Because He Had To by Carl Danner

We’ve all marveled at great players making great saves of critical points in key matches. Perhaps your own local heroes also achieve some returns that seem incredible. How could anyone have the nerve to pull off those shots?
It turns out that nerve has little to do with it. While you might imagine a player measuring things out and deciding to go for the acrobatic play. It seldom actually happens that way. Instead, players react to desperate situations using whatever technique they have available, in the hope it might work. When they happen to pull off the shot, they can look like magicians.
There are ways to increase your chances of impressing your friends with a near-miracle save. Start by adopting a neutral grip that equally advantages your forehand and backhand. That way, your racket will naturally square up to a reasonable angle for a block on either wing, without any further action on your part. This is helpful when sticking out your racket in a hurry, because there ‘s no time to do anything else.
Get in the habit of adding at least a little topspin to your offensive shots and blocks. That topspin is very helpful for bringing the ball down on the table, and can help you better control a hard-hit or oddly-spun shot from your opponent.
If you set up your opponent with an easy ball (we all do at times), try to relax rather than tense up. Then go to the side of the table you figure he’ll most likely target, and see if you can make reasonable contact for a block. A decent position and soft hands will help you return many hard-hit shots. You only need to get a few of these back to wow the crowd, and perhaps get your opponent to question his own offensive tactics.
Finally, give up on no ball, no matter how desperate it seems. If your opponent is smashing the ball four feet away from you, try to make it three feet instead. See how many extreme shots you can at least touch with your racket. Because you can’t judge immediately where an opponent will aim his attack of a set-up, don’t assume it will be out of reach and give up — you might be wrong, and miss for lack of simple preparation. And even if you can’t return an opponent’s potent forehand, the fact that you touched the ball (or perhaps nearly returned it) will prey on his mind a little and may cause him to tighten up on the next one.
When great players make great returns, the reason is often simple desperation combined with a willingness to fight for the shot with good technique despite the odds. A similar approach can also pay your dividends through saves that may earn a critical point, or even reverse the momentum of a match. Try these techniques, and your share of local hero-worship may grow a little faster than you anticipated.

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