The push and the chop

A push kept short — bouncing twice on the opponent's side if left — denies them the space to loop. They cannot swing through a ball that is still over the table, so they are forced to push back, and the rally stays in a controlled backspin exchange.

This is the quiet battle at the start of most rallies between good players. Neither wants to be first to give the other a ball they can attack, so both keep pushing short until someone produces a ball long enough to loop.

A long push deliberately gives the opponent a ball they can attack, but does it with heavy backspin and good placement. It is used when the player is confident of blocking or counter-looping the reply, or when the opponent lifts backspin poorly.

It is the same stroke as a short push with more forward acceleration, which is what makes it hard to read — a receiver cannot tell short from long until the ball has left the bat.

A chop is played well back from the table against a loop, with a long downward brushing motion that converts the incoming topspin into heavy backspin. Because it is played from distance, the defender has time — the reason chopping is viable at all against attacking play.

It is a complete playing style rather than an occasional stroke. A chopper wins by returning ball after ball with varying amounts of backspin until the attacker misjudges one, which makes consistency and spin variation the whole skill.