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Left handed player |
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MAkira
Super Member Joined: 08/18/2014 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 135 |
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Posted: 08/25/2014 at 11:16am |
I am a left handed player and i tend to only play against right handed players. I have played a few lefties but they had weird styles and didn't tend to be an issue at all. I am only rated 1678 but recently i came accross my first "solid" left handed player. I'm used to my forehand going to a players backhand which tends to be weaker and my footwork isn't fantastic. However when i played this left handed player my forhand put it right in his sweet spot. Since i usually play against right handed players i also have been able to develop quite a backhand since the majority of righthanded players forehand goes to my backhand so i've been forced to learn to use it quite well. I guess my question is how do i overcome a strong shot to my forehand as i've never had to deal with it before...
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mjamja
Platinum Member Joined: 05/30/2009 Status: Offline Points: 2895 |
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When you practice or warm up (at club not tournaments) get your right-handed opponent to move over to his left and hit forehands from their Bh corner to your Fh. This is good practice for them since this is an important technique at higher levels and you get to practice your Fh against a stronger shot. If you drill with weaker players, do drills where you intentionally hit weaker balls to their Fh that they then attack strongly to your Fh. Again good practice for both of you.
A few of the things that you might need to do against stronger shots. 1. Hit the ball with a little more spin and less forward speed. This normally means closing the racket angle a little more and making your swing plane a little more vertical. 2. If you play really close to the table you might need to get a little more distance so you have more time. Moving back just 1ft can make a big difference and you can still use the same techniques and tactics that you use for close to table play. 3. Start your forward swing a little earlier so that you do not have to swing faster at a faster ball. Try to keep the same swing speed as you normally do. Of course for really fast balls you may have no choice but to swing faster unless you move back from the table. Despite my suggestions above, the main way you get better against stronger shots is practice against them. Your brain figures things out on a subconscious level so much better than you can consciously. If you very seldom see a certain quality of ball (speed, spin, placement) it is very difficult to hit well against it when you suddenly face it. Mark
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smackman
Assistant Moderator Joined: 07/20/2009 Location: New Zealand Status: Offline Points: 3264 |
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a few things is that the player you played be a much better player and you will therfor have trouble
some other thoughts are you said you didn't have the best footwork and you wern't used to such a wide good shot so maybe come in to the middle by a half step and use tactics like hit more to his backhand and be ready for wide balls, its not rocket science and we all have trouble with wide balls so even practicing with a good righty backhand player who can hit one each side to help you out so in summary perhaps come slightly more middle for him be awear of his strengths and reduce his effectivness get into him first watch and learn from him and watch others play him play him more often be ready for the wide one and even cut it off early if you see it early have fun
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NextLevel
Forum Moderator Joined: 12/15/2011 Location: Somewhere Good Status: Offline Points: 14847 |
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You overcome a strong shot by practicing against it. In match play, you try to avoid facing strong shots by knowing where to place the ball If you don't like wide shots, don't go wide unless you have gone to the center to get your opponent out of position.
Practicing against lefties is a problem for everyone, including lefties. But if you have a lefty at your club, play them often.
If you don't have a lefty,try two things. The first is what mjamja recommended - use your forehand from your backhand side as a drill to the other person's righty forehand and also let your opponent use their forehand from the backhand side against your forehand. One of the higher level players who visits my club, at the beginning of every session, would do his hitting drill for all his strokes across the major points of the table for an hour at least once a week - forehand crosscourt (regular hitting), forehand down the line to the other person's forehand at the edges and middle of the table, forehand inside out from the backhand corner to the other backhand corner etc. The same with the backhand as well. As trivial as it might sound, it lets you understand better what adjustments you need to make to your stroke/footwork given where you are on the table and how the table interferes with your stroke. Footwork is important, but equally important is being able to hit the ball once you get there. Usually, at the 1700 level getting to the ball once and hitting one shot to right place ends the point in your favor when you are drawn wide. Hitting it to the wrong spot also ends the point if the opponent can block it to where you are not. The other is to find a good backhand player with a loop and let him play with the backhand from the forehand side. The way the ball breaks simulates what a lefty does if the backhand player sidespins the ball. Of course, that would mean that you would need to find a training partner, and you know how that can go... Good luck! |
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MAkira
Super Member Joined: 08/18/2014 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 135 |
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Thanks for all the advice! I will work hard on finding a left handed player to consistently play with!
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BMonkey
Gold Member Joined: 11/28/2008 Status: Offline Points: 1015 |
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Hello, I am a fellow lefty. A drill for this would be 1 and 1 (1 forehand crosscourt 1 backhand down the line), to a righty's backhand. Start with the crosscourt shot being blocked inside the corner and have them slowly block it wider and wider. That'll replicate the situation you were in, it sounds like, and you can focus on your footwork in response to this.
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