[Must-See for Beginners] How to Block and Counter the Chiquita 👍

In this series, we explain basic table tennis techniques, how to perform them, and how to deal with them for beginners. These terms appear frequently, so knowing them will help you understand the game better, whether you are an actual player or just watching on TV. I hope you find this helpful.

(Unless otherwise noted, this assumes a right-handed shakehand player.)

Now, the topic for this time is how to counter the Chiquita, which is likely in high demand.
While there are cases where a Chiquita is performed after the third ball, this time we will consider serves to block the Chiquita during the opponent's receive.

(1) 'Backspin Serve' to prevent the Chiquita

First, a simple one is a backspin serve without any sidespin. Since the Chiquita technique involves hitting the side of the ball rather than the back, it can be performed even against a backspin serve. However, because it is more difficult to execute against a ball with strong backspin, most players—unless they are very skilled—will likely deal with it using a push or a stop. Therefore, it is very important for beginners to first learn how to deliver a solid backspin serve.

(2) 'Serve to the Forehand' to prevent the Chiquita

Next is the strategy of serving to the forehand. This is also simple, but it is one way to definitely prevent a Chiquita. Needless to say, the Chiquita is a backhand technique, so if you send the ball to the forehand side, it cannot be performed.

However, in recent years, it has become standard to use footwork to perform a backhand Chiquita even on balls to the forehand. If you watch matches featuring players like Harimoto, Niwa, or Morizono, you will frequently see scenes where they step around to perform a Chiquita on a serve to the forehand.

A while ago, handling a ball on the forehand side with a backhand was considered outrageous and was a play that simply didn't exist. But with the rise of the Chiquita technique, it has changed into a popular tactic that is not rare at all.

In other words, players who use the Chiquita as a weapon generally have the mindset of using their footwork to hit a Chiquita on short serves, whether they come to the backhand side or the forehand side.

(3) 'Long Serve Deep to the Backhand' to prevent the Chiquita

This is where a fast long serve deep to the backhand becomes effective. Hitting a ball to the forehand with a backhand requires moving more than hitting it with a forehand, so there is very little time to spare. Therefore, these players often stand closer to the forehand side of the table when receiving. Sometimes they even start moving toward the forehand side before the serve is hit.

It goes without saying that a long serve deep to the diagonal backhand is effective against such opponents. If you catch them off guard by serving long to the backhand just as they are starting to move toward the forehand, you can definitely jam them.

Furthermore, it is desirable to put backspin on that long serve. Even if you manage to jam them, if it is a topspin-based serve, they can return it simply by adjusting their racket angle and making contact with the ball.

If there is backspin, the opponent will be forced to either lift it with a backhand drive while jammed or be forced to push, making it easier to create a chance ball. However, it is difficult to deliver a fast long serve with pure backspin, so it would be most effective to deliver a long serve with sidespin and backspin that also has speed.

(4) 'Sidespin Serve that goes wide to the Backhand' to prevent the Chiquita

Another one I would like to introduce is a sidespin serve to a tight course that goes wide to the backhand side. Rather than worrying about whether it goes off the table or not, it is fine to serve it off the table entirely.

Since the Chiquita is an over-the-table technique, it should be quite difficult to perform against a ball that goes wide and off the table. Also, even if they decide they cannot perform a Chiquita and switch to a backhand drive, the table will get in the way, so they cannot hit it that hard.

Furthermore, since you are sending it to a tight course that goes wide, there is a high probability that the return will come back cross-court, which is to your backhand side. Therefore, you can build your third-ball attack very simply.

♣ Summary

To summarize what we have discussed:

▣ If you use heavy backspin, a powerful Chiquita will not come back.

▣ Use a combination of serves to the short forehand and long serves to the backhand.

▣ Mix in serves that target the wide backhand side as well.

That is the conclusion. As I mentioned before, at the All Japan Championships in January 2019, Oshima-senshu skillfully used a combination of short forehand serves and long backhand serves to completely neutralize Harimoto-senshu's Chiquita and secure the victory.
While this is generally a very effective placement strategy, I hope you can see how it becomes an especially potent tactic against players who rely heavily on the Chiquita. When you find yourself struggling against an opponent's Chiquita, please remember this article and give these tactics a try.

Next time, I would like to introduce how to hit sidespin serves, as well as a comparison between pendulum and reverse-pendulum sidespin serves.