Browsing: tactics

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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Killer Kross and Scarlett wanted to stay with WWE, but they say they had a good feeling that things would end up the way they did.

Kross and Scarlett spoke with Chris Van Vliet on his Insight podcast about the final months of their WWE tenure. Scarlett said they anticipated “for months†what was going to happen. She compared herself to Melisandre, or the “Red Woman†of Game of Thrones‘ fame. Scarlett says she saw their fate while doing a tarot reading, and knew “in her gut†early on that they were going to leave WWE.

“Iâ€d say we knew for months what was happening, what was going to happen,†Scarlett explained. “I have been for a long time when it comes to astrology and looking things up, and a lot of the stuff I do on the paranormal show is a bit real with the tarot cards. So, I did see that we were going to have some sort of contract dispute, but it was going to take a while. And I did feel in my gut like weâ€re going to step away since like, February.â€

Kross said that they had told very few people about that experience, but they were always trying to make things work with WWE. He told Triple H in January that they both wanted to stay, which ultimately didnâ€t happen.

Scarlett explains why WWEâ€s negotiation tactic was a red flag

Kross and Scarlett were approached separately about contract negotiations, with a WWE representative saying they would get Kross†offer sorted first. Scarlett felt like they used her as leverage against him, although she thinks they would have signed her, too. Kross said a similar situation happened when he went from NXT to RAW, and wouldnâ€t make the same mistake again.

“But all in all, it felt like a massive, massive red flag. And I did feel like it did come off a bit misogynistic,†Scarlett said. “Because originally I was hired before you, and the idea that I have no value without him, and itâ€s only determined by whether or not he signs, that came off as very misogynistic to me.â€

“I told you this a long time ago, but didnâ€t really ever publicly talk about this,†Kross added. “When I signed to go from NXT to Raw, somebody said the exact same thing to me over the phone. And I asked her, I said, ‘What do you think?†At that time, we had no reason to ever think it would be strange or go sideways, so I signed it, being told weâ€ll get to her after we get to you. I go up to Raw, then we go into like Mad Max and the Thunderdome, and sheâ€s at home. So I was like, well, Iâ€m not gonna do that again. We already saw exactly what happened with that.â€

WWE ultimately pulled Kross†contract offer after 24 hours. He and Scarlett left the company in August, and they have continued working together on the independent scene.

Read More: Kevin Nash Says WWE Royalty Checks Have Gotten ‘Rotten†Since TKO Takeover

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Sep 23, 2025, 01:15 PM ET

A defiant Mikel Arteta has hit back at critics who have claimed his “handbrake tactics” are threatening to derail Arsenal’s bid to win the Premier League.

Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both accused Arteta of selecting a cautious team following Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Emirates on Sunday.

Arsenal’s marque summer signing Eberechi Eze dropped to the bench, despite Martin Ødegaard’s absence, with Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino forming a midfield three.

Addressing criticism that he approaches big matches with the handbrake on, Arteta said: “Surprised? In football? I don’t think I’m surprised by anything.

“I don’t read it but if you tell me that this is the main one [narrative], I’m surprised, I would be extremely surprised with my knowledge and my know-how and how I analyse a football game.

“Because it was impossible for somebody to predict such a dominance from Arsenal throughout 96 minutes, because it never happened in 17 years of Pep (Guardiola) as a manager.

“So if the narrative goes somewhere else and we’re talking about dominance, how can you be dominant against such a team if you have, what was the word? Handbrake. Dominance and handbrake, they are two different words. But I accept everything. I will learn more to have a different vision.”

Mikel Arteta has defended his tactical approach against Manchester City. eague match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on September 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Arsenal trailed 1-0 at the interval with Eze brought on to replace Merino, while Bukayo Saka was also introduced at the break in place of the injured Noni Madueke.

Arteta confirmed on Tuesday that the England international faces a period on the sidelines with a knee injury.

Arteta continued: “I respect everybody’s opinion but when I saw everything and I watched it back and all the stats, I was surprised.

“I don’t think that one player makes that. When you see the behaviour of our team. We played Ebz on the right-hand side. Could he play 90 minutes? That’s a question I put for myself because none of you know the load that he can do.

“So it’s easy to say he could have played from the start. Maybe not. Because he already played two games from the start. And he’s never played as a right attacking midfielder. So that’s another one. A new element for him. But all good.”

Arsenal, five points behind runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool after just five matches, will face Port Vale in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Madueke will be absent from Arteta’s travelling squad but 15-year-old Max Dowman could make his first start for Arsenal, while former Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is set to replace David Raya.

On Madueke, Arteta said: “He’s going to be out for a few weeks. We’re probably going to have to do a scan again next week.

“He felt something at the beginning of the match [against City]. He tried to carry on and at half-time he was too sore.

“It doesn’t look too bad. He was gutted, obviously. It is very disappointing to see, he was in such a good state. He looked a real threat so it’s a big miss for us.”

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In recent seasons, crosses to the near post were favoured by attacking teams. Chelsea opted for this same approach against West Ham too.

Teams often commit extra players to the near post as a way to prevent dangerous flick-ons in this area, so naturally there are fewer players elsewhere, which includes the far post. As a result, some teams are deliberately choosing to cross to the far post from corners and with good success.

Against Spurs on 13 September, West Ham appeared to place more players towards the near post, perhaps as a result of Chelsea’s previous success against them in that area.

Spurs instead targeted the far post where West Ham had fewer players. Spurs put two attackers at the far post to West Ham’s one defender, meaning eventual scorer Pape Matar Sarr was left unmarked.

Spurs didn’t block the goalkeeper like Delap did for Chelsea, but they did use blocking in another interesting way.

With a looping ball played to the far post, Potter’s West Ham players tried to move from the near post towards the ball. As the Spurs’ attackers were positioned behind them, they were able to hold their ground, blocking the West Ham players’ path. This prevented any West Ham defender from getting close to Sarr.

With the number of players in the six-yard box, Hermansen was again unable to leave his line too.

Sarr headed the ball in before running off in celebration, pointing to set-piece coach Andreas Georgson.

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