Lately I have been doing a little different warm-up.  One of the things I have been doing is standing in my normal position on the Bh side of the table just as if I was doing Bh to Bh counters.  Instead of doing Bh to Bh I have the blocker put the ball just to the Fh side of the middle of the table (right where I am in perfect position to hit a Fh without much footwork).  I hit this ball into the Bh corner.

I often find that the blocked ball is slow and by the time it gets into my hitting zone it is about table high.  I find it very hard to counter this type ball and get it on the table consistently.  I can loop it back fairly easily, but I really want to be playing a countering game and not a looping one.  If I have the blocker counter the ball (hit faster rather than just block) it usually is pretty easy to use my normal counter stroke.

So, if I want to be playing a countering game, how do I handle this type of ball?  Do I try to hit a kind of spinny counter (not really a full loop)?   Should I be stepping in and hitting the ball when it is still over the table (at the top of the bounce)?  If I do step in my body position seems to force me to only hit to the wide Fh.  Is there a trick to stepping in and still being able to hit to the Bh corner?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Mark

And if you could counter-hit everything, wouldn't it make you too predictable?

Well, a couple of the better players at my club have told me that I play much better when I give up the idea of looping and just push, drive, and counter.  So I am trying to figure out ways to get away from looping as much as possible.  If you go back and look at me trying to loop in the "Shadow of My Former Self" thread you will be reminded of why I should avoid looping at every opportunity.

Of course this type of ball may just have to be looped.  If that is what needs to be done I will just have to be okay with trying to loop it and missing that a lot also.

Mark - Whenever there is a choice of shots to take, I always chose the one I am most likely to miss.

P.S. - When you can't hit the shot that you need to execute, execute the one shot that you can hit

Also please don't put a cap into your technique repertoire. I'm much younger than you so I might not have the idea how hard it's for your body to play as you want, though.