Tactics to beat a left-handed player

Many right-handed players do not enjoy playing left-handed players. It shouldnâ€t really feel that different. A left-handed player has a backhand and a forehand, just like a right-handed player. But somehow it does feel different. The angles are reversed. Left-handed serves come from a different angle. Forehand attacks come from a different angle. Backhand attacks come from a different angle. It all feels unfamiliar. 

Plus the left-handed player is much more used to playing against right-handers. There are simply more right-handed players, so by default, lefties play more righties, than righties play lefties. Interestingly, left-handed players donâ€t always enjoy playing other left-handed players, because this is also more unfamiliar to them!

I actually enjoy playing left-handed players and have a decent record against them. My best tournament win to date was against a left-hander. Thereâ€s a few simple tactics I have developed over the years which tend to work well.

Now obviously not all left-handed players are the same. There is a huge range of playing styles. But it would be impossible to cover tactics for every possible style in one article. So I will focus on the ‘typical†left-hander, which I encounter most often.

The typical left-hander has the following attributes…

• Serves from their backhand corner, often to the middle or forehand side
• Forehand is stronger than backhand
• Skilled at playing forehands from at least ¾ table
• Likes to attack more than defend
• Receives well with either a backhand push or backhand flick

Of course, this isnâ€t 100% accurate. I know some left-handed players who are stronger on the backhand side, serve more from the middle and play more controlled. But the description above accounts for at least 50% of left-handed players.

So, how can we beat the typical left-hander? Here are some tactics I use. The first two are generic placement tactics. The next three are service specific tactics.

1. Pin to the backhand

The typical left-handerâ€s biggest strength is the forehand and they are often skilled at using it on at least ¾ of the table. Plus they have the natural angle to hit their forehands to your wide backhand position. So this threat has to be neutralised. The easiest way to do this is to play more balls to their backhand side, specifically targeting the ¼ of the table, deep into the backhand corner. 

This can be done with serves (more on this later), return of serves, playing your own backhands down the line and hitting your forehands cross-court. You can use a tactic I call ‘pinningâ€. You play the majority of shots to their weaker backhand and take the big strength (the forehand) out of the game. You will force more errors or get weaker balls back, which you can attack.

2. Target the middle or wide forehand

Whilst pinning to the backhand can form a significant part of your strategy, you donâ€t want to over-play this. If you do it all the time, the left-hander may be able to adapt. So you do need to vary your placement and hit some balls to the forehand side. But you need to be careful about where you place the ball. If you hit balls into the middle of the forehand side – the forehand hitting zone – you will be setting up the left-handerâ€s biggest strength. 

Instead aim your shots either to their crossover position (their left hip) or very wide to the forehand side. This forces the left-hander to move more and it is harder for them to play strong shots. The very wide ball to the forehand can have a lot of success, especially if your opponent is very forehand orientated. It requires exceptional footwork to cover the backhand, middle and wide forehand positions, all with the forehand. So the wide forehand position really stretches the left-hander, brings them out of position and forces errors.

3. Use sidespin serves to set up your forehand

Weâ€ve talked about containing the left-handerâ€s strengths, but how do you get your own strength into play? Letâ€s assume you have a strong forehand. To set up your forehand, you can use sidespin serves (backhand, reverse pendulum, tomahawk, hook), aimed at the left-handerâ€s backhand. This will typically be returned cross-court to your forehand side. Now you have the opportunity to attack with your forehand. Where should you aim? See tactics 1 and 2! You should aim to the wide backhand, the crossover or the forehand corner. I particularly like attacking the wide backhand position, as itâ€s very difficult to defend against.

4. Serve short to the forehand and then switch to the backhand

Another service tactic you can try is serving short to the left-handerâ€s forehand. Most players (left-handed and right-handed) donâ€t have a strong forehand flick. So the serve is rarely attacked. The left-hander has to move across and in to deal with this short serve, which brings them out of their favoured position. With the left-hander out of position, you can aim your next shot back to the backhand corner. The left-hander has to both move and use their weaker backhand side, which can easily result in an error or a weak ball. 

5. Long serves down line to the backhand

And here is Tomâ€s number one favourite tactic. You serve from the backhand side of the table (a typical service position for many players), but you aim your serve straight down the line, long and fast, to the left-handerâ€s backhand. It is amazingly effective and I enjoy a lot of success with this. Why is it effective? (1) We are targeting the weaker backhand side. (2) Long, fast serves can be challenging for a lot of players to deal with, regardless of whether you are left-handed or right handed. (3) Very few players serve long, down the line to a left-handerâ€s backhand, so they are simply less used to this. It has a surprise factor and wins quite a few cheap points. Even if the serve is returned, itâ€s rarely a strong return, so can set up a 3rd ball attack.

Finally, Hereâ€s a video I made a while ago with former England international, Lois Peake. She is a left-handed player and describes some tactics which work against her, some of which I have mentioned above.

So thereâ€s a few tactics you can try. There are no tactics which are 100% effective, but I have found that these work more often than not. Donâ€t be fearful of the left-hander, but be mindful that you do have to adapt your game a little to exploit their strengths and weaknesses.

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