(By Larry Hodges)
There was a time that the smash, especially on the forehand side, was considered the most important shot in the game. Japanese and then Chinese players dominated with forehand hitting in the 1950s and 1960s, and often into the ’70s and ’80s, often using short pips. But in modern times, looping has dominated. When I started playing in 1976, you could almost divide players by whether they were hitters or loopers, plus blockers and choppers. (Note that the terms smash and kill mean the same.)
These days, at least at higher levels, it’s basically all loopers with very few exceptions. Killing has nearly died out – except for loop kills and against lobs.
There will always be a place for smashing. Most still smash against lobs, though many these days loop even against those. Those that do tend to play long rallies against good lobbers since their loops don’t quite have the penetrating power of a pure smash. Against high balls that aren’t lobs, many still smash, though as you go to the higher levels, more and more they just loop. (There’s a reason for this – not only does the extra topspin give more consistency, but it allows them to focus on just one shot – looping – rather than developing both a loop and a smash.)
Below the higher levels smashing is often easier against higher balls than looping. It takes a lot of training to really develop a good, powerful loop, though once developed it’s extremely consistent against weak balls. Looping is also harder for older players or players not in top shape.
So, should you develop a good smash? It depends on your aspirations, playing style, and physical fitness. If you aspire to reach the higher levels, you should probably focus on looping, though smashing is always an option off higher balls. But there are plenty of hitters at the near and often elite levels. Among older players, hitters tend to dominate over loopers. In fact, it’s almost like revenge of the hitters – after years of perhaps losing to athletic loopers, when they get older, it’s the hitters that tend to dominate. However, older players generally need to hit from both sides to be effective since they generally cannot cover as much of the table with the forehand as they could when they were younger.
Personally, I started out as a hitter, learned to loop and became about 50-50 between them. Now that I’m older, I still loop, especially against backspin, but once in a rally, more and more I find myself hitting. It’s just a shorter, quicker, less physical shot. I’ve even considered going to short pips on either the forehand or backhand, or perhaps both. I tend to prefer inverted as it allows both options. But that’s just me. How about you?
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