Winning in table tennis requires not only sharp offense, but also solid defense. The more important the game, the more tightly defended the side can often have the last laugh in the case of the score of the two sides. Many table tennis enthusiasts defend very well in their usual training, and once they start the game, they lose sight of each other and do not know where the opponent's offensive point is. It seems to be trying its best to defend, but it can't be defended anywhere, and it is easy to be penetrated by the opponent. If that's the case, the principles of that half-table defense are something you have to understand, and learning to use them flexibly will improve your skills by a big chunk.
The principle of half-taiwan defense is summed up in a simple sentence: anti-slash line is the mainstay, anti-straight line is supplemented; give the forehand anti-forehand, give the backhand anti-backhand.
First, the anti-slash line is the mainstay, and the anti-straight line is supplemented
When everyone first practices table tennis, the basic line of play often is the diagonal line. Take the right hand clapping as an example: the forehand slash is your right half to the opponent's right half; the backhand slash is your own left half to the opponent's left half. The length of the diagonal line is easier to get on stage, and the force is ergonomic. Therefore, when table tennis players subconsciously hit the ball during the game, they will naturally choose the slash. Whether it's a forehand attack, a backhand attack, or a sideways attack, the proportion of diagonals chosen is much higher than in straight lines.
Of course, players with high levels will consciously attack straight lines to interfere with the opponent's defensive judgment, with the intention of more effectively penetrating the opponent. But this conscious change must be built on having ample room to attack. That is, there is a chance ball, a half-high ball, or a ball that is comfortable under the hand without moving. Once the ball is very tricky and awkward, in order to ensure that the stage is on the stage, the probability of choosing a diagonal line is still greater than the straight line. This also leads to the second sentence of our half-Taiwan defensive principle: "Give the principle of forehand defense against the forehand, give the backhand to defend the backhand" the conditions that need to be achieved.
Second, give the forehand anti-forehand, give the backhand anti-backhand
Table tennis defense is a dynamic defense, which must be combined with the return ball of the previous board to create favorable conditions for defense. That is to say, it is necessary to control the opponent with the return ball landing point, so that it cannot attack at will. Otherwise, there will be a nearly half-high return ball, where the opponent wants to play, and the all-out attack is that the national team players can't prevent it.
Take right-handed shooting, for example. Most people have a weaker backhand than a forehand, so it is usually a good choice to return the ball to suppress the opponent's backhand. When suppressing the backhand, pay attention to controlling the landing point, and at the same time have the awareness of being prepared to defend the opponent's backhand and sideways attack. That is, to focus the defense's attention on the opponent's backhand slash attack area, that is, their own backhand position (left half). When the attention is all focused on your left half, you will find that the opponent's offense is no longer difficult to defend. It's like the defensive feeling you feel when you're practicing and sparring only attacking the backhand area. It's not like taking care of one or the other like defending the whole of Taiwan, and you can't take care of it.
In fact, you have to carefully observe the table tennis game of professional players, they also have some emphasis when defending, according to the opponent's different tactics and habits, targeted protection of the backhand or protection of the forehand. In general, it also follows the principle of "giving the forehand to defend the forehand and giving the backhand to the backhand". Of course, when encountering people like Fan Zhendong who have a straight-line specialty technology for backhand, they must also be adjusted according to the actual situation and targeted anti-forehand.
Give the forehand anti-forehand. Most people's forehand attacks are very threatening, so it's harder to defend against forehands. If you casually return the ball to the opponent's forehand, it is often the opponent's one-hit kill. Therefore, when returning the ball to the opponent's forehand, there must be a landing point and quality assurance, so that the opponent cannot attack smoothly, so that the success rate of defense will be greatly improved.
There are two ways to return the ball to reduce the quality of the opponent's return ball. One is to swing short. In particular, the swing is short to the small triangle position of the forehand near the table, and the opponent cannot attack due to the limitation of the table, and can only gently pull to our forehand position. At this time, it is easier to defend or reverse pull. The second is split length. Cutting the ball long to the opponent's forehand near the bottom line, making the opponent's offensive line longer, the time for relative defensive reaction and judgment will be more sufficient, and it will be easier to defend successfully.
Third, offense is the best defense
Pure defense is always passive. The opposing attack can be a forehand, a backhand or a mid-range chase, while the defense can only take care of one of them. Even if there is a half-defense principle to predict, there will be times when the other side will be deceived and penetrated. Therefore, try to start attacking as much as possible, so that the opponent is tired of coping, so as to reduce the difficulty of their own defense. There is also the need to change the rhythm by suddenly adding or subtracting force when defending, destroying the opponent's continuous offensive rhythm and achieving the purpose of improving the success rate of defense.