Hi Alex,
Ok so a couple of things that I feel will help in this situation. You mentioned one which is stepping back slightly and giving yourself a little more time to choose a shot and play with control. This can definitely help. Also when playing against short pimples sometimes giving the opponent no pace to work off can be a good tactic so they are forced to make the play a bit more.
Lastly trying to play with more topspin in general and really varying the placement of your shots in doing this too. This makes it hard for the opponent to always get on the front foot and means they have to first concentrate on controlling your spin and different directions.
A lot of the time as you mentioned it causes problems because it takes you out of your rhythm against these types of players, so taking your time and trying to focus on being solid and not giving away cheap points. Of course it takes practice and easier said than done!
Cheers, Tom
