PHOTO OF THE WEEK
TIP OF THE WEEK
The Magic of No-Spin Pushing & Chopping to the Middle
By Dr. Ping Pong
Most players, when pushing, push to the wide corners, especially to the wide backhand. And that’s usually the correct strategy. However, there is an exception to this rule. A "no-spin" push or chop to the middle of the table can cause havoc to many players. This means you fake backspin, but put very light or no spin on the ball. (You do this by exaggerating a wrist snap after contact.) The opponent will tend to be more used to looping against backspin, and if you fake backspin, will tend even more to lift. If the shot were from a corner, then the opponent would have the full corner-to-corner table to work with. By going to the middle, the opponent has less table to work with, and so is more likely to loop off the table. Added benefits are he has less of an extreme angle against you, and he has to decide between forehand and backhand. (This strategy is very common for top choppers.)