Using shoulders in forehand topspin?

[offensiveplayer]

Hi, i train for five years and i have a bit older coach who teached me to use shoulders in my forehand topspin, but now i see others do not do that. And my swing is long when i use shoulders , so how can i fix that?

 

[GregorTT425]

The forehand topspin technique doesn't require too much shoulder, but pretty much torso rotation and power transfer and wrist. Focus more on the wrist movement, at least that is what I do. Also your elbow should be moving back and forth a bit while topspinning. Using your legs is also cruical, a little bit of knee-bending when rotating your body.

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

Shoulders???

Nooooooooo......

 

[turbozed]

At least according to Ti Long, you use more shoulder depending on how far away from the table you play. Close to the table, you shouldn't be using any since it messes with the stability of the shot and also makes recovery more difficult. Far away from the table, swinging the shoulder forward adds extra forward momentum and speed.

 

[blahness]

Well even Timo Boll suggests using the shoulder lol (bringing the shoulder forward).... Personally I don't focus on it, there are a lot more important mechanisms imo.

 

[blahness]

Shoulders???

Nooooooooo......
View attachment 25186

What piece of artwork is this from? It looks like it's in the style of Starry Night by Van Gogh, but it isn't.

 

[hclnnkhg]

I think the key point is torso rotation. The shoulder moves along as part of the "whip" but it shouldn't be the main power generator. Try utilizing it but don't force it.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Hi, i train for five years and i have a bit older coach who teached me to use shoulders in my forehand topspin, but now i see others do not do that. And my swing is long when i use shoulders , so how can i fix that?

Any chance you can post footage of your FH. It could be 30 seconds and just a few FHs. It is hard to actually comment on technique without seeing what someone is actually doing.

Your stroke might be totally fine and you might not need to worry.

 

[NextLevel]

Shoulder is really the upper arm. Ti Long has a good video he just released on fixing it. It's pretty much what I would try to get someone to understand. What I like about it is that he also shows a high level player having the same technical issue so that people can realize that unless it is causing injury, it might not be the end of the world for your quality of ball.

 

[Wrighty67]

Shoulder is really the upper arm. Ti Long has a good video he just released on fixing it. It's pretty much what I would try to get someone to understand. What I like about it is that he also shows a high level player having the same technical issue so that people can realize that unless it is causing injury, it might not be the end of the world for your quality of ball.

Great video - certainly my biggest FH issue is too much shoulder And upper arm use.

 

[Metaxa]

Topspins used to be explained completely differently than they are in modern table tennis. Previously, a topspin came much more from the shoulder and the ball was also taken much lower with a long arm movement. Just look at J-M Saive's topspin move.
Many more injuries were sustained because over time the shoulder tendon becomes inflamed.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Shoulder is really the upper arm. Ti Long has a good video he just released on fixing it. It's pretty much what I would try to get someone to understand. What I like about it is that he also shows a high level player having the same technical issue so that people can realize that unless it is causing injury, it might not be the end of the world for your quality of ball.

Good post:

Shoulder is really the upper arm.

This would be my first thought and hopefully that is what is meant because other options for what he might mean seem more risky from a biomechanical standpoint. But since it is only words we still would need to see the actual technique of the OP.

 

[loerting]

It is a matter of preference, but you should definitely learn a topspin that works without shoulder first and then think about shoulder usage.