Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

[Archo]

Noticed an extremely funny pattern recently. I will condition people to pop up my serve, which works without fail, then receive a stupidly spinny, head-high ball that I'll fail to land a smash on. A decade ago I'd just smack them away with a straight arm, but now I'm timid and bend the elbow a bit and miss most of the time.

Ironically against much better players (top amateur and state division), they will be able to control the ball more and I'll get a lower, faster ball I can put away, but the worse the player, the more frequently they will pop up my serve way high and the riskier it becomes for me.

How would I solve this? Just drill smashes against pop? I don't think getting rid of the disguised topspin serves is a solution because of how much scoring potential it has.

 

[Zezima]

Noticed an extremely funny pattern recently. I will condition people to pop up my serve, which works without fail, then receive a stupidly spinny, head-high ball that I'll fail to land a smash on. A decade ago I'd just smack them away with a straight arm, but now I'm timid and bend the elbow a bit and miss most of the time.

Ironically against much better players (top amateur and state division), they will be able to control the ball more and I'll get a lower, faster ball I can put away, but the worse the player, the more frequently they will pop up my serve way high and the riskier it becomes for me.

How would I solve this? Just drill smashes against pop? I don't think getting rid of the disguised topspin serves is a solution because of how much scoring potential it has.

1. see if you smashed out or into the net. -> Do it better next time
2. do a controlled mini smash with 60% power. I sometimes do this since if they realize they fucked up they run backwards anyway.

 

[Tyce]

How many hours a week do you play? You need a commitment device. I get that the league system encourages some discipline and commitment since you have to perform for the team but the most important thing is never what you use but mastering what you use.

Not enough at all and I just had 3 weeks off due to holiday to make things worse. I agree with commitment and don't want to fiddle with my match setup during league season. Commitment deadline for the season is near (and I hope it feels good enough to do more than that)

 

[Archo]

1. see if you smashed out or into the net. -> Do it better next time
2. do a controlled mini smash with 60% power. I sometimes do this since if they realize they fucked up they run backwards anyway.

Usually in the net. Pretty rare I smash it out. In fact I'm doing mostly 2, and that's probably *why* they net. Not enough forward energy.

I just wonder what's the drill to correct that habit. I don't have problems smashing vs lob.

 

[NextLevel]

I can do about 8. Maybe 10 on a good day. Does that at least get me a picture of a blade?

Here are sample pictures for free.

 

[Archo]

Here are sample pictures for free.

View attachment 42977

Excellent. I'm not interested in blades (I like what I have) but maybe some time later I'll do the challenge anyway.

 

[Der_Echte]

Noticed an extremely funny pattern recently. I will condition people to pop up my serve, which works without fail, then receive a stupidly spinny, head-high ball that I'll fail to land a smash on. A decade ago I'd just smack them away with a straight arm, but now I'm timid and bend the elbow a bit and miss most of the time.

Ironically against much better players (top amateur and state division), they will be able to control the ball more and I'll get a lower, faster ball I can put away, but the worse the player, the more frequently they will pop up my serve way high and the riskier it becomes for me.

How would I solve this? Just drill smashes against pop? I don't think getting rid of the disguised topspin serves is a solution because of how much scoring potential it has.

Send me a 3 second clip if you can... if you cannot, I can telly what is likely going on with 90% certainty.

Great majority of players who miss this kind of chance ball are really just not ready for it.

They start with their bat way too low. This makes them swing WAY to far up steep and you hit out or try to wildly correct the height and miss everywhere)

They try to set the USA discus throw record on their backswing. (Such a long swing path makes it really difficult to get to the strike point at the right time and you are missing like shooting an Uzi trying to hit enemies 100 meters downrange... and miss them so bad enemy dies from laughing their collective azz off)

Player is stationary trying to smash with a powerful swing. (This makes balance and precision difficult)

AN EFFECTIVE WAY to smash these chance balls is to NOT GO HOG WILD 2 METER LONG SWING. (FIGURE OUT HOW HIGH THE BALL WILL BOUNCE _- FIGURE OUT WHERE THE BALL WILL BE AT CHIN TO FOREHEAD HEIGHT - be ready to step there to strike) Simply raise the lower arm (keep upper arm stable) to get the bat to the height of ball at the strike point... take a small or medium step to the strike point... use 60-70 percent power... and SQUEEZE the handle right real firm at impact where ball is just getting to the wood.

That will result in a much more powerful and near can't miss smash. You can really hear the wood as proof of your squeeze timing. That squeeze will add SO MUCH POWER to your shot.

I do this on BH with a much lower strike point... my stroke is maybe 30-40 cm max and I hit that puppy harder than many people FH smash.

It is all about seeing where the ball is gunna go (with what and how) TIMING to strike point with small or medium step (with a reasonable strike point height and not over swinging) and TIMING of SQUEEZE.

It is not about sheer power... going for the macho man power slap is a recipe for inconsistency and failure.

TIMING... we talking about TIMING... Ya know... TIMING.

How can a 40kg 12 yr old girl who has only played 5 yrs hit a FH smash way faster than a big grown man who has literally 10x more man-beast power? Timing of fast bat and squeeze with short backswing.

EDIT: In TT, you make fast bat speed with loose and relaxed muscles with a compact efficient biomechanical movement... with great timing of the leveraged use of the body levers continuing and amplifying the force and delivering force to the max with a real firm timed squeeze at impact.

This discipline to not over swing or over hit is a huge essential mental skill in TT that is so overlooked.

 

[Der_Echte]

I’m very nervous about sticking and cutting my own rubbers so I get another coach to do it.
Back in the day I used to mess it up So bad.
I’d splinter the blade or cut the rubber jagged or on an incline so the rubber face was smaller than the blade. Just inept.
How are these sticky sheets you see? I’m guessing they have an effect on playing characteristics.
Also do they splinter the blade surface?
Is blade varnish still a thing and is it good/bad?
Many things I would like to know before I try this again.
Advice would be welcome but please keep it simple. I’m terrible at this.

Korean coaches usually sell the equipment to Korean amateur players and glue/cut the rubbers for free.

Not a bad way to go, if a coach or competent person is around, why not use their help? You can also give em a cold can or bottle of water.

Sticky sheets are not really a long term solution.

Light varnish is a thing and prior mod Carl put up a vid on that.

Some blades will splinter no matter what, especially those with very thin outer veneers, like the Stiga blades that spin so damn well and have excellent feel. Some outer veneers are like granite rock and slippery, you almost have to light sandpaper them to get rubbers to adhere worth a crap.

 

[OvrChkn]

Played my first multi-event over the weekend in a year and I definitely need ways to be able to compete in the afternoon vs the morning. Adrenaline dumps taking me down in early games and just not accustomed to playing matches with long breaks in-between.

 

[Lula]

Noticed an extremely funny pattern recently. I will condition people to pop up my serve, which works without fail, then receive a stupidly spinny, head-high ball that I'll fail to land a smash on. A decade ago I'd just smack them away with a straight arm, but now I'm timid and bend the elbow a bit and miss most of the time.

Ironically against much better players (top amateur and state division), they will be able to control the ball more and I'll get a lower, faster ball I can put away, but the worse the player, the more frequently they will pop up my serve way high and the riskier it becomes for me.

How would I solve this? Just drill smashes against pop? I don't think getting rid of the disguised topspin serves is a solution because of how much scoring potential it has.

This have to do more with the legs. Practice step-in with right or left leg or even jump on left leg. Do not need to think about the arm so much.

 

[jonol]

Noticed an extremely funny pattern recently. I will condition people to pop up my serve, which works without fail, then receive a stupidly spinny, head-high ball that I'll fail to land a smash on. A decade ago I'd just smack them away with a straight arm, but now I'm timid and bend the elbow a bit and miss most of the time.

Ironically against much better players (top amateur and state division), they will be able to control the ball more and I'll get a lower, faster ball I can put away, but the worse the player, the more frequently they will pop up my serve way high and the riskier it becomes for me.

How would I solve this? Just drill smashes against pop? I don't think getting rid of the disguised topspin serves is a solution because of how much scoring potential it has.

If they chopped against your topspin serve, it will have a huge amount of backspin even though it pops high because they chopped with your spin.

In those cases 90% of the time I will aim to brush the top of the ball with my smash, rather than hitting it a bit flatter. It will let it arc and dip.

Alternative is you can smash a bit flatter, but aim for the endline of the table. The heavy backspin will make it land shallower than where you aim.

I get a few returns like that because of disguised topspin as well, they're a lot more awkward to smash than it appears.

 

[Archo]

@Der_Echte

No video right now, but if my partner is alright with appearing on film online, I might be able to get some some day. If I post match video you will definitely see this scenario happen anyway.

The huge backswing must be it. I get ready for them to push long most of the time due to their motion, and when they pop it up, I'm still in the "looping backspin" mentality with the bat in the basement. I might need to drill myself to unload the leg and stand higher as soon as I see it pop.

@Lula

Probably yeah. I can barely reach the ball most of the time so I don't really jump into the table, afraid to move it, but I probably need to find a method that works for me. Maybe even stepping in with the right leg a bit. I noticed that when I'm feeding disguised serves in a receive drill, when I'm still standing close to the table in the serving position, I can just slap those kind of balls away. So I might need to just get my nuts to the endline. LOL

@jonol

I'll need to pay more attention to what's actually going on. I always hit it assuming it's topspin because my serve was loaded and the opponent's motion didn't look very heavy, but I keep netting them, so it has to be some kind of backspin. Maybe I'll drill it and just bring my bat to the ball and watch the reaction. I bet it'll go straight down.

Thanks guys, very useful.

@J-fed

I use polyurethane gel for sealing. Don't go super heavy on it. Just wipe some on a paper towel and rub it on smooth. You just want a little to make the adhesion slightly less powerful.

Like with everything, you can just get good at it. EJing like crazy and swapping rubbers every few sessions has made me really good at gluing and especially regluing. I was useless at it a few months ago, but now I can get that sucker right on there perfectly.

 

[Amaken23]

Finally arrived
SDC #1159 by Sergio. Looks gorgeous and can't wait to glue the new rubbers on it next week
It is slower than 729 Friendship Blue ALC I currently have, so perfect for my all-round/controlled attacker type of play. Have second blade already ordered for traditional defense blade so can't wait for that either.

 

[Tyce]

Great night, good opposition/partners to play with and I've drawn some conclusions.
1. Glayzer passes the test. I have to adjust and close my bat angle a bit more but that's a good idea anyway. Grip is great, and I'm sure it will break in a little bit more but it was already good to use tonight.
2. Rozena still passes. Simple as that.
3. Outerforce ALC will do if I have to, I'm not sure if I want to.
4. Innerforce ALC felt so natural, but the Tenergy rubbers on there are still a questionable fit for me.

So I did what I was already considering in the first place and stuck Glayzer and Rozena on the Innerforce ALC. Took all the other option out of the bag, this is going to be it. I'm already used to the blade, and these rubbers are a great step in the right direction, too.

 

[golden_son]

Great night, good opposition/partners to play with and I've drawn some conclusions.
1. Glayzer passes the test. I have to adjust and close my bat angle a bit more but that's a good idea anyway. Grip is great, and I'm sure it will break in a little bit more but it was already good to use tonight.
2. Rozena still passes. Simple as that.
3. Outerforce ALC will do if I have to, I'm not sure if I want to.
4. Innerforce ALC felt so natural, but the Tenergy rubbers on there are still a questionable fit for me.

So I did what I was already considering in the first place and stuck Glayzer and Rozena on the Innerforce ALC. Took all the other option out of the bag, this is going to be it. I'm already used to the blade, and these rubbers are a great step in the right direction, too.

Sounds like a great intermediate setup! I'm familiar with the rubbers but I'd love to test drive it a little bit in Düsseldorf to see how the IFL ALC plays, if you're not opposed.

On a separate note, I started with a new coach yesterday. I put it off for too long out of loyalty to my first coach, but there really is something to be said for finding someone that has a teaching style you can mesh with. Our first session was a breath of fresh air; I'm excited to see how much I can improve under his approach. 🧗‍♂️📈

 

[kindof99]

Sounds like a great intermediate setup! I'm familiar with the rubbers but I'd love to test drive it a little bit in Düsseldorf to see how the IFL ALC plays, if you're not opposed.

On a separate note, I started with a new coach yesterday. I put it off for too long out of loyalty to my first coach, but there really is something to be said for finding someone that has a teaching style you can mesh with. Our first session was a breath of fresh air; I'm excited to see how much I can improve under his approach. 🧗‍♂️📈

Which club in Atlanta do you play in?

 

[golden_son]

Which club in Atlanta do you play in?

AGTTA usually, though I've also popped in to ECTT a few times.

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

So one last time, I will be doing a blade giveaway. This will hearken back to old times, though this time, as a fix to what happened in previous times, the blades will all be quality blades. No exceptions. Unless you want to a lower quality blade... I definitely could sell them and probably should... I considered donating as well and if you win a blade and decide to donate it to any cause, that is fine. I will probably donate others.

So the desired parameters are to post a video of yourself doing two of the tricks in the old Marcos Freitas skills video. Any of them will qualify. The video must be at least 1 minute long with whatever skills you choose.

The prize blades - 2 Xiom HAL blades , 2 Andro Wosik Legacy blades, and 2 Joola Trinity Vyzaryz blades, all used or almost new but in quite playable condition and worth something reasonable. As the dictator mod, I judge the entries. I will cover postage. When you post your video of your skill and I say it qualifies, just let me know which blade you want. First 6 videos get the blades. The end date for this is August 31, 2026.

Here is my submission attempt for NextLevel's EPIC Freitas Skills Challenge!!!

Can I get a ruling? : )

The video could have been edited a little shorter, but the struggles make the few successes stand out! Pancake is very much still a work in progress (stating the obvious).

Thanks for the motivation to try and learn some new skills!

 

[Tyce]

@golden_son I plan to bring pretty much everything I have in the closet for Düsseldorf, maybe I can get rid of something or have people try stuff out. I mean I'm bringing a whole car, might as well use the space right

 

[NextLevel]

Here is my submission attempt for NextLevel's EPIC Freitas Skills Challenge!!!

Can I get a ruling? : )

The video could have been edited a little shorter, but the struggles make the few successes stand out! Pancake is very much still a work in progress (stating the obvious).

Thanks for the motivation to try and learn some new skills!

The dictator/moderator judge, after consulting with the inner voices of his conscience and judgment, proclaims you a winner!

Please PM me your name and address and your choice of blade.