joanna-parker-double-inverted-chopper
Bobv asked 5 years ago
Hi guys,
Been watching videos of Joanna Parker and her defender attack style. Very interesting and an acomplished player. She seems to play more defense than Satoshi Aida. Why do you think that is?
She also uses Tenergy 05 , 1.7mm (so I read) for her style. What do you think of that rubber in a thinner sponge for overall chopping and attacking? Thanks
Tom Academy Coach answered 5 years ago
Hi Bobv, Yes I know Joanna very well I actually used to practice with her quite a bit and she’s a very good player. She is more of an all out defender for sure than someone like Satoshi Aida, this comes down of course partly to personal preference but also what you find are your strengths and weaknesses. Joanna was always very good at creating a lot of backspin away from the table and also varying the spin, so she just mainly used her attacks on a weak ball or as a surprise.
As for the rubbers, it’s definitely better to uses a thinner sponge as a defensive style player as it adds a lot more control when you need to handle the opponents incoming speed and spin compared to thicker sponge. Tenergy for chopping and attacking is great if you feel you can control it, some players find for the defensive side it can be a little to quick but of course the thinner sponge will help. It has great spin and is brilliant when you need to attack, so it can be a good combination for sure.
IwilllearnbackhandloopsHi Tom,
How do you feel about as an attacker being able to throw in a decent chop when you are in trouble away from the table? Sure it could really throw your opponent off! Do you think it is worth learning one or is it too much of a diversion from the fundamental developments for amateur attacking players?
Hey, I would say a chop as an attacking player is always nice to be able to do but will happen very rarely and is only used in a real “emergency” situation when you are way out of position. However I definitely agree that it can throw the opponent off and is usually better than a high lob, so it’s worth being able to do but I certainly wouldn’t spend long practicing this as an attacking player. More like a nice bonus if you can do it well but definitely focus on the other fundamentals for attacking play first 🙂
