OOAK Table Tennis Forum

How to you set up your defense? As a defender, I've found that I have the best results either A) Flicking to crossover point or deep to BH, forcing a weak opener to chop, or B) pushing fast at crossover point deep with mid spin so as to get back on the chop.

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Stiga OC CR
FH: Nittaku H2 NEO
BH: VEGA PRO MAX

Yasaka YEO
FH : Nittaku H3 Neo
BH : VEGA PRO MAX
Go Chicago White Sox!

I used to push, but lately, after being frustrated at how many opponents simply pushed back instead of opening with a loop, I've been flicking deep to the forehand.

Since I'm left handed, I can get a nice angle with my backand flick (if short) or roll (if long). By placing it so wide it makes the return almost certainly be a topsping to my backhand which I can then chop.

My variations on this would be to go for a down the line backhand to backhand flick/roll and then attack with forehand.

My 'saftey' shot is the sideswipe a la chen weixing

Forehand is still a deep push or a loop if it's long.

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Last night (my first night at my new club now that I have moved) I played most of my game with the traditional attacking windshield wiper style. But one game I did try playing chopper for a while. As I have mentioned once or twice elsewhere, I have been playing with being a chopper and have been having some fun with it against the robot. But I still had never put it to the actual test against a real live opponent.

Long story short, I found the same frustration that you did above. Whenever I chopped at my opponent they simply pushed back. It made for either a very boring long rally, or I found myself just looping back at them to pick the pace up. I was also itching for a way to figure out how to make them stop pushing back.

I have heard the term "roll" a number of times, but I'm still unclear as to exactly what it is. How exactly you execute a "roll"?

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Currently playing classic defensive style (a la Chtchetinine)
American Hinoki Single Ply 9mm Bald Cypress
Palio CJ8000/1.2mm Dawei Butter
Saviga V 0.6

Yes if they don't attack you should, but I'd go with the BH or the cross over point (right handed to right handed)

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Frictionless strokes | Attacking pip strokes | Greggy's advice | Bollsbrother | Sebastian Sauer . . . . . .

Yes, going with the forehand can be a risk against a competent looper. I only really use that shot against intermediate level players who don't have the footwork to attack it strongly.

Glueless, in my mind, a roll with long pips is a softer, safe hit which is used for placement rather than used to pressure the opponent or win the point outright.

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Thanks.

What kind of placement are you looking for that does NOT pressure the opponent?

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Currently playing classic defensive style (a la Chtchetinine)
American Hinoki Single Ply 9mm Bald Cypress
Palio CJ8000/1.2mm Dawei Butter
Saviga V 0.6

Well, if the hit isn't that fast to put time pressure (forcing a block or increasing the distance to the table), at least you get to move his/her body to a new place on the table, perhaps opening up some angles which weren't there before? (like, a little to the wide backhand would probably open up the wide forehand angle)

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Viscaria. H2 Neo 2.15. Tenergy 05 1.9.

It's not that I'm trying to not pressure the opponent. It's more like a setup shot that buys me some time to get into a better position. And, like Yuzuki said, it opens up angles

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I think your first move very much depends on the level and inclinations of your opponent, as Joo indicated, but also on your own. What is it you want? A chance to chop and return heavy backspin which your opponent will have trouble lifting? Or a chance to attack with fast forehand topspin? On any level, given the right equipment, you can chop anything if it comes deep enough, so placing your first ball deep generally would be enough. On medium levels, if you want to play offensively, you will want a weak backspin or weak topspin ball you can attack; in this case, your first ball shouldn't only be deep, but also have little spin - a lot of backspin on it will provoke a "safe" push, a lot of topspin will provoke a fast attack. On higher levels, any ball placed deep will be attacked and you will want to put a lot of any sort of spin on it or it will be attacked so hard you have a hard time even countering it; it may generally be better to place half-long or even short. But if you're a woman, your first (spinny) ball can go deep anyway, because no attack will be so powerful that you cannot return it comfortably either chopping or counter-attacking.

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Love it.
It also depends on what your opponent like to do.
With someone who likes to drop short a lot, I'll push deep and fast to eliminate chance of my opp doing drop shot.

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My thing was that I am getting "Jammed" close to the table, and want to work out tactics to prevent it.

_________________
Stiga OC CR
FH: Nittaku H2 NEO
BH: VEGA PRO MAX

Yasaka YEO
FH : Nittaku H3 Neo
BH : VEGA PRO MAX
Go Chicago White Sox!

Well, for one, try not to give out easy deep balls, or forgetting to step a bit back after those. (Personally, this is still my problem...)

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Viscaria. H2 Neo 2.15. Tenergy 05 1.9.

That thought is pretty strange to me, and i'm surprised that other choppers seem to feel the same way.

First of all, frustration. About the only thing that should frustrate a player with strong backspin defense is a flat hit that blows by them. This is the standard chopper's weakness that everyone knows about. Nothing else should be frustrating; you should have an answer to everything else that comes at you.

Second, the push. This should be almost the perfect ball for you. (Maybe the perfect ball would be the one that your opponent hit into the net.) If your opponent wants to push, every option is available to you. If you've trained your footwork it's a third ball loop kill. If you're not there yet but have decent footwork and spin it's a spinny loop setting up for a smash. If you don't trust your topspin, push the ball back. What's the worst that can happen - your opponent loops your push? You're a chopper, that shouldn't be a problem. If they push again, you should have the advantage there too; a chopper shouldn't lose a pushing battle. You should have the advantage both technically and psychologically.

For me a flip is a rare shot because it sets me up for exactly what i want the least - my opponent's counter while i'm caught over the table. I'll do it once in a while and usually win the point because of the change of pace, but if it's done more often it's a losing tactic.

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Equipment: Matsushita PowerDefence, Spin Art 1.9 black, Xiying 979 ox red
Style: American | US Rating: barely 2000

What I do is keep the push rally going and wait for a loop to come. Pushing is my strength

If not, I just "lift" the ball (this is with inverted) which is low but long so they can loop it. If they push it, it goes high for a winner.

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Some good points there. My problem is that I never feel totally comfortable close to the table--my long pip push is a weakness, perhaps because I've been so used to pushing with medium pips (millitall). I agree with you that a pips player should win pushing battles, but right now it's a weak area of my game so I tend to avoid it.

The little training that I am able to do these days revolves around this problem. I'm slowing replacing the flick/roll with Chen Weixing's sidespin swipe which seems to be a little more reliable (for me) and unpredicable (for them). Also, I'm working on twiddling and using the inverted to push in order to keep the spin heavy.

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