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A slice is a shot where the ball is hit with a brushing motion, adding backspin, but usually with a more controlled, floating trajectory. It often stays low and is used for finesse or to change up rhythm. But it is not heavy back spin but you are rather just throwing up the ball up there but is a sort of controlled manner. It is usually mid distance but can also be far awy from table in table tennis or near baseline in tennis. Involves mostly arm motion. This is more of a defensive stoke

A chop, on the other hand, is like a slice taken to the extreme. It’s a more of an offensive stroke rather than defensive (though sounds paradoxical) often used farther from the table (in ping pong) or near baseline or from outside baseline (in tennis), generating heavy backspin and typically a higher arc but can also be flat. A chop involves a vicious brushing of the ball genertaing lot mor ebackspin than a slice and that is why it can be considered an offensive stroke. Can include just arm motion but more aggressive than a slice but can also include wrist motion with variations. A side chop (with both side spin & back spin) is even more offensive variation of the straight back spin chop,

A Lob is a shot where the ball is hit with a brushing motion, adding topspin, but usually with a more controlled, floating trajectory. But it is not heavy top spin but you are rather just throwing up the ball up there but is a sort of controlled manner. This is more of a defensive stoke

A Loob, on the other hand is a new word being coined here . It is Loop+Lob. A loob is like a lob taken to the extreme. It’s a more of an offensive stroke rather than defensive (though sounds paradoxical), often used farther from the table (in table tennis) or baseline (in tennis), generating heavy backspin like in a loop and typically a higher arc.Can include just arm motion but more aggressive than a lob but can also include wrist motion with variations. A side loob (with both side spin & top spin) is even more offensive variation of the straight top spin loob.

A retriever is usually an amateur player (more like a hacker) but could also be a pro or semi-pro player. A retriever usually plays mostly slices and or lobs mostly from in sort of a desperate mode as he or she barely has time to get to the ball or make decision about comntrolled spin variations .

A defender is usually a pro or semi-pro player with superior feel for the ball and touch & can consistently execute chops and or loobs as well as slices or lobs with great control and also variations in spin as well as accurate placements

Mikael Appelgren is quite possibly the greatest loober of all time

So lobbers & slicers are retrievers who are more defnsive as opposed to loobers & choppers who are more offensive in their play style

Osmun wrote: ↑July 5th, 2025, 3:12 am So lobbers & slicers are retrievers who are more defnsive as opposed to loobers & choppers who are more offensive in their play style

You should never "throw the ball up there" to the opponents' side with no purpise.

"Do something to the ball" with some purpose in mind

Of course , for an amateur player this is easier said than done, but with cosntant thoughtful purposeful practice this can be somewhat achieved, even if not at a pro level.

Such as
1. brushing the ball more both in your slices and lobs and turning them into chops and loobs instead of just throwing it harder
2. adding side spin to either the backspin (slice) or rhe top spin (lob)