Returning Your Opponent's Smash

To buy MARK V 30°, click on the image.

Facing the smash or kill shot is possibly the most sobering experience in table tennis. Typically, your opponent goes for the smash when you return the ball high enough for him to play the shot. It is immaterial whether the ball contains some type of spin or not. The important fact here is that the ball has a high enough trajectory and ASKS to be smashed.

One of the first thoughts that comes to mind about the smash is that you are most probably NOT going to win the point. The smash is a high-speed shot executed with full power and can be delivered anywhere on the table. Typically, you have moved away from the table in order to try to return the smashed ball. A routine response to a smash is the lob. Basically, what you do is scoop the ball up and hope it lands on your opponent's side of the table. Even if it does, your opponent is likely to smash again. This can be repeated any number of times until one of you makes a mistake. Usually you are the one most likely to make that mistake.

What we will try to discuss here is how best to negotiate the smash. One recommended way of handling the smash is to return it with some FORWARD spin. This way, when the ball gets back to your opponent it will be slightly more difficult for him to control the ball because of the spin AND the high trajectory. Remember, a high trajectory is not always easy to negotiate if the concentration level of the player is not sufficient. Many players get TENSED when they see a ball floating up at them and this can lead to simple errors.

Another way to return the smash is to play the DEEP CHOP. The deep chop is a more severe version of the standard chop. What you do is execute a chopping action way back from the table, which gives the ball a tremendous amount of backspin. This can pose problems for your opponent. A neatly executed deep chop might FORCE your opponent to play a normal topspin drive, which means you have a better chance to return the next shot. This is because it is easier to face even a severe topspin than a smash.

However, remember that although you might try your level best to return the smash, there is very little chance of you winning the rally. Examine at a later stage what mistake you might have made that gave your opponent the chance to kill the ball. Maybe you did not make any mistake at all and it was your opponent's quality shot that FORCED you to return the ball lamely, which then led to the smash. Anyway, let's get this very clear - there is NOTHING much you can do against the smash.

A table tennis rally consisting of smashes and lobs can be very entertaining to watch for the audience. However, there is very little technical expertise involved in this spectacular exchange. Defensive players often GENERATE such kind of rallies. This happens because their NATURAL tendency to play the deep chop results in situations where the opponent can start smashing the ball. Some defensive players at the elite level are capable of winning points even after a prolonged session of deep chops and smashes. However, modern-day table tennis has made such entertaining play almost OBSOLETE. Serious players of table tennis no longer stand much chance of making any progress with such a defensive approach.

This is not to deny, however, the importance of having a strong defense. Even purely attacking players at the international level can display amazing defense when necessary. But this is not their MAIN approach to the game. In order to be better prepared to return a smash, you need to practice a good deal with your table tennis partner. However, it does not benefit you to spend too much time on it. Instead, concentrate on improving your basic shots like the topspin and flick.