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[Special Feature] American Stars! Jha’s Strengths

#2 A Skill That Is Likely To Score – Backhand Down The Line

Kanak Jha (USA) made it to the quarterfinals of the men’s singles at the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships in Houston, and the quarterfinals of the men’s singles at the recent Paris Olympics. Atfirst glance, he plays an orthodox shakehand style, staying up front and not too far from the table, but inside he is packed with a variety of intelligent moves needed to win. In this special feature, we will reveal Jha’s strengths, including comments from him and his coach, Jorg Bitzigeio (Germany).

In the second episode, he explains the key points of a backhand down the line. *The technical explanation in the main text is based on a right-handed player.

The backhand down the line is a powerful weapon.

Jha: I think the main feature of my backhand is the fast rhythm. In particular, the backhand down the line is a big weapon for me. If you change the course from a cross (the back side of a right-handed opponent) to a backhand down the line at an early timing, it becomes difficult for the opponent to quickly switch from backhand to forehand. Therefore, if you use the backhand down the line, you can take the initiative in the rally with a fairly high probability.

Bizigeo: I think Jha’s sudden change of course to a backhand down the line is really amazing. A compact swing that doesn’t let the opponent know that you’re changing course is very effective. The main goal of Jha’s playing style is to use his speed to get the opponent off the table. From this point of view, a backhand down the line that aims deep on the forehand side of a right-handed opponent is a very good idea. This is because the forehand swing is larger than the backhand, so the opponent is forced to move a little further away from the table. Therefore, Jha’s backhand down the line can push his opponent down off the table, creating an advantageous situation for him. In addition, when he hits a backhand down the line, his opponent’s return shot will almost always come cross (to Jha’s forehand, who is right-handed). Another major strength of Jha’s backhand down the line is that he can anticipate this tendency and build rallies.

Jha (right) and his coach, Bitzigeio. They have been teaming up since 2017.

The effectiveness and stability will change depending on where you hit the ball.

Jha: I mainly use backhand down the line when I’m playing back-to-back with my opponent (my backhand vs. theirs), and the key is to aim for the earliest possible point of impact and change the direction of the ball with a compact, fast swing. In addition, it’s important to know where on the ball you want to hit. Specifically, if you hit the ball a little to the right of the front of the ball, the ball’s trajectory will curveas if to escape towards the opponent’s forehand, which is very effective. On the other hand, if you hit the ball a little to the left of the front of the ball, it will be more difficult to aim for a tough course, but you will be more stable. With this in mind, I think it’s good to be able to choose whether to hit the ball a little to the right of the ball for a tough course, or to hit the ball a little to the left of the ball and prioritize stability, depending on the course of the ball and your position at the time.

Backhand down the line

A backhand down the line, which can move the opponent and limit the course of their shot, is an essential technique for scoring in a match. In particular, Jha’s explanation of the difference in effect depending on where you hit the ball will be a great hint for improving your first move and your consistency. In this third installment, we will introduce Jha’s serve, one of his strong points.

Watch the video here (English subtitles available)

(Interview/Summary = Table Tennis Report)