Keeping loose strokes

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Hello all,
Has anyone come across some good information on how to keep your arm loose at all times?
In drills and training I can easily keep all of my strokes loose however when it comes to
a game situation and I let the body go on auto pilot I find my arm muscles way too
tense and flexed. Also have a bad habit of not following through the stroke and using muscle to stop it early.

All bad habits that I instantly see after I lose a point. Obviously with more practice I'll get it but
was wondering if there are any good articles out there.

Maybe take some muscle relaxants from the pharmacy before the match?:)
 
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Hi, when you practice are you just practising or are you playing matches to?

You should do competitive practice play and try to play relaxed. Sometimes league matches can be to much pressure. Try practising staying relaxed in more calmer match environments :) It takes time to practice being relaxed, keep working on it, you will get it.
 
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Its a mind issue dont need pharmacies at all. Before a point starts either training or a match say "relax" to yourself breath from your belly and maybe try flicking or twitching your wrist with the paddle to see how much relaxed you are. This is a basic psychological technique that many atheletes use. If it doesnt suit you just try thinking/fantasizing of yourself making fluent/relaxed strokes like a serve or a topspin. Then breathe and start playing. Dont think, just play. Most players dont improve becvause they think too much during playing.

TT is a game of fast reflex followed by triggered mechanisms, if you think during play your motor skills will be not at 100% of your best effort
 
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Thanks for the replies guys. I've come across another bad technique in my forehand upon watching some video. There doesn't seem to be a lot of information online on the backswing portion of the FH stroke. My backswing is far too horizontal, high up and away from the body. I change my bat angle half way through the swing to add topspin or try and lift backspin etc. Basically I am swinging on an upwards arc forwards instead of a straight angled line foreward if that makes sense.
I notice that Ma Long drops his bat close to his right knee every single time he hits a FH. That's his starting point even if he needs a more horizontal shot.

Something that I need to get out of my stroke for sure.
 
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Muscle relaxants would not help you. That would be like drinking 3 beers and having two joints, being drunk and high. It would not help your game.

Do you do any random placement drills? Drills where you do not know where the next ball is going. You may be tightening up because of the fact that in match play you do not know where the next ball is going so you are reacting to things with very little time to react. That kind of drill may help if that is the issue.
 
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Muscle relaxants were just a bit of a haha just kidding. The last thing you'd want to do is not have full muscle control. One thing I've been doing though is on serve receive ready position I'll give my arm a loose shake just to remind myself to stay loose. It's a good technique because my serve return will stay loose. Good for those short pushes. I just need to keep that level of cool going through the rally.
 
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