Forehand Counter

The forehand counter starts the same as the forehand block in the last chapter. Your stance and position to the table are the same and you contact the ball to the side and slightly in front of your body. You strike the ball at the top of its bounce. Unlike the block, which is executed with a relatively still racket, the counter has a medium-sized backswing and follow through. Do this by pulling your racket backward with your forearm and then pushing it forward and slightly upward. Maintain the correct racket angle throughout the stroke.

Stroke the ball mainly with the forearm, using your elbow as a pivot point. Hold your racket slightly below the height of the ball at the beginning of the stroke and finish with it slightly above the height of the ball. Stability in the stroke is achieved bymaking sure your racket is at or slightly above the level of your elbow at contact. An indication of a complete stroke is the tip of your racket pointing forward or slightly to the left at the end of the stroke. Keep your wrist tilted down and do not let it flop back and forth.

Lesson 3: Forehand Counter With No Foot Movement

Aim the robot so it will shoot balls to the middle of your forehand court and turn off the oscillator. Starting at a slow speed, begin to forehand block the ball crosscourt. When you get a feel for the ball, take a quick step backward. At the same time take your racket back by twisting your waist and shoulders, and pulling back your forearm (not the upper arm). Timing your swing with the oncoming ball, swing forward into the ball as illustrated in Photo 8 on the next page. Remember to swing primarily with your shoulders and waist, not with your arm.

Focus your eyes on the ball until just before contact. Keep your head steady and don’t let it turn as you twist your torso. Time your twist so the ball goes crosscourt. Twisting too soon or too quickly makes the ball go wide to your left. Twist too late, too slowly, or not enough, and the ball goes down-the-line instead of crosscourt. Keep your wrist straight and tilted down. Your shoulders must stay square to the floor throughout this twisting motion. To place the ball down-theline, bend your wrist slightly backward and time your twist the same as you did when you placed the ball crosscourt.

Follow the same procedure as you did with the forehand block to develop a forehand counter. First, at low speed and frequency crosscourt, then down-theline, and finally alternating crosscourt and down-the-line. Gradually turn up ball speed and frequency until you have reached your upper limits. As you turn up the frequency and/or speed, remember to do a complete stroke. Don’t turn up the speed to the point that you shorten your stroke. Your goal is 25 successful counters in a row at each stage.



Lesson 4: Forehand Counter With Foot Movement

Follow the same sequence as you did with the forehand block. Move the sweep control levers to the 1 and 4 positions for right-handers or to the 3 and 6 positions for left-handers. Practice your forehand counter in a crosscourt direction with the ball moving randomly within yourforehand court. Then practice hitting the ball down-the-line, and finally alternate between crosscourt and down-the-line. Gradually build up the ball speed and frequency. Be sure to move your feet and get into good position before stroking the ball. Avoid reaching for the ball with your arm.Your goal is 25 successful counters in a row at each stage.