Yeah. Younger guys in leagues can take the ball quite below the table but still send it fast and low. I manage to loop like that against half long serves to my FH and send it just above net and deep, it's still not easy though.
My slow loops vs backspin are usually high, slow and short behind the net. I would love to make them long and maybe a little lower, but keep having trouble adjusting to that without turning into a fast forward loop and ending in the net.
For me it usually happens when I am tired already. A bit out of position, a bit too soft contact. It can be still funny when ball hits net, crawls up and just drops right after it or bites opponent's rubber, who is trying to drop shot it and flyes away.
Just hit harder, but it still should be a brush contact. Also placement is important. Many opponents kill them if you keep looping diagonal, but miss when I go to the middle or straight. Waist and back muscles get quite sore though 🙂
“It’s an unreturnable shot,” said US Team Member Perry Schwartzberg many years ago after failing repeatedly to block, hit, or counterloop against fellow team member Ricky Seemiller’s slow, spinny loop. World #3 Mikael Appelgren had a similar problem against Ricky, losing to him when the world’s...
It's true what @Der_Echte says, many opponents just completely overshoot the slow spinny loop. Part is the spin ofc, but more importantly the slow. It messes with timing, makes them expect a weak ball subconsciously and then poof, it jumps out because it's actually loaded.
I agree that it has potential and great use, and I'd use it more consciously if I also had a long spinny version to vary with.
Tension in grip sounds like a good place to start.
Especially with professionally trained young players, who always train with fast hitting rallies in training...
Their high level coaches would NEVER, I mean NEVER advocate for slow, heavy, it is pretty much a sacrilege and violation of how modern TT is SUPPOSED to be played.
So... since they do not often face slow/heavy loops from lower amateur players, it is absolute alien concept to them until they play enough tourneys vs those who do.
“It’s an unreturnable shot,” said US Team Member Perry Schwartzberg many years ago after failing repeatedly to block, hit, or counterloop against fellow team member Ricky Seemiller’s slow, spinny loop. World #3 Mikael Appelgren had a similar problem against Ricky, losing to him when the world’s...
I have using / executing slow spinny loops in my game recently, especially after @Der_Echte posted this YT vid. I am happy to say, it is getting some favourable results, especially against lower skill players. They are just unable to handle the kick effect of the spin. Some tactics I have tried which adds to the effectiveness of this stroke that I am happy to share:
1. If you are lopping from FH to FH or cross-court, try to loop a little outside the ball to add some side-spin which will make the ball kick to one side and this create even more headache to the recipient as the ball will kick abruptly to the side, completely messing up the timing and trajectory. If you are aiming the center or body shot, treat it as though looping cross-court.
2. If you are aiming the BH side, then loop with a high arc as much as possible to the recipient BH. A high kick loop ( the type where it bounces to the eye level of the opponent ) to the BH will truly cause difficulty to return.
For FH to FH, avoid the high loops as this can be easily countered.
3. Take your time to loop. Go all the way down; like way-way below the table. As a guide: Half way between the floor and table surface. Use your legs' quick upward acceleration to assist in generating ball rotation. This will generate a massive amount of rotation. Timo Boll is very good at this. He can be a good role model for this type of shot. Watch his YT vid for inspiration.
4. When you go all the way down to loop, the ball will clear the net low and it will become super difficult for opponent to counter attack. At most; at least in the club level, they can only block and with such amount of rotation, a high percentage will kick out of the table and you earn a point.
5. If you can master or get comfortable using this stroke, club level push-blocker becomes a non-issue anymore.
Have fun experimenting.
p/s Don't know why I am listening to @Der_Echte , but I found myself using his recommendation of Tibhar Aurus on FH and t05fx on BH. Good choice nonetheless.
p/s/s How far can this technique take one to? I know now it is effective against the regular club level player, but just out of curiosity, at what sort of level does this slow and spinny loop looses its effectiveness? Any guesses? USTTA 2,000? 2,200? 2,500? Provincial? National?
I have using / executing slow spinny loops in my game recently, especially after @Der_Echte posted this YT vid. I am happy to say, it is getting some favourable results, especially against lower skill players. They are just unable to handle the kick effect of the spin. Some tactics I have tried which adds to the effectiveness of this stroke that I am happy to share:
1. If you are lopping from FH to FH or cross-court, try to loop a little outside the ball to add some side-spin which will make the ball kick to one side and this create even more headache to the recipient as the ball will kick abruptly to the side, completely messing up the timing and trajectory. If you are aiming the center or body shot, treat it as though looping cross-court.
2. If you are aiming the BH side, then loop with a high arc as much as possible to the recipient BH. A high kick loop ( the type where it bounces to the eye level of the opponent ) to the BH will truly cause difficulty to return.
For FH to FH, avoid the high loops as this can be easily countered.
3. Take your time to loop. Go all the way down; like way-way below the table. As a guide: Half way between the floor and table surface. Use your legs' quick upward acceleration to assist in generating ball rotation. This will generate a massive amount of rotation. Timo Boll is very good at this. He can be a good role model for this type of shot. Watch his YT vid for inspiration.
4. When you go all the way down to loop, the ball will clear the net low and it will become super difficult for opponent to counter attack. At most; at least in the club level, they can only block and with such amount of rotation, a high percentage will kick out of the table and you earn a point.
5. If you can master or get comfortable using this stroke, club level push-blocker becomes a non-issue anymore.
Have fun experimenting.
p/s Don't know why I am listening to @Der_Echte , but I found myself using his recommendation of Tibhar Aurus on FH and t05fx on BH. Good choice nonetheless.
p/s/s How far can this technique take one to? I know now it is effective against the regular club level player, but just out of curiosity, at what sort of level does this slow and spinny loop looses its effectiveness? Any guesses? USTTA 2,000? 2,200? 2,500? Provincial? National?
The effectiveness is always level relative - most strokes don't lose their effectiveness at any level, the issue is the quality of that stroke required to play at that level goes up. So things like speed, spin, placement. deception etc. all have to be better to get the opponent to make mistakes.
its a problem with all advices regarding technique in general
i dont think ive ever seen a concise tutorial ever, its all based on intuition and feeling
like for example, how would you introduce the concept of "brushing" to an adult beginner without unintentionally embedding the wrong mindset and habits into them? the way some people dish out advice they would have the beginner just graze the ball without hitting into the sponge, making low quality shots
theres even a heated discussion about the hit-brush vs brush-hit analogy in the chinese TT space, one is based on feeling and another on physics, pretty silly right?
the only way to truly know at the end is to test it urself and see what works for you better, or (tediously) work it out with ur coach in person
all which takes a longer time to learn than necessary if only the advisors would be more articulate in their teachings
but to play devil's advocate, its just the nature of the beast that is ping pong. putting all that feeling that goes into a well-executed stroke into words is difficult and there are too many variables at play that in the end there is no one true way to play the ball
