What Streches do you us for Tabletennis?

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About a month ago I noticed before my coach would start hitting she would snap her forearm over and over, not like she was practicing a stroke but holding her arm in a fist, back side of her hand facing behind her and arm angled like she was flexing a bicep muscle. And she would just go about snaping her forearm up and toward her head, and then back down to being straight to the side parallel with the ground. I had also seen Danny seemiller Sr. Do this before and wondered what the hell they were doing.

It wasn't like they were doing a shadow stroke and I tried doing it myself and felt like it wasn't doing shit. Then last sunday during a group lesson session she had us all doing it and saying during our strokes she wants our forearm to touch (meaning around where your elbow bends she wanted contact to be made between the forearm portion of your arm and the bicep portion). It all made sense for a moment, and then at the end of lessons someone asked me. "are there any stretches I can do to loosen me up so my strokes aren't so tight?"

I honestly had no answer because I had never really thought about it. I just always thought "relax your stroke and you'll do better shuki" and I then asked my coach this question. She said "Oh Yes!, stretching relaxes you so much, always do it before you play so you can have more relaxed play. Remember when we did this?" She then showed us the forearm snapping motion. "This helps relax your arm so you can use your forearm correct." Apparently that actually relaxed the muscles in your arm.

For me I played better tonight in our drills and game scenarios than I ever have. (I peak a lot so that's probably what's happening) But part of me wants to think it was that relaxing of the arm that helped. But another part of me is ready to fall from this peak and go into a vally for a few days before rising back up.
 
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Hi, I'm having trouble visualising this, are there videos or diagrams on-line I can refer to? Thanks in advance

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About a month ago I noticed before my coach would start hitting she would snap her forearm over and over, not like she was practicing a stroke but holding her arm in a fist, back side of her hand facing behind her and arm angled like she was flexing a bicep muscle. And she would just go about snaping her forearm up and toward her head, and then back down to being straight to the side parallel with the ground. I had also seen Danny seemiller Sr. Do this before and wondered what the hell they were doing.

It wasn't like they were doing a shadow stroke and I tried doing it myself and felt like it wasn't doing shit. Then last sunday during a group lesson session she had us all doing it and saying during our strokes she wants our forearm to touch (meaning around where your elbow bends she wanted contact to be made between the forearm portion of your arm and the bicep portion). It all made sense for a moment, and then at the end of lessons someone asked me. "are there any stretches I can do to loosen me up so my strokes aren't so tight?"

I honestly had no answer because I had never really thought about it. I just always thought "relax your stroke and you'll do better shuki" and I then asked my coach this question. She said "Oh Yes!, stretching relaxes you so much, always do it before you play so you can have more relaxed play. Remember when we did this?" She then showed us the forearm snapping motion. "This helps relax your arm so you can use your forearm correct." Apparently that actually relaxed the muscles in your arm.

For me I played better tonight in our drills and game scenarios than I ever have. (I peak a lot so that's probably what's happening) But part of me wants to think it was that relaxing of the arm that helped. But another part of me is ready to fall from this peak and go into a vally for a few days before rising back up.


Interesting... So you just do biceps curls without wheight and more with a snap motion?
 
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Basic stretches work well for lower body - standing hamstring stretch, glute stretch, groin is especially important, and hip flexors. I like dynamic stretches for upper body since it teaches you to keep muscles relaxed during motion, which is what happens during our strokes. I like arm crossovers, arm circles, and wrist flexion/extension. If my biceps tendon is tight, I'll statically stretch the whole kinetic chain from my pec/shoulder to the biceps to the wrist. Stretching is extremely important for me because I carry a lot more bulk than your typical TT player, and because powerlifting naturally tightens up all your muscles.
 
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I do alot of mental streching, visualizing in my head what to do and put them into movements

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Also and interesting aproach. I read some stuff about visualization and on how you can improve by watchin top players play. Because your muscles will move in a very little fashion if you picture a movement in your head.

A friend of mine who is a very good parcour athlete has told me that to master skills you need to make a almost perfect mental image of yourself doing the skill in your head. So you can even practice your skill when laying in bed.
 
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Those who practice visualization more often tends to develop faster and they move more smoothly

Visualization actually helps your nervous system sort out more efficient movement patterns. That stuff is good.

But here are some really useful stretches for stuff you use a lot in table tennis. These first two help keep you from getting tennis elbow. If you had tennis elbow they would help it get better.



The stretches that follow would be good for work and tension from table tennis that can affect the health of your lower back.

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But the dynamic relaxed movements you guys are talking about for the upper body are great for before practice. What I posted is all stuff that would be more valuable after practice unless you were having back problems or had tennis elbow.

With either of those scenarios, you would do the stretches before and after. And you might even do those stretches before you went to sleep and/or after you wake up in the morning.
 
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Shadow drills done relaxed with the arm whippy would be good for warm up too as they will get your whole body warm in just they way you want for table tennis: legs, hips, core, spine. All those dynamic arm movements are what the arms need. But the rest of your body wants the shadow strokes, very relaxed and as whippy as possible.

And that specific warm up that Shuki is describing for the forearm/elbow joint whip is definitely really useful. But so are all the other arm movements TheKnife described.


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When I trained with the Beijing team they were very thorough with their stretching particularly in areas around the hips and waist, lower back and legs.

I always like to do ham strings and hip flexors regularly as they are probably the muscles I find become the most tight for me.
 
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When I trained with the Beijing team they were very thorough with their stretching particularly in areas around the hips and waist, lower back and legs.

I always like to do ham strings and hip flexors regularly as they are probably the muscles I find become the most tight for me.

My money says that the CNT is also pretty thorough about strengthening those muscles, like side plank work.
 
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Hi, I'm having trouble visualising this, are there videos or diagrams on-line I can refer to? Thanks in advance

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I'll make one tonight (maybe) I never remember to bring my camera anywhere but always remember my tripod. imagine your arms out like you're pretending to be an airplane but with your palm facing forward. Now use your forearm and close it all the way. If you do it in slow motion fingertips start facing away from your body and move toward facing straight up and then a bit farther, toward your head. Now do this motion much quicker with your fist closed.
 
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I stretch/warmup my hamstrings, my torso, and my lats/shoulders.

Hamstrings and torso are quick and easy.

Hamstrings: https://www.jefit.com/images/exercises/800_600/3721.jpg
Like this but with both feet (including heels if you can) on the ground

Torso:
What I do with for the torso, is fairly uncommon for some reason.
I turn my torso and arms one way (clockwise for example) and I turn my waist and one of my legs the other way (counter clockwise).
(If you do it hard enough, it cracks up your spine like how you crack your knuckles, so you might want to be careful)

Lats/shoulders:
Stretch your arms to its limits! (Try different directions and get creative.)
 
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I'm in need of a stretch routine for my shoulder. I have some directions that are pretty locked up. For instance I can't do a reverse pendulum serve because I'm much too tight and I don't move that way. Some of my old baseball stretches just hurt.


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I'm in need of a stretch routine for my shoulder. I have some directions that are pretty locked up. For instance I can't do a reverse pendulum serve because I'm much too tight and I don't move that way. Some of my old baseball stretches just hurt.


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I will see if I can get some photos and film of a few things.
 
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I'm in need of a stretch routine for my shoulder. I have some directions that are pretty locked up. For instance I can't do a reverse pendulum serve because I'm much too tight and I don't move that way. Some of my old baseball stretches just hurt.


Here you go:

It does not matter how far you go. The idea with the stretches should be that you go to a place where the stretch still feels good. Not like torture. If you do that, as things open you will naturally go farther. But you are really just trying to release the tension. You are not worrying about how far you go.

I am just going to where I feel stretch. Someone more flexible would naturally go farther and someone less flexible will adapt the stretch by not going as far.

Some arm movements:


Some stretches.

This first one can also be done with your hands on the table.

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This next one is really just a deeper fancier version of the previous one.

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And that last one, the easier version or the harder version can be done with movement:


That is a few that are worth it.
 
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