Great advice. Question: do I always need to tighten my grip when doing forehand topspin? I notice when I play advanced players, my counter topspin flies over the table if I don't tighten my grip at impact.
Its hard to offer good advice without a video of your shot. Grip pressure is an issue that many top coaches argue about. The important thing is to be super relaxed at the start of an shot. Most club players are tight in the arm and wrist. I feel the grip naturally tightens on ball contact. If tightening your grip works for you then great. You also could try closing the bat angle on counterloops to avoid going long. Look at the Chinese. Bent arm takeback then they let the arm rise a bit before the forward swing. All driven by dynamic body motion. You could also use the body more effectively to increase your racket head speed. see ttedge.com for more on this approach.
