"Euro" vs "Chinese" Play Style
I think this is related to the original discussion.
So, I was playing with a friend last night. We've always been pretty close in level. He's always been a bit better than me.
About 6 months ago he said: "I'm tired of being 17-1800. I've decided, in 6 months I'm going to be 2200. End of story. Here's the date; it's November 15th, by May 15th I'm gonna be 2200 or I'm gonna quit!"
So last night he was making jokes about it. "I've got 3 days! I've gotta do it." I had forgotten and I am pretty sure I said this to him then too but last night I said: "You know, if you really want to break 2200 you are going to have to do A LOT of training!"
His response--and I am pretty comfortable that he gave the same response back then--was: "I don't want to do drills. I think there is another way. The difference between both of us and a 2200 player is not technique. We just make too many mistakes and they make better decisions."
The last time I sent him the Train Ugly video about why you want to train the random element. Somewhere in talking about training, I realized his idea about what training was was basically crosscourt counterhitting.
So I explained again, that if he wanted to jump 4-500 points in just 6 months, he would really have to train. But he would actually need to learn how to train. And that a 2200 level player hits faster, harder, with more spin, with less effort and stays in balance so he is more ready for the next ball. I also explained the difference in the level of touch between 1800-2200.
Well, the idea of just adding a big FH without knowing when to use it and without the crazy hours of training that the CNT players have put in that enables them to know when to use which technique, it's just kind of naïve to think that things are that simple.
If you watch FZD, he often uses very short, all forearm snap strokes on his FH. That technique which is often called "chicken wing" by people who don't like how Timo Boll's FH looks. I always used the term "chicken wing" to refer to when someone's elbow goes up higher than the racket. But....
For getting that much better in such a short time there is no shortcut. You have to put in the time.
For me, this is what I think I would need to do:
5 days a week: 4 hour training sessions. 2 hours with one 2500+ level coach. 2 hours with a second 2500+ level coach.
On those 5 days another 2 hours of match play with as many different opponents as possible.
And then a sixth day with about 4 hours of match play with as many different players as possible.
The level of the players for match play would have to progress as I improve.
And with that there is no guarantee that I would get there. And it is as likely that I would get injured along the way. But, there is no way I would get to 2200 in 6 months without at least that much. At least. Perhaps a year is more likely even with that.
Sent from Deep Space by Abacus
