(By Larry Hodges) Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame

I’ve coached many choppers during a match, and coached even more matches against them. I’ve also chopped a lot myself, in practice and in tournaments. Chopping is one of the most “tactical” of styles for the simple reason that you need to score most points by finding a way to make the opponent miss. Overall, I’ve found that there are three key things a chopper should focus on during a match.

1. Get everything back. It sounds simple, but this is the mindset a chopper must have.
2. Never give an easy shot. No cheap or easy points for them – make them work hard for every single point. Again, this is the mindset a chopper must have.
3. Once you are in a rhythm and comfortable against their attack, that’s when you start really mixing things up. Vary your spin, placement, contact point, and perhaps look for balls to attack. The mindset here is that you can force your opponent to miss with subtle changes in your game (plus the sudden attacks that win points or throw them off).

One could write a book on how choppers win points, but these three aspects are the first three to focus on – especially the first two. But it’s hard for a chopper to win if he can’t master and have the right mindset for all three of these. Proper mindset is important for all styles, but even more so for choppers – it might be the most important thing of all for them, and a defining trait for all good ones.

Now, let’s switch sides. Suppose you’re playing a chopper who rarely misses and rarely gives you an easy ball? (We’ll focus on those two since there are a zillion variations for #3.) What can you do?

A chopper (except when he attacks or gets lucky) can’t score unless you make a mistake. So . . . don’t. Sure, that’s easier to say than to execute, but the key thing is that, just as a good chopper has a mindset of never missing and never giving an easy shot, you have to have a mindset where you won’t miss. That likely means changing from your normal game. An aggressive loop that might be high percentage against most players becomes a low percentage shot against a chopper since you have to do it over and Over and OVER. So, you have to change your mindset and focus on more consistent attacks and pushes until you get the right shot. Then, when you get that shot, take it! You have to be able to go from the mindset of playing consistent to the mindset of ending the point with decisive shots – which means you have to go back and forth between the two mindsets. The changing mindset, and knowing when to do so, is why many players have trouble with choppers.

But guess what? With experience, it becomes much easier, and you learn how strongly you can attack with consistency, and when it’s time to take the winning shot – and that becomes your mindset.

So, whether you’re a chopper or playing a chopper, just remember – it’s all about the mindset.

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