This is a very technical stroke that is very deceptive. It is difficult to execute and also difficult for opponents to recognise and managed. It is only performed against relatively heavy underspin. The primary objective of a player performing this stroke is to "lift" the opponent's underspin back to him with little or no spin at the point of returning it.The whole idea is to play a fast trick on your opponent, making him to believe what is not true. Because table tennis is a fast game that relatively depends on speed and spin, it requires quick decision making and fast reflexes .You must act fast considering your opponent's stroke.

Executing lift strokes

In the process of performing lift stroke, a very experience player pretends as if he wants to loop an opponent's underspin but will only place his racket almost if not completely horizontal (see diagram above) and lift the underspin ball across the net. One important principle applicable is the fact that the stroke is by force and not by friction. If there is friction, it should result to partial underspin. The player's racket contacts the ball by taping it in an upward direction. what this means is that the player must assume the position of looping an underspin (down - up motion). If the opponent is deceived by this motion, he blocks the partial underspin or a close to motionless no-spin and the resultant effect is that the ball hits the net. Remember that you can only block top-spin drive/loop strokes with speed and not underspin or "no-spin no-speed" stroke.

Explanation of "no-spin & no-speed" stroke

When an opponent plays an underspin to you by chopping (preferably deep chop), you lift the ball by taping upward; what you are planning to do is to neutralise the spin, then the ball moves to your opponent's court with a "slight" underspin. This situation retards the speed to a great extent. The table surface drags the ball down and any attempt to block the ball will result to hitting the net.

How to return lift strokes

What you need to do is to:

• watch the player and observe if the stroke is by force or by friction. If it is by force do not block.
• watch the ball and observe the no-spin situation. Quickly counter. If you are close to the table smash.
• watch the ball and observe the slight under-spin situation. Quickly push. If you are close to the table counter or smash.

The only remedy to successfully return 'Lift' stroke is to perform any other strokes except blocking.

The following article was provided to DTTW by Samson.T.Aghaye-Dudu from Nigeria

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