Have you ever wondered what you do if your opponent is attacking you with ferocious topspins?
Hi, I'm Alois Rosario from PingSkills. Today we're going to show you the backhand block.
The backhand block is a shorter version of the backhand counterhit or backhand topspin.
The backhand counterhit starts here, and you're finishing through to there. With the backhand
block you're starting in the same position and just having a shorter version of that
stroke.
So why do we have the shorter version? Well there's two reasons. One, your opponent is
already generating enough speed for you to get that ball back onto the table so you don't
need to have a bigger stroke to generate your own speed. The second thing is that because
your opponent is playing the ball at you fast that's going to cut down the amount of time
you have to play a stroke so you don't have the time to play a bigger stroke and you only
need a shorter stroke to get that ball back on the table with your backhand block.
The next consideration is the angle of your bat and what angle do you need to have it
at. Well this depends on the amount of spin that the other person puts on their topspin.
If there's a lot of spin you're going to really need to turn that bat forward to counteract
the topspin otherwise the topspin is going to get the ball to lift really high so if
there's a lot of topspin turn your bat forward for the block. If there's less spin then you
can open up the angle for the block.
Another important thing to think about when you're blocking is to make sure that you're
moving sideways and lining up the ball where it's coming to you. So if the ball is out
here you need to move across so that the ball is coming directly at you to make the block.
Similarly if the ball is over there you need to move across and hit the ball from in front
of you. A good test is if you let the ball go it should smack you straight in the guts.
As you get more comfortable with your block you can start to increase the pace of your
block and that's called the punch. So with the punch you are hitting the ball very flat
and it's almost like a little mini smash. So it's "bang!" You are getting a nice flat
contact on the ball. To do that though you need to start with your bat up a little bit
higher and come more forward straight at the ball so now you're not coming up you don't
need to lift that ball you're coming forward and straight through so you're punching straight
through the ball and getting a direct line from your bat to the ball to the table.
So you do the punch when you've got a little bit more time and the ball sits up a little
bit higher. It's difficult to do the punch if you're rushed for time so if you've got
a little bit more time, the ball sits up, and then bang, you can go straight through
that ball and punch it back at them.