for first 7 or 8 months, then recently over last 4 months i have switched to being a really attacking player. good thing about this is i still have the defensive side in reserve for when i come up against a superior player, i win a lot of points from being able to block their best shots, and its now nice to be able to turn it into an attack afterwards and win the point like that. gives you a good allround game to learn defensive style first, then move on to attack. i still put the odd random chop in during a topspin rally too, just to mix it up, and this often brings a push return which i can do a strong loop off of.

Emu Unknown Posted 14 years ago

I guess it comes down to shot selection. Having a biggger range of shots to choose from can only help. I know sometimes I will play differently if I see my opponent has a weekness against one shot, or if I can forced to move into a bad position a low backspin and be slow enough for me to return into position where if played a topspin shot even relatively slowly I may still be out of position for the next shot.

I guess its all about your game and which shot you think will work best for you. However having (and useing) more options seems to me like it can only be good!

Sam Quek Posted 12 years ago

Excatly, I've been playing defensive for...quite a while, and defensive i mean i rarely loops or attacks the ball. I usually push and drive th eball until my opponent makes a miatakes. I was also learning ho wto chop but now, i think that defense wasn't my "thing" hence, I'm now an attacker. And yes, its difficult to use both chop and offensive tactics in a rally and switch quickly.