Ai Fukuhara Technique Review

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Hello TTD!
So for the long time, I've been planning to start a table tennis related channel which involves table tennis equipment reviews, technique reviews, tournaments, tributes, and general table tennis experiences. I am keen to start making reviews and also share my knowledge in this amazing sport. :)

So, to kickstart the channel which is in beta at the moment, here is a very short video showing the stroke of Japan's Ai Fukuhara doing multiball drills. I've edited some parts for video stroke analysis especially her backhand stroke.

HTTP: Harvey Table Tennis Project [SUP]beta
[/SUP]Ai Fukuhara Technique Review

For the backhand stroke analysis, I have broken it into 3 parts:
Timing of contact
Contact point
Stroke follow-through

Timing of contact
Here, the timing seems to be after bounce or just before the peak of the ball. Since Ai-chan is playing close to the table and also using pimple rubbers, she is hitting the ball at early bounce to further maximize the speed and spin of the opponent's ball. Also, unlike using inverted rubbers, pimple rubbers have difficulty generating spin, it is possible to generate their own spin, but it is not really their strength. Pimple rubbers are dependent on the opponent's spin and usually they are use for deception, change of pace, and hitting through spin.

Contact point
Contact point for Ai-chan seems to be this / which is slightly slanted. Even if most pimple rubbers are not susceptible to spin compared to inverted rubbers, experienced players slant their hitting to further bring the ball down to make the opponent not able to attack easily. Also, against topspin balls, pimple rubbers also need to be slanted or closed a bit, but not to the point like inverted rubbers, as it has the tendency to go down into the net.

Stroke follow-through
I guess the most obvious difference when playing with pimple rubbers and inverted is that of the follow-through. One can note that Ai-chan "drives" the ball more than the inverted player. Because the inverted player contacts the ball at the peak or even slightly descending after peak, the natural grip of inverted rubbers make the ball go into an arc, while pimple rubbers have little to no grip making the ball drop off the bat almost immediately. That is why Ai -chan "guides the ball" more in a direction than the inverted rubber player.

PS I am a big fan of Ai Fukuhara. I think she is an amazing player with a unique gameplay. :)
Also, this is to help fellow pimple players, especially those using with short and medium pips for hitting and blocking, get additional knowledge in using such pimple rubbers.

PPS I do not know how to speak Japanese nor Chinese. So maybe someone knowledgeable can translate what the video says. :)
For the original footage, go here ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er7R_YJJy1g

Thank you for watching! I hope we can start a good discussion. :)
 
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