Penhold RPB Chiquita Flip Made Easy

I recently had a breakthrough with my training partner that has thus far helped my game tremendously.

For years now we've known about how the over the table loop or flip has revolutionized table tennis. This is the modern way to play table tennis. Yet I've always found executing this shot, particularly vs heavy backspin, difficult to not put into the net.

If you're anything like me, you like to watch the best & emulate what they do. Makes sense right? Well who better to emulate this shot than Fan Zendong?

Fan Zhendong executing his BH flip vs short service.

Here is the obvious and simple truth. I, nor virtually anybody else in the world, can emulate his talent and skill level he has built up over the years. I've seen enough of Fan to know this is his position during his BH flip on pretty much any short serve.

When facing dead balls, topspin, sidepsin, this is an easy shot to execute. But for me when facing backspin, no matter how hard I tried, I could never consistently get this ball over the net.

So I took a page for my training partner, who has a knack for being able to BH flip a high percentage of short serves. To me his way seems to simplify the BH flip and I'm a big believer that if you can make something seem easy, then you're on the right track.

What would you say to someone who is constantly putting a ball in the net? Open the face of your paddle more right? RIGHT. That was my problem. I was always going into my shot in the pose you see FZD doing above with that very closed blade angle and would often never open up enough vs backspin.

So how is it done? 

Quite simply, go into your ready position with the face of your BH completely perpendicular to the table. It's all about your starting point. From there your swing will vary accordingly. Vs Topspin or sidespin, you might come over the ball a pinch more. But vs backspin? Your blade swings almost purely up.

Here is a video a found that best emulates what i'm talking about. Now this isn't my video and I'm not suggesting this person is the gold standard for how to perform the BH flip. I would suggest they get that elbow up and use it in their shot. But that's besides the point. What I'm suggesting is look at the starting position of his BH. I think this video does a good job in showing what I'm talking about and what has come easy to me. Perhaps it could for you as well. From that I have found you can execute the flip vs a high number of serves. I would almost go as far as to say what spin the person puts on their serve doesn't matter.

My training partner is a shakehander so this technique applies the same whether you play penhold or shakehand. It's the same concept.

This has made the short serve to the middle of the table or to BH very easy now. It gives you more options. No longer do you have to always push that backspin ball for fear you can't attack it in. Remember the new plastic ball doesn't quite spin like the old celluloid ball use to. Don't be afraid to try this shot. Much like FZD, still get that elbow up, and in conjunction (it's not a wrist only shot) with your wrist use those two parts to swing up on backspin with that flat blade face, I promise you you will find how easy it is to execute that shot vs backspin now.

Good luck.