Help me beat Jarek "The Brick Wall"

I need your help! There is a player in the Cambridge league, Jarek Chrzanowski, who I just can’t beat. He likes to go back from the table and will return all my hard attacks. He’s like a brick wall and I find it really hard to get through him. In this video, I show one of our matches. I’d like you to watch the match and then give me some feedback about how to beat Jarek. Please leave a comment on the KZbin video - short or long, helpful or brutal - I don’t mind. Just give me some tips on how to beat this guy!
You can view Jarek's KZbin channel here: @JAREK_TT / @jarek_tt
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[@TomLodziak]

How can I beat Jarek? Leave a comment with your tips. You can view Jarek's KZbin channel here: www.youtube.com/@JAREK_TT

[@Uncle-Basil]

There are some balls that you can very gently drop close to the net when he is far from the table. Also, when you slam the ball you can mix up the spin. For example, you slam to his forehand, but you can sometimes spin the ball in the opposite direction into him so the ball spins to his left side...you can also mix up the power of the slam, sometimes soft and sometimes hard. Lastly, right after you serve the ball, try playing soft touches to keep him closer to the table and then change your style of play to more of a backspin game...He loves a topspin game, so get him out of his comfort zone....good luck! PS. Sometimes you drop the ball short, but you still hit it too hard so it's easy for Jarek to step in and hit the ball. Hit the ball gently so he can't reach it.

[@skakollaettklipp]

I think you should go to KZbin and search for this guy 'Tom Lodziak'. He has a channel and give out tips how to improve your table tennis game. Try it out!

[@Mortenlejel]

players who like to stand far from the table are very weak to front and back movement, so a drop shot sometimes is a good tactic. Another way to play against them is variation of speed, spin and timing so they can have trouble to react to the incoming ball. Taking the ball a little earlier is the timing that you need.

[@CFSUnravelled1]

Hi Tom - love your videos as always. So, I have a GREAT deal of experience playing against the Jarek's of the world, literally played with my mate in a big hall for hundreds of hours - so I get your frustration. As a consequence, I have become very capable of playing against these players and even beat players in divisions above me who have that style. The first thing is that before the rally goes into lobbing or fishing, seek to hit very wide angles. So I have developed the skill of playing a slow controlled angled topspin or pushes very wide. This often creates an easy exchange that you can win, because as you angle from one side to the other, they can't get into a comfortable rally from back of the table and the point is often over before such a rally begins. Once the fishing/lobbing rally begins, you must NOT get into this trying to kill them with power. Trying to overpower them like that is often not successful, and even if you win the point, you often still lose because you get so puffed out that you start making mistakes (even serve mistake s). INSTEAD what you must do is play variation. Whilst angles and long and short are helpful, these guys are so good at this that we can still often lose. What I have found to be MUCH MORE helpful is actually varying the spin. So I only play the type of smash and attack you did in this match, half the time. The other half, I play VERY strong spin smashes. They are nearly as fast, look very similar but typically have very very heavy sidespin that travels out to their backhand (often play that into their body if I can't get an angle shot). Sometimes I also do a tomahawk smash that spins the other way, but usually only close to the table because it's harder to control. Few players know how to return these and tend to miss the table. If I get a short smash, only rarely will I dropshot (if they are really far away). A much more effective shot is to do a heavy UNDERSPIN smash - very few players except at the top top level are able to return these weird balls that look like they take off like a jetplane from the underspin. Also, it's really key to be very relaxed in the body during these rallies to get more power and less fatigue, as well as to avoid injury. Hope that helps - I love playing against these kind of players now. Dan

[@DragonWarrior976]

Few points to consider - Services options - 1. Serve in the middle (elbow/pocket). 2. Serve on one corner and loop to another corner. 3. Serve deep, fast and wide. Receives options - 1. Receive in the middle. 2. Receive wide. 3. His serves are mostly topspin serves which can be received aggressively. Practice against your robot on how you can receive aggressively by which I don't mean that you break the ball in two, instead, you should receive on the corners forcing him to be doubtful due the depth and placement. 4. Long serve receive - use more sidespin in your receive to make the ball move. Rally Options - 1. Use power only as a surprise weapon. You should notice that he is mostly stepping back and letting the ball travel towards him. The more speed your give, the easier it is for him to just touch and send the ball back to you. 2. Once you see him move back, increase spin and arc on your topspin but reduce the depth, the idea is that ball should be far from him and he should be touching it during the fall phase and not on the rise. 3. Use flat shots especially to his middle. 4. Use side spin in your topspins sometimes to open the table on one side. 5. If the ball which is coming to you is not deep enough then try to drop is just by capturing it on the bounce. From principle point of view, the person who stays close to the table has more probability of winning the point. But you should use it to your advantage by taking the ball early and with spin. Do not think in terms of blasting the ball but think on spin variations and placement. Good Luck!

[@GrahamSilversides]

I've played similar players and they are soooooo frustrating to play against. Somehow they keep getting everything back with horrid spin. I finally worked out how to beat one particular player by slowing the game down and ensuring I focused on staying in the rally and biding my time to smash a winner. Playing all out top spin shots looks good but invariably does not win the match. I found that by drawing the opponent in playing very low to the net chops I could control the point and then as soon as I got an opportunity I would hit with exaggerated top spin (usually out wide or into the body) to win the point. I call this type of play "winning ugly". Sometimes you just have to play with a horrid style to counteract and beat a horrid style!

[@justinc0336]

I watched the first few rallies. He does well fast. When he gets so far away from the table you wanna use slow shots and you want them to land really short. It’ll put pressure on him to rush forward and reach it. Then if he gets it back change to a fast pace. Backspin and sidespin will help with that too. You really want the ball to be able to bounce twice on his side so he has no choice but to come in closer.

[@SriHarshaChilakapati]

I'm still a beginner, so here are some of my newbie observations: - Once a top spin rally starts, you keep on adding more top spin to the ball every time you hit it, adding to the speed of the ball. The more you do this, the faster you'll have to return the next hit, the faster you'll expend your stamina. I'd try to convert them to underspin with a timed chop. - Once you get heated up, some times I feel like you want to chop, but instead you're actually hitting the ball with the center of the racquet. This is the reason why some of your hits aren't landing on the table. Adding to this, he is adding a lot of spin, which makes it harder for you to keep the ball on the table.

[@Kylo99]

He said that you didn't win and will probably never win against him and that he doesnt know how it is that you have so many subscribers :D greetings from Poland :D

[@richardberke4539]

I would try to vary with some soft short shots at wide angles if possible. Make him move a lot, which makes it tougher to get ready, set, shoot. Also, the more he gets pulled to the side you have a more open field to return to at greater angular distance from him.

[@tbumbekov]

This type of guys love predictable consequtive attacks. Just try to change timings of your attacks. Also you are attacking mostly with smashes. Try to more variety in your attacks. Use more spin. One topspin, one short slice, one smash, one spinny loop etc. Other tips play short, play heavy underspin

[@1markus111]

Play Short Long short long Tom!

[@JAREK_TT]

Do you want to try with me? 😊

[@danielpopa2121]

Sure thing. I'll come around once for a knock

[@yoonyulntaeny]

Short long short long doesn't work as well as it may seem. It is also a high risk play as susceptible to opponent attack on poor quality balls. Only way is to vary between a few well prepared combinations e.g. 2 or 3 safe and spinny to middle BH then go deep and hard varying between the left and right corners to keep him guessing. If you play randomly or use overly complex combinations it doesn't work cos he will always be on his toes and worse still if you let him get into a good dynamic rhythm. You want him static, static, then penalty shootout

[@darekk7459]

As a Polish speaker I have to admit that what Jarek said after the game was very rude and smug, I hope you kick his ass next time ;) Best pro-tip: for a next match find a shorter room with distance only 2 meter from the table to wall

[@epic_kenta_matsudaira]

Napisałem to samo ale chyba nikt nie uwierzył xd

[@JAREK_TT]

I try not to play on a court the size of a fish can 😅

[@quirtt]

​@@JAREK_TTshut up

[@ElectricLMN]

Watching this video you win most points by getting the angle wide enough escape Jarek's reach. I don't think you're struggling because of lack of power. All your biggest hits are to the middle of the table straight at Jarek, he doesn't have to move for 90% of them, so you do 7 smashes in a row then miss because you get tired and lose consistency. You need to move those attacks around, make the opponent do the work, vary the placement and pace. The other thing I notice is that when you do play a wide shot that isn't a winner, Jarek returns and you have a really good opportunity to hit again, keeping him under pressure, but your next shot is often lacking conviction and played softly onto the middle of the table, easy for Jarek to recover and and pick up the rally again. When those wide balls come back you need to attack quickly, shut down Jarek's recovery time, or if you're going to play a softer shot, hit to the opposite side of the table, you've created the space and can exploit it. Hope this helps for next time.

[@efrestein]

My advice, be the "Pusher" (as in one of your videos) in the begining of the points, but with heavy backspin every time! Force him close to the table (that also means short serves only) before you have the oportunity for the first attack. If he lifts a heavy backspin without much power, thats you chance to countertopspin! Since he is better if the rallies are topspin-topspin, get out of such rallies with drop-shots or slower shots, and try again to go backspin-backspin-> First attack!

[@danielpopa2121]

I advise against pushing if he uses Dignigs 09C or chienese rubbers, since it's so damn easy to counter and NEVER pop it up unless he wants to do that, if he's as good as you said he is, OR push one short no spin, one long heavy spin, then mix the 2 the other way : give him to many variables to pick from in order to burden his computing power 😊

[@yoonyulntaeny]

Love this video Tom! Really made me think a lot. Timo Boll has 5 tips on how to destroy a defender

[@lukmigindnuforhelved]

A few suggestions: - Vary the hardness of your smashes. Short block (drop shots?) sometimes. Make him run back and forth. - Add more sidespin to your loops (and smashes) to make the ball go away from the table. Your strokes are too clean and consistent (for him). - His backhand is his weakness - exploit that. - Get a faster blade/rubber: eg. Tenergy 05 on a carbon blade ?

[@adamsaunders9876]

I was thinking also toms smashes are very good and almost to consistent and similar Many pros don't smash that hard not forcing to win the point, focus placement on the back hand waiting for the right ball to then smash hard

[@JAREK_TT]

Faster blade/rubbers will result more problems with keeping the ball on the table

[@lukmigindnuforhelved]

@@JAREK_TT True, but it could also makes it possible to have a bigger difference between his soft and safe smashes and his hard killer smashes.

[@JAREK_TT]

@@lukmigindnuforhelved He is got hard killer smashes with bat what he is using ATM but depending on how much power he uses to hit the ball. This is my opinion my Im wrong.

[@chAhAmA72]

Hey Tom! Good games, really appreciate you asking for help, all of us need it sometimes! From what I see, you're not playing your opponent enough. Your best points are very technical ones that make him run around and then he makes mistakes / has a tough time returning him. The points you consistently lost are ones where he's expecting you to smash, and you do so, over and over again, tiring yourself out. He waits for you to be tired and then hits you back when you're too tired to return. I'd focus on placement and variation; punish him for giving you easy balls by giving him varied shots all over the table, if he's far away from the table, try giving a tab shot or a short chop (if possible), or if you're rallying from one corner of the table to another, play one down the line. That's the biggest thing that consistently lost you points. I think you already have the skills to beat him. Good luck!

[@Tadek5]

Brawa dla Jarka, kudos to Tom.

[@edwingosens8798]

Honestly you dont play too bad Tom. I would probably focus on placement more then anything. The first 2 rallies are a perfect example of how you should or shouldnt play. For example at 1:11 you do a great job at finding the wide forehand, nobody is home on the backhand side, but look at where you play the next ball… And this goes for most of these rallies in general. You pick power over placement, and most balls seem to go where he is standing, or he only has to move 2 feet to get to the ball. Your goal should be to make Jarek move more in between every ball. The second point of the match (1:26) is as easy as it can be: first ball wide to the backhand, 3rd ball wide to the forehand. And of course he was there and with better judgement he could have returned that ball, but if he did, his backhand is open. Try this next time you play against Jarek. Good luck and let me know how you do!

[@henrikwikstrom5705]

Nice video, and also fun to read all the comments! I think you are letting him play his game, and he is tricking you in to it by letting you start with a weak attack. Keep most of the serves short and make a stronger opening (speed, spin or placement) . Same with his serves, you can attack better!! When you get into a rally, variation is key! Mix up spin and flat shots and also softer and harder, you keep hitting the same shot, very easy to predict and for him to turn around!

[@mjr543]

Mix in side on top of your topspin smashes so it pulls away from where they expect it to be. Can be nasty in a rally IMO.

[@Uncle-Basil]

I do this sometimes, its a real killer...😋

[@user-ut3vs9oi9w]

Hi Tom. I’ve just watched your video: Help me beat Jarek "The Brick Wall". You’ve identified most of the issues that I noticed, but in particular: * STAMINA: You are draining energy reserves you don’t have by investing more and more into each shot, while Jarek mostly defends from a distance with softer returns. He does that VERY well. * That way he is sapping your energy while using very little of his own. It’s only a matter of time before you become psychologically exhausted. You could work on making your game a bit more like his. * ATTACK OR DEFENCE? Overall, the game you play is (obviously) the game you know. It seems to be one of attack i.e. ‘If I hit him hard enough he’ll go down’. But then he doesn’t go down. But you do, eventually, yet you fall into the same pattern for almost every point. Jarek knows this about you and lets you do it to yourself. For him it’s just a waiting game until you’ve given all you’ve got. * SOFT RETURNS. Could you program your Automatic TT machine to give you Jarek style balls which you return softly but cleverly (good placing rather than power). He does that to you. * NET PLAY I’ve not often seen you work close to the net. * If you can bring Jarek up to the net you may be more on equal terms with him because you will both have to (temporarily at least) put the power game on hold. * Get someone (not Jarek) to practise short balls with you - very, very short balls, just a few inches from the net. It’s great fun, takes less energy but could take Jarek by surprise if you could convert one of his l-o-n-g returns into a net shots that he can’t reach. Cheap I know, but you said you wanted to win! I’ve not studied Jarek’s KZbin channel yet. The above is observed just from watching your video once through but I hope some of that will help. I enjoy watching your KZbins - thanks for being there. Adrian Lyndsay

[@DashcamVideoChannel]

From what I saw, I would suggest this: If you're getting very high ball from him, which happened a lot in this video, don't use your forehand topspin to smash the ball, because he is very good at returning. Your topspin is really good and quite fast, but its predictable and he returns it easily. Instead, if the ball is high, smash it with very little or NO topsin stroke, just flat. You don't need to place the ball, you can hit middle of the table. If you do that, it will be very hard for him to return the ball. Another tip: very short and very wide serves. He will need to hit the ball on the side of the table and lift the ball high, so you can smash it to the other side.

[@susanresz5225]

Good stuff, Tom! For Jarek, I would try the backhand punch to his elbow. Jarek loves it when you smash long, so take him out of his game. Force him back to the table to play the shorter, slower ball, then get ready to do some active blocking because Jarek will topspin hard! If you see him going to his backhand, note that he loops the ball, and that takes time. That’s when you make the fast backhand punch to his elbow. Those are just my novice thoughts, but I don’t think the backhand punch is used enough.

[@roylyon6631]

Tom, he is forcing you to play his game. I suggest getting him moving more from side to side when he moves back-- short wide with power and heavy side spin cuts from your forehand on higher balls--he is getting your power back consistently-- tiring you. Also, serving him short to his forehand wide and then third ball wide to backhand if possible. He wants your power and consistently uses top spin serves long to encourage your top spin power. This is a challenge to control with side but the robot can help you. Placement vs. power. Get him moving. Tom, he is forcing you to play his game. I suggest getting him moving more from side to side when he moves back-- short wide with power

[@sx5r]

- get a bit closer to the table, your position is comfy but gives Jarek too much time (often you hit the ball way behind its high point) - do not go all out in shots, since you struggle to recover in time for the next. (see 14:00-14:05) Generally do not ever overextend like you did there unless it's a sure kill. - vary spin and speed more, giving always 100% tires you out and makes you predictable. Conserve energy and let Jacke make mistakes. - use more sidespin (f.ex.: if you slow down the diagonal attack to Jared's forehand corner and put heavy top- and sidespin on it, Jarek will have a hard time ^^) --> in general it seems you try to outplay/outpunch Jarek (i.e. make him unable to return you shot at all) - but notice how most point are made by him getting to the shot but being unable to return to the table. You can try to improve by getting faster, stronger and more stamina. OR you increase Jarek's error rate by forcing him to play many different shots and angles. imho you very much have the skill to implement the necessary changes. ETA: at 1:25 you put some sidespin on and he missed his backhand (btw, watch the video again, you will see that you had trouble with his fh-sidespin ^^) at 1:49 same thing on the forehand side, it looks like you put more sidespin on the ball and he missed the ball completely at 4:08 you played a straight shot from a position I find perfect for heavy sidespin ... similar situation at 4:29

[@matthewhorrocks7322]

Against players like this, i feel its important to vary, speed, spin and placement, mixing drop shots, heavy spin slow loops, fast loops and flat hits, giving him one pace allows him to get into a rhythm

[@JAREK_TT]

Great tips 😊 Cant wait to see you playing all this tips against me 😊

[@user-tl5gp7li6c]

Hi Tom, just watched L Trumpauskas beat Jarek at Crawley3-0. The obvious points are ,he was L handed, heavy spin serves were winning points, powerful backhand service returns winners, FH loops and smashes not being returned - ie no long rallies. So match domination is the key . Good luck next time!!

[@Kylo99]

Play in a smaller room :)

[@robert2780]

tom, the backhand hitting zone is much smaller. at 3.49 you smashed to his backhand and won. at 3.58 you smashed again to his backhand and won again. also it is much harder to counter loop with your backhand and hit a winner. When he counter loops effectively, it is more likely to be from his forehand side.

[@Tadek5]

One of my friends with whom I play regularly can play a dozen or so balls while standing 3-5 m from the table. Playing against him is very exhausting. It greatly develops the strength and repeatability of strokes.

[@WorgAgate44]

This kind of player are very comfortable with powerful shot, so an strategy is to hit with more spin and good placement than speed and power. Another advice is the footwork, you should get better in that, in that way you will be able to hit in a better and more comfortable position. Finally, the timing. Most of the ball that went into the net or out of the table was because you were hitting in the wrong timing. So, if you combine this 3 advices possibly you will can get more points. You will be able to get in a comfortable position, wait for the right timing and hit a very good quality shot with good placement as well. Obviously this is not easy, practice is required. Jarek is a great player, so it wil take some time.

[@andrewmccauley6262]

You usually make one good angled hit getting him on the defensive, which is great, but your next shot is either in the middle of the table (which he has no trouble with), hit too hard and misses, or hit too tentatively. Try hitting your next shot with similar or even slightly less power, but create an even better angle (to the other wing if he leaves it open, to the same wing if he recovers too far, whatever), putting him in a worse position or at least making him run and creating the potential for a mistake. You don't need to smash that shot for it to be effective, so it's a very safe way of creating opportunities against defenders. You might find this difficult though, this requires good anticipation and footwork and you seem to be reacting to him rather than anticipating, and your footwork is slightly awkward. I'd try to keep a bit less upright, I think that's making your footwork suffer.

[@seanmcatasney112]

Move over Craig..Jarek is now my favourite table tennis player. This is hilarious and very entertaining. Tom..move the table closer to the wall on his side. That way he won't be able to play high forehand and backhand defensive or offensive drives or top spins. The harder you hit the ball the harder he returns it. He loves to step back with each shot. Try to get him involved in some shots close to the net. Good luck ..Sean

[@jezzag9739]

What Jarek does well is his defensive shots are always just long enough to stop you finding an acute angle with your next. He is forcing you to be safe or to take risks to find the small part of the table to take him wide. Once acute angles are found he has so much more area to cover if he stays back. The trick in my opinion is to force a shorter shot from him so you can block it wide. Once that starts then fishing is not going to work. He cant possibly cover all that table as you start to take the ball early and block wide. So how do you make him return shorter? In my opinion you need to serve more short backspin serves along with what you already do. Your serves dont seem varied enough to me and predominantly were in the central third and staight at him. Mostly i saw topspin with sidespin or no spin from you. For the other half of the game when you are returning serve i suggest use more backspin on your pushes especially if you are forced to hit long, ( using the end third of your bat as its moving quicker). For the ones you think you can loop then try to find either of the outside thirds of the table and make your first bounce short.... use more brush and more spin and less forward drive to do it. That wil be hard for your opponent not to pop up unless they are close to the table, and mostly he wont be. Jarek is also comfortable in the rally so make your shots less textbook. He knows what you are going to give him almost always. Hit your topspins with sidespin when its comfortable especially to find a more acute angle. Try to smash the higher balls with underspin and sidespin and concentrate on that rather than really hit them hard. Those balls are not generic and difficult to control if you even are in position. Long write up but maybe some of it helps.

[@kiciuus]

Use the angles when you attack (side spin or positioning) and hit softer shots with more topspin from time to time, rather then flat shots in the middle. Drop shots when possible, variation over all. Staying confident helps, perhaps the most important and hardest thing. Thanks for your videos, Tom.

[@TheTableTennisServiceGuy]

Hey Tom, very easy...long kicker, backhand chop block, forehand hook wide, followed by a slow forehand fade off the other side of the table. Simple! haha!

[@RussischeBruder]

In order to beat him 1. Smash mostly in his backhand with your forehand 2. Improve quality of your forehand. In such a small room the smashes shoul land into the wall and not falling down 1m before the wall. 3. Smash and drop shot 1 and 2 are most essential in my oppinion

[@supersean2552]

Ha yes I lost to him recently in North herts league, the only points I won were unforced errors, by playing well disguised serves and by making a very strong attack early after his first opening top spin. Obviously you can't let him hit the big forehand, so let him play his light top/side spin shot then drive it into his body or out to the corners, expect it back and don't keep trying to hit harder (my mistake).

[@TableTennisGalaxy]

Here's how you beat this particular chap: Anytime he gives you a high ball while he's still close to the table, you want to hammer it as deep and as far away from him (left to right) as you can. Anytime he's able to back off the table, you need to LOOP HIM TO DEATH. Spin the ball as hard as you possibly can on every shot. What this is going to do is remove the pace on the ball, which he uses to make his lobs consistent. This is also going to make your balls move a lot in the air. They will kick off the table very hard and then, they will thrust forward a bit before dropping rapidly due to the spin. If you're varying the spin, he's going to be unsure about how far he needs to be from the table. Anytime you get the chance to play the ball shallow to his far backhand side (left to right) while he's either in the middle of the table and close to the table, or he's in his lobbing position, then you MUST take advantage of this. He's going to struggle to play a good ball back in this scenario. But, if he does get it back, you need to be waiting to play a deep ball to the other corner. But, you should always wait to do so until the ball to his backhand side forces him to hit the ball from an off balanced position. If the first one doesn't do so, then play a second one to that same side, except aim for his middle on the second one. Keep playing it to that backhand side until you catch him off balance when he's hitting the ball. When you do that, only THEN should you play it the other way. Equipment: You may want to consider using the DHS Hurricane 3 NEO Blue Sponge on your forehand in order to be able to impart heavy spin on the ball and to be able to keep the ball slower, even when he lobs it back high.

[@TableTennisGalaxy]

Or you could use short pips on your forehand and play the same way as you normally do. It'll increase your power big time and it'll take away a good amount of spin off your drives and smashes, which shall make his lobs more difficult. You can try using Der Materialspezialist Spinfire in 2.1 thickness. It is a FANTASTIC short pips rubber.

[@andytiller4528]

Hi Tom, I am no champion, but I play in division 1 of the portsmouth league. My only comments are that you are certainly playing his game, and you are beating yourself to a certain extent. My humble suggestion would be to keep the ball very short with as much backspin as possible. This could make Jarek very frustrated, and he start to try and get the rallies back to how he likes them. Once he lifts the ball to encourage you to open up the game, this is when you strike. Hit the ball wide and vary between long and short. Really vary your serves, short with big backspin. Good luck

[@iangooding2859]

Maybe you can mix in a variety of side spin hits (Chop-Smash) which would tail away from him and drop shots which would force him in towards the table then drive the ball towards the middle or wide back hand. Also make sure that your form does not break down on your put away shots which tends to happen after hitting successive smashes. Concentrate on form and placement and be ready to block because he has the ability to counterattack as soon as he senses a let up on your part. These unorthodox, herky jerky players are very sneaky with their attacks, remember to stay on your toes Tom. Good luck with "The Brick Wall". 😎

[@blueheart9873]

Best tip in general: vary short and long attacks What helps me the best is doing a long serve with either heavy backspin or no spin and go for the point on a 3rd ball attack

[@backspacer92]

That he attacks is definitely a problem. I feel like you are caught off-guard most times when he does. When you attack yourself I would try to get him away from the table to the back first and then basically half long with sidespin so he has to move to the side and forward a bit. You did win points that way multiple times. It's too easy for for him to return balls if he only has to move left or right or forward. You do risk a sidespin counter loop that way, though.

[@vijuvlogs]

Hi Tom Since you mentioned you get tired and not able to sustain the energy levels, that is what is intended from Jarek😅 So, you should make him move forward and backwards randomly inorder to confuse him and make him tired. He doesn't look very agile so you can tire him out by playing lesser attacking shots and combine them with soft touches and drops when he goes far back so that yiu keep him guessing as well take the opportunity to attack the next ball when he comes forward

[@Lightzy1]

Theoretically all his returns on your long serves should give you an attack that ends the point with a bit more power and observance (note where he's moving after the return, misdirect and then hit the other way) but if that doesn't work, why don't u try a short very backspinny serve?

[@chasf3433]

Tom you are playing very up and down the table at constant tempo which he loves. More variation in pace, spin and angle, in particular if you can more side spin on your FH.

[@ttrocks5985]

If you can - I know this can be difficult for many - hit those lobs right off the bounce. Your timing has to be superb to do this, but it's helped me against lobbers and "modern" defenders.

[@aswinibhoi710]

It's very difficult to play against such a consistent player.. who doesn't mind playing that extra ball without losing focus and getting frustrated. I too face the similar issue of getting frustrated playing such type of consistent player and getting myself to make error frequently. It's so frustrating. 😢

[@knotwilg3596]

Mostly agree with the comments. I've always found you play more of a driving game than a game of spin. Your serves are mostly long (suits him), your attacks are relatively flat (suits him) and your defense is rather floating as well (allows eay counterattack, suits him). I like to play such flat defenders because they are giving me the angles and I can apply my forehand sidespin loop. We occasionally see you play that shot too but the side spin is somewhat accidental rather than deliberate. So this is the first shot to master. Then this player presents an opportunity to practice short-long variation. Learn short serves. Start with backhand if pendulum is too hard. Next is deep backspin. These flat defenders usually have a hard time spinning against backspin. Finally, you lose some rallies because you are out of position, so you need to work on recovery. Bring that return to neutral position into your muscle memory. Also try unlearning those big swings, by generating power with the legs and torso. You do uncoil a little, but most of your power still comes from your arms. Good luck!

[@milesteghades]

Tell Jarek that Adrian sends his drops shots (regards). Variation in speed and placement( lateral and depth) should be your default playing style. He's a very tough opponent. Away from the table is where he likes to be, so1 -2 attacks followed by a drop shot, otherwise you tire yourself out. Also play a lot more to his back-hand, it's your safe spot.

[@JAREK_TT]

Im sending you my lobbying regards Adrian. Looking forward to kick your ... again one day 😀😊

[@Marco-rw9vk]

You're playing his game, a lot of your shots are slow and he has no problem catching those or counterattacking, and if you smash you likely miss. Alternate short and long, left and right, even better if you do a short shot with sidespin going outside the table to force him in an awkward situation and then either catch him in the unprotected corner or off-balance by hitting where he's recovering from. You need to hit consistent shots, no smash as that's unreliable, try to do topspin with a weight change while hitting as opposing to slow shots while alternating directions and doing short ones once in a while to always keep him moving and guessing. Good luck!

[@JAREK_TT]

Easy to say not really easy to play all of this.

[@Marco-rw9vk]

@@JAREK_TT Definitely! Trying to change style just for one opponent is quite challenging as you're trying to win in an unfamiliar way

[@jeanbalthazar8014]

Play him in a smaller room! :o) Jokes aside, you almost only do long serves, which allow him to initiate the long rallies he likes and statistically dominates. I'd try to get him into the table with a short serve (not every time obviously), then push him back into a corner with a shot as fast as possible, and then try to finish the point with a strong topspin into the other corner. Something like that, make him move in an out and try to finish the point earlier, so you don't run out of steam before the end of the match, even if it means taking more risks. Easier said than done, I know.

[@teazmo]

Vary! Use a short serve, use more spin, use less spin, stop the ball, push it! Like you mentioned in "How to win points" with Craig Bryant, there are some good advices on how to vary the game. By the way I noticed that when you play forehand, you put your index finger in the center of your racket. For more stability? IMHO to create more spin you shouldn't place your finger there.

[@languagelearner6982]

1.my advice is to move him in any one direction and then make a attack in the other side 2. you can drop the ball near the net and lower height 3. you can chop block /tomohawk chop block the ball at any sudden

[@alonsoquijano51]

Do not try to hit through him. When I play someone like this I take them out of their comfort zone. They want to stay back there. I move them in and out. Drop shots; pure sidespin shots; tomahawk chop shots; etc. Works all the time.

[@vipankoul7657]

I think you should try changing your serve maybe mixing up with short back spin serve and then you will get a chance to open up with good top spin. You can control the point. Another point that I can say is when he is far from the table and you are smashing randomly he is getting used to the randomness. Basically he is expecting anything. Instead smash with some pattern and then change suddenly. E.g. when you move him to his wide forehand and he gets that ball back then you want to go to his wide backhand which he is expecting and getting it back. Instead smash to the same side maybe 2-3 times if you have to then go down the line. You can also mix it up with some drop shots and make him move forward and back. You did this at 9:16 rally and you got the point. Maybe you should do this more often and you might get that victory. When you are smashing if you smash to the body this will also help. This might help, let me know if you try this and it works.

[@user-rp5jj8xr4p]

Hi, Tom. Not exactly tactical, more technical advice: you can make topspins much more powerful using not only your hands, but also your body.

[@SteveJ-wd1bf]

Think maybe try to mix up more so not a consistent pattern for him ie largely topspin/smash. Push him round a bit and pick your loops then push again etc,, make him move front to back more? Good luck Tom.

[@nickthetrick27]

When he plays the ball deep to your court it's going to be hard to beat him, but when he returns a little short I feel like your footwork could be more incisive in order to get into a fast attacking position and take the ball earlier and harder than you have been. Strangely it's often harder to return a fast hit when it's to the body, so don't think angles all the time. Good luck!

[@eds59]

Dear Tom, looks like Jarek is a very good defensive player at long range distance. Perhaps you should try to use something like a short pendulum serve and then a strong hit at the opposite corner if it is possible. Or maybe try to add more rotation to your hits, that might make Jarek less accurate.

[@GuoJing2017]

"if i play too soft Jarek will attack" i think I would probably disagree with this statement, on your soft blocks they look more like soft drives but you are still adding energy to the ball, i think if you just held your bat still and didnt drive forward then he would struggle a lot more with returning it. Anyway good job, you did a lot better than i think I would have done!

[@Martydogable]

We have started putting loads of side spin on returns left and right plus side spin on chop blocks off the bounce as I have a player that can return everything….hope this helps plus you played someone in the league call Ken Stead who added side spin off the bounce in one of your blogs

[@Martydogable]

See Rory Scott chop blocks video on his KZbin channel

[@jasper8368]

Try to slow the game down and try more pushing and backspin serves ，he seems to enjoy topspin balls a lot

[@tayfunkayabasi]

I think you should try doing drop shots after long balls. Your shots could be a little more accurate. Your shots stay on the net.

[@aseq2]

If you look at your pointer finger on your bat when playing a forehand...you're thrusting more than you're hitting. Increase your lower arm speed and hit simpler shots at higher speeds. He's very consistent, but he doesn't give you hard to return balls, so you should be focusing on finishing the point more (a bit like you do at 3:45 or 7:40 or 8:05 ). He's not going to make mistakes if you don't hit it hard enough. So give him a forehand topspin with lots of spin (so it's hard to keep it low), step forward, and finish the point on the next shot by smashing into a corner. Not easy though! Try to capitalize on the shorter balls, though he does a good job of returning them long most of the time. Good luck!

[@washnery]

Quero jogar como Jarek, estou aprendendo a jogar defensivo moderno. 😂

[@raikiro797]

Given your age and physicality, i believe that overpowering him is not viable(although it is what i prefer to do). This means that the only viable option is strategy. When playing against him, i believe that restricting his ability to enter his "game" is optimal. Perhaps serving short or half long with backspin and following up by playing wide or uncommon angles(e.g. down-the-line flick/loop) could be effective. However, if he does manage to enter his "game" spin variation is key. Mixing in a chop smash here and there will make the ball fly very long and make it awkward to receive, and perhaps learning a chop/chop block would shake up his rhythm. However, i do not believe side spin to be all too viable an option in this scenario as producing shots that have heavy sidespin is quite difficult to get right and would require a lot of unorthodox training.

[@tonywalker188]

First of all Tom he is very good so do not beat yourself up. You very quickly resort to forehands. He knows this. The minute you start he immediately drops back onto the wall. As others have alluded your tactic will work against most opponents but for Jarek you need to change the pace of the ball. Pull him into the table then hit the big one. when he has no time to react. Also maybe introduce some back and sidespin shots. You need to vary your game. He is reading you like a book. Need to get him guessing. When he is guessing his shots will start to go awry. I dont' envy you though he is pretty good

[@eloimumford5247]

Hum give a few drinks before the match ? Back the table few feet to the wall ? I suggest lot of spin + shoot close to the net , anyway he is a tough and smart player.

[@MrJolster24]

1.Need to serve both short and long. 2.He has a much weaker backhand so maybe put it to that side most of the time when you attack. 3. On your forehand technique you need to “snap” your forearm more, it tends to stay at the same angle throughout the shot. 4. I know you have a weaker backhand yourself, but if you improve this it would help a lot. Jarek was “resetting” the rally whenever he couldn’t take the heat any longer by putting it to your backhand. Keep your elbow fairly high on the backhand so you can hit through properly.

[@jfdpereira1]

you can be more aggressive when receiving the serves set up the pace for your next ball

[@skedtm]

I'm not a good player but feel I'm a good tactician. He seems very comfortable with topspin. So I guess maybe get some chops/backspin on the ball? Slow it down, so the ball will hopefully bounce twice on the other side?

[@mattfourie5612]

Try to hit a short shot with backspin, then aim toward his backhand when he is close to the table.

[@Tadek5]

Jarek said that you are "thin Bolek" and that you will never win against him. In my opinion, you are playing really well and the result of the next match may be different.

[@richardwright5234]

Service variation to draw him in to allow third ball attack on a flank or to the body. He is very mobile but you will draw mistakes from him by drawing him in with drop of soft shots and then out to the flanks. When he is away from the table don't repeat the same stroke/location too often - variation is key in spin/length and strength. Winning ugly I would try to play a much shorter push/chop game and then attack the loosest return with a fast high quality stroke that is to the flank or to the elbow. His b/h is weakest and it appears you can get away with a looser shot if you find yourself on the back foot. He appears to be a very good player so you need to disrupt his game plan.

[@MarkBennetts]

I would suggest a mix of pace and spin rather than all-out-attack as he finds it too easy and consistent to get the ball back from the back of the court. You'll need to adjust both the power and the amount of spin to cause a poor return when you can go for the kill shot.

[@alangoudie2299]

Play some very short serves. Instead of smashing long forehand attacking shots play some very short spiny drop shots. Make some short & different replies to his usual serve which just gets the point started. Get fitter. Vary your game especially change some attacking shots to short, spiny drop shots. PLEASE REPLY.

[@yudistiraliem135]

Step a bit to the side of the ball more and use the angle rather than power when the ball goes high. It’s more risky so focus on control rather than power for starting.

[@richardcosens4387]

Like others have said, change the pace. Slow your serves down & play regular drop shots so that he can't dictate. He is feeding off of your pace. It's tough as he has a good allround game but I have recently seen a player with a similar game lose to another player who hadn't seen this opponent before. He stood back, spun the ball up heavily & bought the opponent into the table. He wasn't used to this & lost. The other option is to study the video's in which he has lost & adopt the winners tactics!

[@roylyon6631]

Nothing wrong with more endurance and power, but, I believe short wide power is the solution whenever you can get it.

yeah, that was exactly what he said ;-)

[@marcwalmsley4315]

You definitely have to use drop shot,bring him in to table and then pounce!!

[@philipwebber4433]

You are playing the game he wants.So he finds you easy ,so you have to play a completely different game which is not easy for you.I would try short and spiny. He is also much fitter than you so move him in and out from the table.good luck .

[@abdulragmaanhay9789]

As others have stated, the long ball and drop shot (you follow through too much, hence the ball easily bounces only once instead of twice) coupled with wide side spin angles are paramount. I also note that you get very frustrated between points and try to smash harder and harder thus losing your composure. Be patient and pin him on his backhand which is stable but not strong in terms of attacking and hurting you. Whe its too short or high you can take advantage. Playing soft shots to his forehand invites his forehand attack which can and does hurt you. Lastly i would ask you to learn more body sway shots to not allow him to see where you going to hit your next shot. Your body position gives you intent away too easily. So body sway and wrist change in direction will have him give you easier attacking possibilities.

[@woodygeo5162]

How do I tell my hero (Tom) how to play better. Here goes - Your 3rd ball attack needs to be more aggresive. He is already starting to move backwards as he plays his returns. He "should " find it more difficult to return a hard 3rd ball if he is moving backwards. Once he gets back you need to vary and don't get into a slugfest - he wins most! I would also take up a suggegtion by someone else here and go for some long push rallies with loads of backspin. I know it's boring/negative but should win a couple more points. But, more importantly it will P.... him off and unsettle him. Lastly vary your returns - instead of loads of top spin smashes (which he soaks up) try some back spin returns low over the net. But, he is good!

[@GrayAngus]

I've watched a fair bit of him. I would say give him what he doesn't want - not steady hitting topspin and flat hits. Dot let him get into a retrieving rhythm away from the table. Mix it up Short, long, chop, loop, drop shot - if you can!

[@Barkingfchighlights]

Play short backspin serves then attack

[@XYoukaiX]

Of course no idea if it works but it does look like his blocks are rather high and your attacks are pretty much all topspin ... maybe you could try not doing topspin but actually doing sidespin ... I often try to do as much sidespin as possible when playing against players like that who defend really well but return high .... no need for any topspin as the ball is high and if the sidespin is hard enough not only do they need to run a lot but also returning a strong sidespin is pretty difficult at times.

[@leecherlarry]

tbh i have no idea . with such a solid opponent , i'd be helpless too . haha

[@rudycramer225]

Looking at the scores you are almost there. What I see is that on some of his shots you have him stretching for them. When you see that you should attempt to get the return he hits on the half volley and aim for the other side. Either a drop shot or a hard top spin. Also so you just smash it straight at him and when you see him having to hit back a cramped shot, go the half volley again down the left or right line. He doesn't move as well as you do, so you should make him take more than one step for a ball. Also, you have a mental problem against him. I feel that once you beat him, he will never win against you again.

[@priyavedmutha4232]

I think you should try snakes

[@jfdpereira1]

change the pace, he go far back you can put a ball short after 1 or 2 topspin

[@nigechandley4307]

Your opponent seems to read your shots. I would start by playing to his middle, then as he backs up, try varying the power and spin of your shots so he cannot settle into a rhythm. Your aim would be to try and force him back but his returns to drop shorter on the table. If you are dominating the table you will have all the angles to play out of his reach. Try deception, shape to play one way, hit the other, drop shots as long as they are deceptive would also be good. I haven't watched his channel, does he lose to more unconventional players that he cannot read so well? How is his short game over the table, he might be good but not as good as stepping back? What is your one weapon or tactic he finds difficult? Lastly believe. You must think you are going to win

[@teckhonghong3628]

Psst Tom! Use a smaller room. 😉

[@Luc82]

Hi Tom. Here's a translation for you, but I'm not sure you will like it 🙂: "You were not able to beat me. And you never will, probably. I don't know how you got 230k subscribers." I'm Polish but I hope you will beat Jarek next time because I also find 'brick wall' players very frustrating 🙂

[@JAREK_TT]

Dont be to much helpful for Tom 😊 Let him check in google translator 😊

[@jytan740]

make him move front and back, left and right, try attacking his backhand

[@tomc5317]

Postaw stół stroną przy której gra Jarek niemalże przy samej ścianie. 😅 Proste.

[@Brezinski1000]

I watched the first game. You did not serve a single ball that would have bounced once. Every serve was long. What about a short pendulum with underspin? What about a short reverse pendulum with backspin. I would serve 90 % short to him and most with backspin. Then I would throw in some pushes. You play right into that guy's hands. Hope this helps.

[@arturo1965ification]

muy facil, juegale bolas lentas con mucho efecto

[@user-gm7vo7yq6g]

Brother do drop shot