Tactics against defensive players

dear all, if you want to win against a chopper, you must learn to consistently loop/drive against backspin,without this skill your chances are dim

also learning to do good drop shots that bounce twice on the table. if you smash a couple of times to draw them away from the table then do the drop shot they might not get back in time for the second bounce.

My question is that should you play the ball short with a defender to prevent him from chopping?

the general plan of most choppers is to make you tired by letting you loop again and again whenever i face a chopper i use short-long-short-long ball technique to make my opponent tired first

I will hit short on different sides with various amounts of backspin until the ball go into the net or a bit high for a nice flick long to the corner or elbow shot. It usually is way to fast to get to it. If I notice they don't have good footwork and position then I will play their backhand with a mix of short and deep shots to work them to the corner and then when I get receive a shot to middle or right side I hit it fast to their forehand corner or far forehand just over the net. Either way they have to rush to get to it and I am able to get the point then or after their next shot which usually sets me up for a lovely smash. Also taking their backspin and giving topspin loop is crucial to learn.

Here is some tactics against Choppers fellow ping pong players, i have really thought about this very hard.

With the serves. Do about 80% very short and vary the spin and placement. This makes the defender uncomfortable because they stand a long way back from the table.Also they have to run into the table to get the serve. The other 20% serve long and vary the spin-placemnt. This keeps them back from the table.

After the serve and the rally begins do two heavy top spins and keep them way off the table, then for the next two points push the ball over the net extremely short bringing in your opponent right up to the table. Keep this going for the whole game. Defenders are really comfortable away from the table but not up close to the table.

What you essentially are doing is tireing the defender out by bring him in and out. Another thing this makes a defender uncomfortable they like to be along way off the table chopping not frequlently standing right up at the table. Be paitent when doing this wait for the him to make a mistake then you hit the winner straight at him.

Your heavy topsin will force him into errors and your drop shots will force him to sit some up for you to attack-kill. I learnt this tactic from a croation coach coaching a croation Youngster who was playing a defender at the 2006 Oceana-junior world curcit leg matches when i was helping the Geelong Table Tennis Club run the event.

I have never forgotten this tactic the croations used against defenders.

What about a deffender that are always near the table ? Just like my friend, he's a deffender but he only push and block and also put sidespin on the block (he's a penhold) but sometimes he attack with counterhit and topspin but his attack is not that good especially the topspin what do you think ?

Frendy,

I saw a similar question about dealing with blockers. The coach said that blockers like it when the ball comes to them fast and the same. To combat them you need to vary the speed and spin of your ball all the time in order to give these blockers trouble. I will try this when I face my opponent once I see him again-see, he's a blocker too and I find it annoying that he always returns my fast balls, he makes light of my games.