the-power-of-taking-the-ball-early
lem496 asked 3 years ago
Hey guys I took your advice and tried to stay close to the table in the tournment I played in this past weekend. I had great success using your video as a guide. The problem I would have against some of the very strong players is getting stuck close blocking and unable to move away from the table. During these rallies I felt that I was under way more pressure than my opponents and would start to feel like a deer stuck in the head lights of an oncoming car. Even when I took the ball with my pips I couldnt slow the play down enough to switch to attacking with my forhand. My question is 2 fold 1) How do I turn the table on my opponent when I get in this position? 2) How do I manage to get away from the table and position myself for a forehand attack?
The good news I went up 230 points. All the events I entered were with much higher players. I made it into the semi finals in the U1900 event and finals in the U1600. My USATT rating now is a respectable 1583. My goal was 1500 by years end.
Thanks for all your help and encouragement
As usual stay safe,
Lem
Tom Academy Coach answered 3 years ago
Hey Lem!
First off that’s great to hear you felt it helped and that your results have been going well, congratulations on the new rating!
I would say that best way to avoid getting stuck at the table like this is mostly about the placement but f your shots and trying to force the opponent out of position and to play a weaker ball. So really trying to play wide out to the angles or alternatively into the body/crossover position which can often cause a weaker shot from the opponent.
Also its possible to try and play nice and aggressive with the pimples when at the table and then immediately take a small step away to give yourself that extra time needed for a forehand attack.
Let us know how you find this and keep up the good work!
Cheers, Tom
lem496I’m working on being aggressive with pips. The learning curve with them can be a bit steep. Maybe “somebody” can create a video on being aggressive with long pips. 😉
