Many players who we’ve coached often say they find it difficult in match situations to strike a balance between being too negative and simply keeping the ball on the table or going for too many risky shots and making more mistakes. If this sounds like you or you find yourself making a lot of unforced errors then this learning this tactic could be your answer. Players tend to rush in match situations which makes the already difficult task of decision making even harder, this tactical approach will go a long way in the fight to stop these mistakes happening!
So what do we mean by create the point? Creating the point focuses on using good placement ,positioning and variation of spin/speed to give yourself the opportunity to beat players without always having to take on difficult or more challenging shots. Rather than simply trying to win through sheer power and force aggressive shots, sometimes a more subtle approach is effective and less risky.
There are many different ways you can “Create the point” the first is through the use of good angles and placement to get your opponent out of position, once you’ve moved your opponent wide or caught them off balance you’ll get a more straight forward and weaker ball that you can finish the point with, this eliminates the risk of playing too aggressive and making unnecessary mistakes to early in the rally. Now that’s not to say we want to encourage you to be negative but simply to have the mindset that not every point needs to be won through a big powerful topspin, sometimes good direction and ability to move the opponent can be just as effective!
Another way to create the point is through spin and change of pace, putting more topspin on the ball makes it harder for your opponent to control their shots and play aggressively at you. Playing with more spin also gives you the time to recover you position on the table, so sometimes it’s well worth taking some pace off your shots and adding more spin, especially when off balance or out of position. This way you can work yourself into a better position after a few balls to eventually play a more aggressive or winning shot.
This tactical approach which will not only reduce the amount of unforced errors you make but give you a more controlled and precise way to win points!
Our latest tactical video we have just released on the Academy goes in depth on how to execute this tactic well and also includes Match examples from Tom playing in Swedish league!
