I regularly say to people when they miss a shot: "You've got a big piece of shit on your bat..!" When they look at blade... I say: "No... on the handle !"... Lol.😂
I was that pusher for years. Could beat players that played much stronger me but hit a plateau. As soon as someone knew how to really exploit me, I was easily beaten. After becoming a much stronger offensive player, now I can incorporate much of that defensive play into my games but not be exploited. That said, if someone simply has stronger power and better legwork than I do, I am easily beaten. The grind continues!
This is perfect, I am losing consistently because I am getting frustrated this pushing style. The person I play with even admits to just knocking the ball back to me and waiting for me to make a mistake. Thank you so much for this.
This is exactly what I needed to see and the timing was perfect. Just joined a table tennis club in a senior citizen community after being away from any serious play for almost 40 years. 80% of the intermediate players are pushers who have great consistency, but are very frustrating as I am still recovering my skills. Definitely need to work on my topspin shots. Going to get some practice with the robot today!
Everybody is saying: now I know how to beat a pusher but the reality probably is you can't topspin that well, otherwise you would have come to that conclusion already.
A pusher meant nothing to me. I was a two-wing looper and practiced regularly against a plywood backstop propped up behind the table, in the basement. Unless he was also a very _very_ good blocker he'd be picking up off-the-bounce bullet-looped balls in the backcourt for almost every point.
If you can not do a topspin properly, than you need to train it (good rubber also can make your top spin easier) unless you are a defender type of player...
A huge component of learning topspin is the rubber. There's a world of difference between premade starter paddles and custom ones, even one as cheap as $90
This was so helpful, don't know how I missed it. I play TT in office & I'm sick of these pushers who play thrash but you are the one who mess it up out of frustration hitting on net.
Another technique I find useful is make a push return with extra backspin on it. A weak pusher will dump the ball into the net. A good pusher will adjust to that, then I change to a push with very little backspin. Often, expecting another heavy backspin push, they will lift the ball up in the air, and then you can attack it more easily.
Great tips as always Tom! I really needed this lesson after yesterday’s push battles. You are absolutely correct and I have to not give up after a couple of unsuccessful topspin shots. I’m so trying this today!
Love your videos, especially because you explain the reasons behind doing things. Tried these techniques out and it has been working really well, thank you!
UA-cam Commenter in china the sport is basically called ping-pong, just with a different pronounciation and the chinese word for „ball“ in the end of it
Thank You once again for your pep talk !! I have two pushers in my club group. One of them I have been able to "manage" consistenty with your advise. The other is proving more difficult. But I'll definitely get there.... I just need consistent confidence in my own game. cheers !
I have just discovered your channel Tom and am really enjoying the videos. I agree with your comment about pushers as I became one after a coach advised me I would win more games. During 20 years of playing the local league, my results were very good but I didn’t enjoy myself and I don’t feel I won any games, it was just that the other player lost! After a 15 year break, I have now joined a small group of fun players where winning doesn’t matter and thanks to your tips am beginning to bring topspin back into my game. Keep up the good work.
Wow so useful, amazing advice. A coach of 15 years was telling me to just keeping push back, terrible advice, especially since I am very attacking and my forehand game is strong and defence game is weaker.
Another advice from my coach for my fellow topspinners who struggle against pushers: try to make a 'soft' push, taking out much of the backspin of the ball, and after his push its easier to topspin it and start the offensive play. Great video as always, I hope I'll be able to apply this strategy against my next pusher opponent!
I learned the big key is don’t rush the return on pushers let the ball float closer a bit further off the table before u return with top spin other wise u will over shoot or won’t have enough space and the ball will go into the net
Very good advice. This discovery for me was many years ago but it was the single biggest improvement to my competitive ability. My favorite way to convert the game into a topspin attack is the backhand flick... A very effective shot once perfected.
Very nice for players who start thinking seriously about the game and wanting move above amateur level. Thanks for motivating towards the end. Can you make videos on how to tackle flat hitter who hit flat on your pushes and when you are yet to develop consistent topspin game? Tips or strategies for intermediate players against consistent blockers or passive attackers like Vladimir Samsonov? btw I meant no disrespect for samsonov.
Hi - yes I plan to make more tactic videos in the future. In the meantime here's an article I wrote on how to beat a flat hitter: www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/tactics-for-beating-a-big-flat-hitter/ and here is an article on how to beat blocker: www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/tactics-for-beating-a-blocker/
You always keep things simple and practical! And you've added the moral/funny note in it too. Great stuff. Allow me then to make it a little more complicated - would you agree with the following? 1) When you get back a high push, be aware there's still backspin on it. There are two ways to cope with it: go on and topspin it to give it speed and still make it go down; this is what pros do. Or hit it flat but give yourself a margin above the net, by aiming more towards the end of the table. The latter is what I do nowadays because topspinning high, slow, backspin balls made me make many errors. 2) At the lower level, you have the pusher-pusher. At the mid level you encounter the pusher-blocker. These are often waiting for your not-so-violent topspin, to block you out. So after opening up against the backspin, you should expect the ball coming back. The pusher-blocker is deceptively slow and passive while pushing, then when you turn it into an attacking game, they transform in counterattackers. 3) Since the pusher doesn't have speed or (top)spin at their disposal, their only attacking device is placement. Pusher-pushers and pusher-blockers are very good at placing the ball. This means you not only have to be ready for the next ball, but also for it to come back into an uncomfortable position. This means: footwork and remain in motion. Again, this is hard against a pusher-blocker who lures you into their deceptively slow and motionless rhythm. 4) and since the pusher-blocker is waiting for your not so great attack, ready to counter its spin and speed, your own attacking device is placement as well. The not so mobile pusher-blocker is best caught by opening up into the elbow, followed by a placement into the open side, a general tactic which works particularly well against this type of player. 5) The greatest point in your video and the one I struggle most with, is to have a consistent strategy and not fall back to play the pushing game. The problem with attacking consistently against pushers or pimple players, is that I tend to become predictable in my strokes and tactics. It's really their passive appearance, wolves in sheep skin, that often tricks me into being too passive myself. Cheers!
Hi Dieter - I always like your contributions! Here's my answers... 1. I deal with these high backspin balls by playing a topspin-drive. So I brush the ball a bit to counter the backspin, but still a bit of a thick contact to get the speed to finish off the point. 2. Ha, ha! Yes this is much tougher. I like playing this style myself sometimes. So beat this style, you have to attack with speed and very good ball placement. If your attacks are too slow, they will keep blocking all day long. 3.I think the key here is your own ball placement. If you consistently attack wide, deep or to the crossover position, the pusher-pusher or pusher-blocker will find it harder to return the ball to awkward positions. 4. Completely agree. 5. Yes, you have to keep attacking. I think it's better to lose trying to play attacking table tennis, than lose playing a horrible pushing game. Your best weapons are ball placement and attacking with some speed. This is the way to get pas the push/blocker.
I generally don’t comment on much. But your videos are a gem for a amateur like me who WAS struggling against a couple of pushers. You’re right, the pushers have hit a ceiling. After a lot of losses, I was able to convert the game from a backspin to top spin, and they still push or chop leaving me with a very juicy ball that I smash with all the joy in the world. However, it’s exhausting playing against pushers but it’s worthwhile after a win.
Thank you so much just lost to a stupid slow pusher and had an early exit from the tournament but your video has guides and positively motivated me. Will play in this style and revert, I am feeling awesome right now!
The theory on how to beat a pusher is quite straight forward, but you still need to put in lots of practice with your loops before you start consistently winning. So go practice LOADS and good luck!
I lost couple of matches to pushers and recent one was today in semifinals… 😔 I am an attacking player who need to work on his top spin… I wish I would have seen this video earlier… Will keep improving my game… thanks much!
Last year I play with this pusher in the final game... It's very annoying and almost make me get angry with it... The pusher player just wait for me to make mistake... So thanks for this video I like how you explain it very simple to understand...
Hi Tom, very very very thanks!!! This video is 100% for me, because i'm constantly frustrated with these type of players... :) Time 0:48 - this is me!!! :)
Thanks Tom, very helpful! I'll apply these techniques when I play one of my usual partners who play "normal when we train and start pushing when there is a game 🙃
thank you very much for the suggestions because I get usually frustrated while I miss topspin shots, personally I like and enjoy playing the attacking style of the game.
@@TomLodziak, thanks for the reply. Undoubtedly, your youtube videos are very helpful to me to understand and to learn the game. Good job, keep on uploading...
Pushers and blockers are easy to beat. All my friends do one or both of these styles and none of them can beat me. I'm undefeated when playing at my friends house on Wednesday nights when we all play. I play with topspin and can dictate every point unless I make a mistake. They appear to be decent players if I push and block with them and we can have some amazing rallies, but as soon as I attack, they fall apart quickly. You are also right about topspin serves against them. I use a topspin serve 90% of the time because it gets me so many free points.
@@madsweber9127 Yes, It's actually starting to hold me back. I just recently got back into TT because my friend got a table and started having a TT night on Wednesday's. At first it was fun playing them because I wasn't too much better than they are. But I've progressed very fast since I played a lot 25 years ago as a teenager when I also played tennis (which was my favorite sport and I had a lot of natural ability in). Now I'm so much better than them it's starting to get boring because I only need to play at 50% or less to beat them -- almost all their points on me are my own unforced errors -- they have almost no ability to play offense because they get nervous and just go for safe shots. If I play aggressively at all I immediately win the point and never get any good rallies. Therefore, I just feed them slow topspin shots so I can at least have some practice on my technique. I keep trying to show them tips and tricks to progress their games but everyone just wants to push and block even though they see me dominating them all by using topspin and placement. I'm going to have to find a league to play in if I want to get better.
Ran into this at tournament 10 days ago. Since only my 2nd tournament in 2021 (having shut down due to Covid in March 2020) I was hesitant to attack but should have just gone ahead and attacked more. Today was a good time to look at this video (again).
Yeah, you have to take these players on with topspin attacks. It's very frustrating if you get sucked into pushing rallies. Most of the time, when you start playing topspin attacks, these pushers don't have a lot left and you can win easily.
It will be better to get some one to just push the balls at you at different angles and different speeds and you try to get your confidence back on your top spin shot. What I find is that there is a skill to this shot which is difficult to master but can be done. The bat angle must be open based on the height at which the ball is being contacted and at the point of contact the blade must be moving fast up reversing the back spin ( it cannot be tentative which is the main mistake that players do) and the arc of the blade swing should be slightly forward perhaps between 70 to 80 degrees not flat forward. The extra top spin will arc the ball down, the forward motion with an open bat will impart speed and restrict the tendency of the ball to go down. The trick is to get the ball to dip after having cancelling its downward trajectory.
Very nice video. Don't become a Pusher yourself. The Top Players are always Attacking Players . They don't care about missing few of those Smashes. They stick to Attacking most of the time.
Great video tom! I'm just wondering could you do a video about how to do a forehand loop from a very heavy back spin shot (or a dig as it is known) Thanks!
@@TomLodziak much appreciated. Not sure if penhold blockers are handled differently from shakehand blockers, but if you could specifically address playing penholders, that would be great!
@@taumax it doesn't matter actually penholder of shakehand blocker. They all need your power- the more you hit the ball the easier to play for them. Remember this. your serves should be more floatty and weak - long and short. for the penholders I lost the first game, then I realized they don't like short serves to the right side for the right handed pendholders and then you turn back the ball long to the left side. and he cannot play this ball properly, because they need to move much more than shakeholders and make much more mistakes. So the main tactics is to play short and long + to send the ball to opposit directions. As for the blockers, my experience shows they like spinny balls because spinny ball is easier to control. I'm trying to hit the ball, when you hit it it's much more harder to play consistently for the blocker.
Thanks Coach! I'm a natural attacker but when I play with my cousin I always have these infinite backspin marathons... I'm able to win, anyway, but I hate the fact that I need 2-3 minutes to get a point that I will, eventually, lose because of a bad serve (out of frustration). Cheers!
Usual high standard video, excellent explanation of how to beat these (pushers) type players. However it is difficult to maintain discipline and consistency when top spinning against really seasoned pushers, as they are very adept at disrupting your attacks. Constantly searching for the perfect rubber to overcome these type players.
You can get some very awkward pushers, but I think the topspin approach is really the only option (unless you want to get bogged down in a pushing game). Rubbers like Tenergy 05, Evolution MX-P and Rhyzer 48 are very good for topspinning. But mainly it's down to technique. Just got to keep practising!
Nice and helpful videos on your channel. Especially love the serves and how to handle them. I'd love to get a basic practical idea of how to effectively adjust your play against different types of rackets (anti-spin/long pips). Are you planning to cover this as well someday? :)
Gracias Tom!!, excelente, me sirvió muchísimo, lo puse en práctica hoy y pude ganarle a un jugador de ese tipo. Ahora, necesito tu ayuda, no he podido comprender como jugar contra jugadores que juegan con gomas con picos hacia afuera (pimples out) me complican el juego, parece que invierten el efecto (spin). Espero puedas ayudarme, saludos, eres genial!
Ese es el tipo de contrincante que mejor se me da, así que espero poder ayudarte. Contra el pico largo, lo básico es empujar una y atacar la siguiente ya que así juegas siempre a favor de efecto. Y así hasta el infinito hasta que puedas terminar el punto con un buen ataque. Se pueden empujar dos seguidas contra pico largo, pero en el segundo empuje hay que tener mucho cuidado, ya que es muy fácil dejar una pelota alta. Yo los segundos y siguientes empujes los hago despacio y con la pala poco abierta, lo que evita que se eleve, pero no es sencillo y si haces más de dos empujes seguidos es muy fácil fallar. El gesto es parecido al de un empuje corto (no al de empuje largo), aunque no siempre la deje corta. Y en el otro extremo, puedes atacar muchas pelotas seguidas contra el pico largo, pero eso requiere que sepas levantar muy bien las pelotas cortadas. Yo éste es el juego que hago normalmente. De vez en cuando meto un empuje corto para obligar a venir a la mesa al contrario, sacarlo de posición y poder atacar la siguiente bola con mucha velocidad. Este empuje suelo esconderlo hasta el último momento, colocándome para atacar y cambiando el golpe al final. De vez en cuando le puedes atacar a su goma lisa, lo que te da más posibilidades, como poder hacer varios ataques más enérgicos seguidos e incluso hacer dejadas cuando deja la pelota cerca de la red. También es bueno jugarle abierto, para moverlo de lado a lado. Sobre su goma lisa yo suelo meterle también efecto lateral hacia fuera, lo que lo saca más de su posición. Meterle efecto lateral sobre el pico no suele ser buena idea, ya que después ese efecto te suele venir de vuelta.
I try to deal with pushers by sending them "the soup" back with a precise, thin touch, if I am not sure about attacking with topspin, but once I feel confident, I try to backhand flick the ball or I go deep with my posture and countertopsin it with a nearly vertical movement. Serving with mainly sidespin worked for me in the most cases as well, because if I put a good amount of sidespin on the ball, it is difficult to either countertopspin it or pushing it back - and I can also vary the amount of co-inflicted backspin or topspin component as well.
Must admit I've got the hang of the Topspin and have definitely upped my game,But played a guy the other day (pusher) and he brought me down to his level for the first couple of games due to me getting frustrated with this type of game.....................wont happen again.
The experienced higher level pushing player will slap the shhh out of your top spin if it is slow and safe. So unless you have a strong top spin opener then you lose. You also need to be consistent coz they are really good at blocking then slapping the hell out of slightly high safe top spin shots. These strategies only work in the lower leagues or against lower level players. Best thing to do is to respect these players and play more often in practise with them
Yes, I agree. I think this video was aimed more at those lower level pushers. But you are right, a high level pusher is capable of heavy push and then aggressive block or counter attack. I'd need to do another video for this type of player.
Oooo mate, I destroy everyone in school except my own one particular sports teacher who always makes me push the ball when he is pushing it, but his push shots are more like a little bit without the backspin that you mentioned here, they are so flat and short, forcing me to reach the ball and then attacks himself because I usually stand almost half a metre behind the table at times when I am attacking. I guess I just need to find my rhythm in my shots thats all, cause I still find myself hanging on to him during matches, btw I will play with him on Tuesday i'll try this example and I'll tell you how I've done. :)
So right and nevertheless I end up from time to time and keep on pushing myself. Thank you. I think I will add "Pushers don't get up to the next level!" to my little slip of paper I have in the pocket of my shorts. (Before the match and between the sets I read these notes. First bullet point: have fun!) Yesterday I lost against a player I normally should beat. He was a sub-type of a pusher: a penholder. Maybe you could make a video how to play against penholder. For me, it's always very difficult when there's an unorthodox player like a penholder. Sometimes the match is over before I figured out how I should adjust my game.
I miiiiight be part of the problem, but I often like to out push them by drastically increasing the amount of backspin, or start to incorporate heavy back sidespin. If I do want to put an end to it, instead of looping I like to go for a side or backspin smash.
The problem for me is if the pusher CAN actually return my big heavy top spin. The second attacking ball often ends up in the net or over the table. Have you hot any tips for that? I just hate it when attacking topspin balls come back with zero velocity and I have to bring all the speed back in
This would be a good topic for a video. I will add to my list. The way I teach my players is that you loop 'up' and then drive 'forwards'. After you have finished your loop, try to keep your bat a little higher, then if then if your loop is returned, you will be able to drive or topspin over the top of the ball.
Thanks Tom. Very useful video. I have a question about those topspin serves that your practice partner is doing. How is the topspin being produced? I've been analysing them intensely, on a big screen, frame by frame and backwards and forwards when the ball contacts the bat and I still can't see how the topspin is being produced. It really does look like backspin with maybe a bit of side but I can see from the reaction on your bat that there really is plenty of topspin. How is this magic happening?
It's quite hard to see from the camera angle, but Daniel has a very small upwards movement when contacting the ball. This very small brush generates the topspin.
Thank you. I would love to see a video devoted to Daniel doing these disguised topspin serves but this time from a few camera angles and in very slow motion and with some close ups too. Any chance of that in the future?
Actually if you watch the video 4 killer serves with Craig Bryant, the first serve "The Kicker" is essentially what Daniel is trying to do. Craig actually taught Daniel to do the serve. ua-cam.com/video/EuXKHxRcRbQ/v-deo.html
Hello Tom, A question. If you get an under spin ball and you want to answer it with a top spin ball, where do you hit the ball best? In the middle or more at the top? Thanks Ivan
Yes, that could work. It will make it harder for the pusher to keep pushing. If he does keep pushing the long pips will make the ball pop up giving an easier attacking opportunity.
@@TomLodziak right gotcha. guess thats another way to use long pips for setting up offensive rallies. thank you for your insight! will try to use it next time i play a heavy pusher.
And if you topspin into the net make sure to first look reproachfully at your racket because it's certainly its fault
Best comment of the day. This is so true!
Bit harsh mate it was my bat's fault.
@@Lightzy1 I know mate only messing.
I regularly say to people when they miss a shot:
"You've got a big piece of shit on your bat..!"
When they look at blade... I say:
"No... on the handle !"...
Lol.😂
So true. We all do that.
I was that pusher for years. Could beat players that played much stronger me but hit a plateau. As soon as someone knew how to really exploit me, I was easily beaten. After becoming a much stronger offensive player, now I can incorporate much of that defensive play into my games but not be exploited. That said, if someone simply has stronger power and better legwork than I do, I am easily beaten. The grind continues!
It's like looking into a mirror!
Does anyone here just love watching the beautiful arcing of the ball in topsin rallies?
Arching of sidespin looks cooler
Boiinty yes. That’s what’s so addictive about it.
This is perfect, I am losing consistently because I am getting frustrated this pushing style. The person I play with even admits to just knocking the ball back to me and waiting for me to make a mistake. Thank you so much for this.
Hope the video helps you beat this annoying player!
OMG, I'm so frustrated by this... My friend is always pushing and I can't win with him because of that even if I'm faster... Thank you Tom!
This is exactly what I needed to see and the timing was perfect. Just joined a table tennis club in a senior citizen community after being away from any serious play for almost 40 years. 80% of the intermediate players are pushers who have great consistency, but are very frustrating as I am still recovering my skills. Definitely need to work on my topspin shots. Going to get some practice with the robot today!
Everybody is saying: now I know how to beat a pusher but the reality probably is you can't topspin that well, otherwise you would have come to that conclusion already.
A pusher meant nothing to me. I was a two-wing looper and practiced regularly against a plywood backstop propped up behind the table, in the basement. Unless he was also a very _very_ good blocker he'd be picking up off-the-bounce bullet-looped balls in the backcourt for almost every point.
If you can not do a topspin properly, than you need to train it (good rubber also can make your top spin easier) unless you are a defender type of player...
A huge component of learning topspin is the rubber. There's a world of difference between premade starter paddles and custom ones, even one as cheap as $90
true, who doesn't want to top spin the hell out of everything like Ma Long.
😂😂👍
This was so helpful, don't know how I missed it. I play TT in office & I'm sick of these pushers who play thrash but you are the one who mess it up out of frustration hitting on net.
Another technique I find useful is make a push return with extra backspin on it. A weak pusher will dump the ball into the net. A good pusher will adjust to that, then I change to a push with very little backspin. Often, expecting another heavy backspin push, they will lift the ball up in the air, and then you can attack it more easily.
a little counterintuitive when the strategy offered to beat a pusher is to be skilled with your own pushes
I'm a pusher cause I got no skill. Hopefully my opponents won't watch this video !
This really made me smile.
🤣🤣🤣
I like the way you put the advice into practical with demonstrations. Thank you!
Great tips as always Tom! I really needed this lesson after yesterday’s push battles. You are absolutely correct and I have to not give up after a couple of unsuccessful topspin shots. I’m so trying this today!
Great. Just keep persevering. With enough practice, these tactics will start working for you.
This is the best tip bro it really works against this type of players
I can’t wait for the day when my topspin loops are on point. I’m surrounded by pushers and the worst part is they’re cocky as if they’re good. 😩
Just keep working on those topspins. You'll get them eventually!
I used to play with lot of them, and they would win because of my mistake. Eventually my topspin got better and I enjoyed a lot attacking those balls
I loosing everytime with a pusher but now i know to play with them
Thanks for video
Love your videos, especially because you explain the reasons behind doing things. Tried these techniques out and it has been working really well, thank you!
when two pushers play against each other ZZzzz
This is what Most Woman Games Look Like 😅
And they feel like they are playing like Olympic players. It feels so satisfying to smash topspin on their face
Then it's not table tennis my friend. You call it ping-pong!
UA-cam Commenter in china the sport is basically called ping-pong, just with a different pronounciation and the chinese word for „ball“ in the end of it
Marius 乒乓球
Thank You once again for your pep talk !! I have two pushers in my club group. One of them I have been able to "manage" consistenty with your advise. The other is proving more difficult. But I'll definitely get there.... I just need consistent confidence in my own game. cheers !
I have just discovered your channel Tom and am really enjoying the videos. I agree with your comment about pushers as I became one after a coach advised me I would win more games. During 20 years of playing the local league, my results were very good but I didn’t enjoy myself and I don’t feel I won any games, it was just that the other player lost! After a 15 year break, I have now joined a small group of fun players where winning doesn’t matter and thanks to your tips am beginning to bring topspin back into my game. Keep up the good work.
Wow so useful, amazing advice. A coach of 15 years was telling me to just keeping push back, terrible advice, especially since I am very attacking and my forehand game is strong and defence game is weaker.
Many thanks coach! I just have a match with a pusher next week. Enough time to get ready
Good luck! Focus on spinning the ball. It doesn't have to be super fast or super aggressive, just decent spin which changes the rallies to topspin.
Another advice from my coach for my fellow topspinners who struggle against pushers: try to make a 'soft' push, taking out much of the backspin of the ball, and after his push its easier to topspin it and start the offensive play. Great video as always, I hope I'll be able to apply this strategy against my next pusher opponent!
Yes, that's another tactic which can work, as long as the pusher doesn't decide to attack first.
WOW, even though this video is 5 years old, I just learned so much!! Thanks!!!
I learned the big key is don’t rush the return on pushers let the ball float closer a bit further off the table before u return with top spin other wise u will over shoot or won’t have enough space and the ball will go into the net
Thanks for making this video, I have been looking for a solution for the same situation.
Great tips against the pusher. NB: I myself a pusher and I am gonna change my strategy against pushers :)
Nice explanation...simple and logic
Very good advice. This discovery for me was many years ago but it was the single biggest improvement to my competitive ability. My favorite way to convert the game into a topspin attack is the backhand flick... A very effective shot once perfected.
Very nice for players who start thinking seriously about the game and wanting move above amateur level. Thanks for motivating towards the end. Can you make videos on how to tackle flat hitter who hit flat on your pushes and when you are yet to develop consistent topspin game? Tips or strategies for intermediate players against consistent blockers or passive attackers like Vladimir Samsonov? btw I meant no disrespect for samsonov.
Hi - yes I plan to make more tactic videos in the future. In the meantime here's an article I wrote on how to beat a flat hitter: www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/tactics-for-beating-a-big-flat-hitter/ and here is an article on how to beat blocker: www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/tactics-for-beating-a-blocker/
You always keep things simple and practical! And you've added the moral/funny note in it too. Great stuff.
Allow me then to make it a little more complicated - would you agree with the following?
1) When you get back a high push, be aware there's still backspin on it. There are two ways to cope with it: go on and topspin it to give it speed and still make it go down; this is what pros do. Or hit it flat but give yourself a margin above the net, by aiming more towards the end of the table. The latter is what I do nowadays because topspinning high, slow, backspin balls made me make many errors.
2) At the lower level, you have the pusher-pusher. At the mid level you encounter the pusher-blocker. These are often waiting for your not-so-violent topspin, to block you out. So after opening up against the backspin, you should expect the ball coming back. The pusher-blocker is deceptively slow and passive while pushing, then when you turn it into an attacking game, they transform in counterattackers.
3) Since the pusher doesn't have speed or (top)spin at their disposal, their only attacking device is placement. Pusher-pushers and pusher-blockers are very good at placing the ball. This means you not only have to be ready for the next ball, but also for it to come back into an uncomfortable position. This means: footwork and remain in motion. Again, this is hard against a pusher-blocker who lures you into their deceptively slow and motionless rhythm.
4) and since the pusher-blocker is waiting for your not so great attack, ready to counter its spin and speed, your own attacking device is placement as well. The not so mobile pusher-blocker is best caught by opening up into the elbow, followed by a placement into the open side, a general tactic which works particularly well against this type of player.
5) The greatest point in your video and the one I struggle most with, is to have a consistent strategy and not fall back to play the pushing game. The problem with attacking consistently against pushers or pimple players, is that I tend to become predictable in my strokes and tactics. It's really their passive appearance, wolves in sheep skin, that often tricks me into being too passive myself.
Cheers!
Hi Dieter - I always like your contributions! Here's my answers...
1. I deal with these high backspin balls by playing a topspin-drive. So I brush the ball a bit to counter the backspin, but still a bit of a thick contact to get the speed to finish off the point.
2. Ha, ha! Yes this is much tougher. I like playing this style myself sometimes. So beat this style, you have to attack with speed and very good ball placement. If your attacks are too slow, they will keep blocking all day long.
3.I think the key here is your own ball placement. If you consistently attack wide, deep or to the crossover position, the pusher-pusher or pusher-blocker will find it harder to return the ball to awkward positions.
4. Completely agree.
5. Yes, you have to keep attacking. I think it's better to lose trying to play attacking table tennis, than lose playing a horrible pushing game. Your best weapons are ball placement and attacking with some speed. This is the way to get pas the push/blocker.
Thank you, very interresting, I will practice the flicks more and do more top spin serve against them.
As a pusher, I find this video helpful, now that I'm aware of the dangers...
I generally don’t comment on much. But your videos are a gem for a amateur like me who WAS struggling against a couple of pushers. You’re right, the pushers have hit a ceiling. After a lot of losses, I was able to convert the game from a backspin to top spin, and they still push or chop leaving me with a very juicy ball that I smash with all the joy in the world. However, it’s exhausting playing against pushers but it’s worthwhile after a win.
Well done, great progress. The more you adopt this topspin style of play, the less tiring it will become and you will beat pushers easier than before.
Thank you so much just lost to a stupid slow pusher and had an early exit from the tournament but your video has guides and positively motivated me. Will play in this style and revert, I am feeling awesome right now!
The theory on how to beat a pusher is quite straight forward, but you still need to put in lots of practice with your loops before you start consistently winning. So go practice LOADS and good luck!
I lost couple of matches to pushers and recent one was today in semifinals… 😔 I am an attacking player who need to work on his top spin… I wish I would have seen this video earlier… Will keep improving my game… thanks much!
Almost lost to a pusher recently in a tournament at work. Frustrating since I feel I'm way better than that. Thanks for the tips!
I destroyed an apponent the other day doing exactly this. 11/1 all three games. Can't wait to get totally confident with this approach.
I find it out by myself but thank's for accurate explanation
Last year I play with this pusher in the final game... It's very annoying and almost make me get angry with it... The pusher player just wait for me to make mistake... So thanks for this video I like how you explain it very simple to understand...
Very nice video! It takes practices to topspin a backspin ball. Thanks for sharing! I need to play with my machine now :)
Hi Tom, very very very thanks!!! This video is 100% for me, because i'm constantly frustrated with these type of players... :) Time 0:48 - this is me!!! :)
Me too. Plus shouting afterwards.
Thanks Tom, very helpful! I'll apply these techniques when I play one of my usual partners who play "normal when we train and start pushing when there is a game 🙃
Ha! Yes, I know players like this. Lots of drives and topspins in training and then mainly pushing in matches.
Exactly when I needed this! Thank you :)
Started playing league last week. Sooooo many pushers....this should be helpful thanks!
thank you very much for the suggestions because I get usually frustrated while I miss topspin shots, personally I like and enjoy playing the attacking style of the game.
Just keep practising those topspin shots until they become very, very consistent. Then you will beat these players.
@@TomLodziak, thanks for the reply. Undoubtedly, your youtube videos are very helpful to me to understand and to learn the game. Good job, keep on uploading...
Lol! My league is full of these sorts!
Every rubbish league is I reckon...
Its up to you to attack first, right?
@@winson5159 ...aha... not so simple...
especially you are a rubbish pusher also..!? Lol.😂.
@@shanelawson5072 hahaha, I am not, sorry. I am penholder, I can forehand flick and reverse penhold banana flip.
@@winson5159 lol...👍
I'm a penholder too....
...but not asian!
Pushers and blockers are easy to beat. All my friends do one or both of these styles and none of them can beat me. I'm undefeated when playing at my friends house on Wednesday nights when we all play. I play with topspin and can dictate every point unless I make a mistake. They appear to be decent players if I push and block with them and we can have some amazing rallies, but as soon as I attack, they fall apart quickly.
You are also right about topspin serves against them. I use a topspin serve 90% of the time because it gets me so many free points.
I know. It’s so damn easy
@@madsweber9127 Yes, It's actually starting to hold me back. I just recently got back into TT because my friend got a table and started having a TT night on Wednesday's. At first it was fun playing them because I wasn't too much better than they are. But I've progressed very fast since I played a lot 25 years ago as a teenager when I also played tennis (which was my favorite sport and I had a lot of natural ability in). Now I'm so much better than them it's starting to get boring because I only need to play at 50% or less to beat them -- almost all their points on me are my own unforced errors -- they have almost no ability to play offense because they get nervous and just go for safe shots. If I play aggressively at all I immediately win the point and never get any good rallies. Therefore, I just feed them slow topspin shots so I can at least have some practice on my technique. I keep trying to show them tips and tricks to progress their games but everyone just wants to push and block even though they see me dominating them all by using topspin and placement. I'm going to have to find a league to play in if I want to get better.
Fully informative and practical! Thank u
Wish I had watched this before my last match!
I Giorno Giovanna have no idea why I’m watching this video
Giorno Giovanna lmao
Lol
It's because you have a dream
_To become a table tennis player_
Ran into this at tournament 10 days ago. Since only my 2nd tournament in 2021 (having shut down due to Covid in March 2020) I was hesitant to attack but should have just gone ahead and attacked more. Today was a good time to look at this video (again).
Yeah, you have to take these players on with topspin attacks. It's very frustrating if you get sucked into pushing rallies. Most of the time, when you start playing topspin attacks, these pushers don't have a lot left and you can win easily.
It will be better to get some one to just push the balls at you at different angles and different speeds and you try to get your confidence back on your top spin shot. What I find is that there is a skill to this shot which is difficult to master but can be done. The bat angle must be open based on the height at which the ball is being contacted and at the point of contact the blade must be moving fast up reversing the back spin ( it cannot be tentative which is the main mistake that players do) and the arc of the blade swing should be slightly forward perhaps between 70 to 80 degrees not flat forward. The extra top spin will arc the ball down, the forward motion with an open bat will impart speed and restrict the tendency of the ball to go down. The trick is to get the ball to dip after having cancelling its downward trajectory.
Thanks a lot, great tips. I am a beginner and I loose severals games again puscher last year
Mariano Breton uhhhh
I like your videos. This one is amazing 👍. It’s really annoying to play against pushers 😅. Now I found the way to stop boring 😁
Funnily enough I'm playing a serial pusher tomorrow. Cheers
Good luck. Hope you win!
How'd it go?
markjmarkjack He came close but didn't win a game.
Very nice video. Don't become a Pusher yourself. The Top Players are always Attacking Players . They don't care about missing few of those Smashes. They stick to Attacking most of the time.
Great video tom! I'm just wondering could you do a video about how to do a forehand loop from a very heavy back spin shot (or a dig as it is known)
Thanks!
Hi Joshua, I'll add this to my list.
The next level to overcome is the "blocker". I find penholders are commonly pusher and blocker types... So fustrating!
Ok. I'll add this to my list... a video on how to beat a blocker.
@@TomLodziak much appreciated. Not sure if penhold blockers are handled differently from shakehand blockers, but if you could specifically address playing penholders, that would be great!
😂😂😂
@@taumax it doesn't matter actually penholder of shakehand blocker. They all need your power- the more you hit the ball the easier to play for them. Remember this. your serves should be more floatty and weak - long and short. for the penholders I lost the first game, then I realized they don't like short serves to the right side for the right handed pendholders and then you turn back the ball long to the left side. and he cannot play this ball properly, because they need to move much more than shakeholders and make much more mistakes. So the main tactics is to play short and long + to send the ball to opposit directions. As for the blockers, my experience shows they like spinny balls because spinny ball is easier to control. I'm trying to hit the ball, when you hit it it's much more harder to play consistently for the blocker.
sorry for mistake: actually penholder OR shakehand blocker.
Brilliant teacher...
Thanks Coach!
I'm a natural attacker but when I play with my cousin I always have these infinite backspin marathons... I'm able to win, anyway, but I hate the fact that I need 2-3 minutes to get a point that I will, eventually, lose because of a bad serve (out of frustration).
Cheers!
It's amazing how you explain this stuff. thanks.
Usual high standard video, excellent explanation of how to beat these (pushers) type players. However it is difficult to maintain discipline and consistency when top spinning against really seasoned pushers, as they are very adept at disrupting your attacks. Constantly searching for the perfect rubber to overcome these type players.
You can get some very awkward pushers, but I think the topspin approach is really the only option (unless you want to get bogged down in a pushing game). Rubbers like Tenergy 05, Evolution MX-P and Rhyzer 48 are very good for topspinning. But mainly it's down to technique. Just got to keep practising!
Thanks Tom, good one
Very good explanation.
i remember I lost everytime against a half-pusher (sometimes attack).
well, time to 1v1 him with my 2 months skill
Thanks Tom, pretty useful video. Greetings from Colombia.
Thanks and greetings from Cambridge, UK!
wow revolutionary. to beat pushers simply hit em with a sick topspin smash into the back corner. who woulda thought
Thank you :) Your videos are very helpful
Nice and helpful videos on your channel. Especially love the serves and how to handle them. I'd love to get a basic practical idea of how to effectively adjust your play against different types of rackets (anti-spin/long pips). Are you planning to cover this as well someday? :)
I'll be publishing a video on playing against long pimples next month.
Gracias Tom!!, excelente, me sirvió muchísimo, lo puse en práctica hoy y pude ganarle a un jugador de ese tipo.
Ahora, necesito tu ayuda, no he podido comprender como jugar contra jugadores que juegan con gomas con picos hacia afuera (pimples out) me complican el juego, parece que invierten el efecto (spin).
Espero puedas ayudarme, saludos, eres genial!
Ese es el tipo de contrincante que mejor se me da, así que espero poder ayudarte.
Contra el pico largo, lo básico es empujar una y atacar la siguiente ya que así juegas siempre a favor de efecto. Y así hasta el infinito hasta que puedas terminar el punto con un buen ataque.
Se pueden empujar dos seguidas contra pico largo, pero en el segundo empuje hay que tener mucho cuidado, ya que es muy fácil dejar una pelota alta. Yo los segundos y siguientes empujes los hago despacio y con la pala poco abierta, lo que evita que se eleve, pero no es sencillo y si haces más de dos empujes seguidos es muy fácil fallar. El gesto es parecido al de un empuje corto (no al de empuje largo), aunque no siempre la deje corta.
Y en el otro extremo, puedes atacar muchas pelotas seguidas contra el pico largo, pero eso requiere que sepas levantar muy bien las pelotas cortadas. Yo éste es el juego que hago normalmente. De vez en cuando meto un empuje corto para obligar a venir a la mesa al contrario, sacarlo de posición y poder atacar la siguiente bola con mucha velocidad. Este empuje suelo esconderlo hasta el último momento, colocándome para atacar y cambiando el golpe al final.
De vez en cuando le puedes atacar a su goma lisa, lo que te da más posibilidades, como poder hacer varios ataques más enérgicos seguidos e incluso hacer dejadas cuando deja la pelota cerca de la red.
También es bueno jugarle abierto, para moverlo de lado a lado. Sobre su goma lisa yo suelo meterle también efecto lateral hacia fuera, lo que lo saca más de su posición. Meterle efecto lateral sobre el pico no suele ser buena idea, ya que después ese efecto te suele venir de vuelta.
This video helped me a lot
Thanks
You make my Stark with your tip in tabletenis thanks he lot 🙂
I try to deal with pushers by sending them "the soup" back with a precise, thin touch, if I am not sure about attacking with topspin, but once I feel confident, I try to backhand flick the ball or I go deep with my posture and countertopsin it with a nearly vertical movement. Serving with mainly sidespin worked for me in the most cases as well, because if I put a good amount of sidespin on the ball, it is difficult to either countertopspin it or pushing it back - and I can also vary the amount of co-inflicted backspin or topspin component as well.
This was very helpful. Thanks!!
It's very useful video sir. Can you please tell me, what is the length and breadth of your table tennis room?
Best work 🥇
Informative 👍🏼
Awesome video sir...keep it up...it helped me.
Very useful, thank you man
Thank you as always.
Must admit I've got the hang of the Topspin and have definitely upped my game,But played a guy the other day (pusher) and he brought me down to his level for the first couple of games due to me getting frustrated with this type of game.....................wont happen again.
These pushers can be tricky to play. Use your flicks and loops and you can easily turn it into a topspin game.
Thans instructive video :) My question is : how to win a blocker in table tennis ?
I'll make a video on this at some point. In the meantime, here's an article I wrote: www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/tactics-for-beating-a-blocker/
The experienced higher level pushing player will slap the shhh out of your top spin if it is slow and safe. So unless you have a strong top spin opener then you lose. You also need to be consistent coz they are really good at blocking then slapping the hell out of slightly high safe top spin shots. These strategies only work in the lower leagues or against lower level players. Best thing to do is to respect these players and play more often in practise with them
Yes, I agree. I think this video was aimed more at those lower level pushers. But you are right, a high level pusher is capable of heavy push and then aggressive block or counter attack. I'd need to do another video for this type of player.
@@TomLodziak I need that advise !! where's the video ?
thank you for every you learn me
Thanks!
Happy to help. And thank you very much for the super thanks!
Oooo mate, I destroy everyone in school except my own one particular sports teacher who always makes me push the ball when he is pushing it, but his push shots are more like a little bit without the backspin that you mentioned here, they are so flat and short, forcing me to reach the ball and then attacks himself because I usually stand almost half a metre behind the table at times when I am attacking. I guess I just need to find my rhythm in my shots thats all, cause I still find myself hanging on to him during matches, btw I will play with him on Tuesday i'll try this example and I'll tell you how I've done. :)
nice tips
Can you please recommend a decent price robot that can help practice smashes against quality spin?
do you have a detailed video on the topspin serve that the blue shirt guy was using? it looked great...could be backspin...but was top spin.
Take a look at the first serve in this video. It's the kicker, which Craig Bryant does very well: ua-cam.com/video/EuXKHxRcRbQ/v-deo.html
So right and nevertheless I end up from time to time and keep on pushing myself. Thank you.
I think I will add "Pushers don't get up to the next level!" to my little slip of paper I have in the pocket of my shorts. (Before the match and between the sets I read these notes. First bullet point: have fun!)
Yesterday I lost against a player I normally should beat. He was a sub-type of a pusher: a penholder. Maybe you could make a video how to play against penholder. For me, it's always very difficult when there's an unorthodox player like a penholder. Sometimes the match is over before I figured out how I should adjust my game.
bro plz make a video ft a pimple player... i am a pimple player so i wanna learn about it :)
This video is sensational! I'm now at 0:35 but I already laugh big. :D
Excelente. Thanks 👍🏼
58 pushers disliked this
125 now 😂
138 now
144 now
I miiiiight be part of the problem, but I often like to out push them by drastically increasing the amount of backspin, or start to incorporate heavy back sidespin. If I do want to put an end to it, instead of looping I like to go for a side or backspin smash.
Agree. But you have to mix it up.
I played a against a pusher and I needed this I lost the whole bloody tournament cause of him
The problem for me is if the pusher CAN actually return my big heavy top spin. The second attacking ball often ends up in the net or over the table. Have you hot any tips for that? I just hate it when attacking topspin balls come back with zero velocity and I have to bring all the speed back in
This would be a good topic for a video. I will add to my list. The way I teach my players is that you loop 'up' and then drive 'forwards'. After you have finished your loop, try to keep your bat a little higher, then if then if your loop is returned, you will be able to drive or topspin over the top of the ball.
@@TomLodziak thanks for the reply! A video on this one would be great! I will try this tip out ASAP 😁
Thanks Tom. Very useful video. I have a question about those topspin serves that your practice partner is doing. How is the topspin being produced? I've been analysing them intensely, on a big screen, frame by frame and backwards and forwards when the ball contacts the bat and I still can't see how the topspin is being produced. It really does look like backspin with maybe a bit of side but I can see from the reaction on your bat that there really is plenty of topspin. How is this magic happening?
It's quite hard to see from the camera angle, but Daniel has a very small upwards movement when contacting the ball. This very small brush generates the topspin.
Thank you. I would love to see a video devoted to Daniel doing these disguised topspin serves but this time from a few camera angles and in very slow motion and with some close ups too. Any chance of that in the future?
Actually if you watch the video 4 killer serves with Craig Bryant, the first serve "The Kicker" is essentially what Daniel is trying to do. Craig actually taught Daniel to do the serve. ua-cam.com/video/EuXKHxRcRbQ/v-deo.html
Hello Tom,
A question. If you get an under spin ball and you want to answer it with a top spin ball, where do you hit the ball best? In the middle or more at the top?
Thanks
Ivan
If it is heavy underspin, you need to brush up the back of the ball. If it is light underspin, you need to brush more towards the top of the ball.
would pushing with pips out rubber help getting those topspin rallies, considering they supposedly invert spin?
Yes, that could work. It will make it harder for the pusher to keep pushing. If he does keep pushing the long pips will make the ball pop up giving an easier attacking opportunity.
@@TomLodziak right gotcha. guess thats another way to use long pips for setting up offensive rallies. thank you for your insight! will try to use it next time i play a heavy pusher.
So true!
Incredibly boring playing against this style!!