What If Your Backhand Is Chronically Weak

To buy PHANTOM Infinity 0012, click on the image. This rubber has no sponge.

Quite a few table tennis players find that their backhand is simply not working. Maybe they can return the ball - but not effectively. Our brain is wired to use the forehand stroke better than the backhand. Further, the forehand sweep has much more freedom than the backhand. All this makes it quite difficult to hit the ball with sufficient finesse when we use the backhand. Players have to practice for hours on end to get their backhand right. It takes much more time and practice than the forehand stroke.

One way to avoid the backhand is using the penhold grip rather than the shakehand grip. However, here we will not discuss that option. Instead, we want to find out how to be able to play EVEN with a really weak backhand. One good way to overcome the problem is to use the pips or pimpled rubber instead of the sandwich rubber. If your backhand is REALLY weak, use a pips rubber such as PHANTOM without any sponge. This will give you more control over your backhand than a pips rubber WITH some sponge.

In order to get going with your backhand, you need to use an OFFENSIVE racket. The reason is the reduced punch you get from the pips rubber will be compensated by the extra speed you get from the racket. This will give you the ability and confidence to hit back a ball SMARTLY using your backhand.

Using a pips rubber gives you the added advantage of being able to chop the ball easily. Further, when you hit the ball using pips, you give the ball a kind of 'vibration' that might well overwhelm your opponent if executed properly. Many professional level players find it difficult to negotiate a ball that has been returned using pips.

Since you get the 'unfair' extra advantage of being able to return heavily chopped balls easily using pips, take ADVANTAGE of it. Instead of just chopping the ball lamely back, give it a crispy TAP. This will put even more pressure on your opponent because of the extra momentum. When your master the technique, however, return the chopped ball with a jaw dropping FLICK. You will most likely win the point.

When returning a forward spinning ball with your backhand pips, simply block it. If you control the shot well, it will fly back to your opponent with the DREADED vibration or 'shake' effect. One disadvantage of negotiating a topspin or loop with the pips rubber is controlling the ball. A good way to make best use of pips is to be able to FORCE the ball into a low trajectory. However, this depends on your skill level as compared to your opponent.

The main idea behind the pips rubber is to give you a fair chance in a table tennis game even if you have a miserable backhand. However, this is not to dismiss the DEFINITE advantages you get from pips. Used effectively, you can easily UNSETTLE your opponent with your backhand. Most of the points you win with pips will usually be negative points. In other words, you get points from your opponent making mistakes rather than you making the winning shots.