How To Chop In Table Tennis. Defensive Strength.

While defending within table tennis is definitely not the standard game, especially at the top-level. Most players are all about attacking. However, when the best players are forced to defend they have the shots to be able to do so. One of these main shots is the chop. So, how do you chop in table tennis? This shot is not often taught to beginners or even intermediate players as the focus is generally on attacking shots. While I agree that the focus should be on attacking, defending should not be overlooked.

The Further Back The Better, Right?

When chopping you must be further from the table than the standard ready position. This will change from person to person and depending on the shot you are receiving but you want to be roughly between one and three full steps away from the table. This is all dependent on getting the ball in your perfect striking zone which is discussed in the next section.

The reason you want to be a little further away from the table is to give yourself enough distance for the ball to drop onto the table due to gravity. As a part of the chop you will impart backspin onto the ball and that backspin wants to lift the ball up through the air. This is due to the magnus effect. It is the same reason that the ball is dragged down onto the table when there is topspin on the ball.

However, there is a balance to get right when playing away from the table. The further back you go the bigger the distance you have to cover from wider angle shots. The more distance the longer it takes you to get into position which may cause you to rush your shot or maybe not reach the ball entirely.

When you back off from the table what you are doing is trying to give yourself more time to play the shot and while you are achieving that you are also allowing your opponent more time to react to yours. When playing a defensive shot your aim is to force a mistake out of your opponent, this is much less likely to happen if they have lots of time to prepare for their shot.

The Feet

One of the main reasons that the chop is not coached as much especially at the beginner level is because it is one of the few shots in table tennis where you have to change your stance. We all know the ready stance and we all emphasise it over and over again to new players because it is a standard practice for all shots… well except the chop.

For the chop we need to be side on to the table so if I was playing a chop on my forehand (as a right-handed player) I would have my left shoulder pointing towards the table. Alternatively, if I was trying to perform a backhand chop then I would have my right shoulder pointed towards the table. The forehand chop stance may not seem much different; you may even be able to get away with playing a chop in the standard stance. However, the backhand chop now forces your feet to be reversed compared to the standard stance.

Changing your stance takes more time than you think. Table tennis is a very fast paced game, the time between shots is valuable and changing your stance will take up most of that time. If you can get this change fast enough then your chop will become more consistent and more effective when played.

Stroke

Now that we have our positioning and stance we need to focus on the stroke itself. In many ways the chop stroke is the opposite of a topspin stroke. The topspin prepares low and finishes high, whereas, the chop prepares high and finishes low. For the forehand chop you want to prepare for the stroke with your bat up towards your head – as you get the feel for it, this exaggerated start position might fade out. For the backhand chop you want to prepare for the stroke your bat towards your non-playing shoulder.

From here the bat wants to move down in front of your body where you will make contact with the ball in your eating zone. This is the area in front of you which is the most comfortable place for you to place a meal for you to eat. You wouldn’t put your food slightly out of reach; you wouldn’t put it off to the side of yourself; you wouldn’t put it really close to yourself.

When you make contact with the ball you want your bat angle to be open so that you are trying to come down the back of the ball. Usually, for a chop we are trying to absorb some speed that your opponent has put on the ball so that we don’t just chop the ball off of the end of the table. To do this, you need a light grip on the bat and a smooth motion. If your motion is jagged then you won’t be able to absorb the speed.

Finally, the follow through. Your bat ants to finish roughly towards your front knee. This will be different depending on if it is a forehand or backhand as your stance will be different. While it is a general rule of thumb that your bat should end the stroke close to your knee you may have to adjust this depending on the shot that your opponent plays. If the ball has heavy topspin and a lot of speed then you won’t need to come forwards through the ball nearly at all. This means your shot can be a lot more vertical and your bat will finish further up the leg. If the ball is slower and a bit floatier then your bat will need to come through the ball a lot more and may finish further in front of your knee.

Body Weight

Even though we want to absorb the pace on the ball, it is important that you still keep your body weight moving forward in your stroke. If you are falling backwards when playing the chop you won’t put enough energy into the ball to generate the spin that is necessary for an effective shot. Also, if your body weight is going backwards then you may absorb way too much of the speed on the ball and it won’t manage to get over the net.

Remember, when playing the chop stroke we are relying on our opponents pace. While we do need to control it, we also need to use it to our advantage so don’t fall into the trap of trying to absorb all the speed.

To keep your body weight moving forward there is a simple rocking motion that you can use to ensure that you are always inputting your own energy into the ball. As you prepare for your stroke, when the bat either comes up to your head or non-playing shoulder, gently allow your body weight to rest onto your back leg. You will know if you have done this because you should be able to lift your front leg off of the group if you chose to. As the bat comes down, lean into the shot and let your body weight fall onto your front leg. Again you will know that you have done this right as you should now be able to just lift your back leg off of the floor but not the front.

This technique will allow you to stabalise your body weight transfer.

Rubbers?

Playing a chop shot can be quite difficult with a standard inverted pimple rubber. This is because this type of rubber reacts with spin a lot more than any other type. This is not to say that it is impossible, just more difficult than using a pimples-out rubber. Most defensive players will use a long pimple rubber for chopping as it is much easier to control the spin and will also give good spin reversal. If you would like to understand more about what each of the different types of rubber bring to table tennis then click this link to read that post.

If you know that you are going to be playing a lot of defensive shots, particularly the chop then you may want to change your rubber to a long pimple rubber. However, if you are an attacking player that may want to throw in a chop every now and again you should stick with the inverted pimples. This is because long pimple rubbers are not a very offensive rubber.

I have only really talked about long pimples and inverted rubbers but there are lots of players that chop with short pimples and antispin rubbers as well. It is all about finding what works best for you.

Conclusion

The chop is a defensive stroke and is often overlooked. This shot can be very effective for getting you out of tight situations where you have been pushed back from the table. For most people you won’t want to chop every point but may need it every so often to claw you back into a point that you had otherwise probably lost. Focus on the stance and positioning first as it is the hardest part to get right, especially for a standard attacking player. Once you have that down, try add in the body weight transfer to stabalise your stroke. Finally, the arm motion should be the last thing that you perfect as in many ways it is the least important.

Experiment with this shot and let me know below if this shot has ever saved you at a crucial time in a match. Also, if there are any questions about this stroke don’t hesitate to ask!