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Yes, but the block is a shorter version of your drive/topspin. If you have a technically incorrect drive, you will often have a technically incorrect block unless you have trained the correct technique for a period.

Yes, this is part of the technique. I would just say you need to relax your wrist and turn your forearm inwards but people think about this stuff differently. The turn the wrist over advice is correct. The problem is that people don't do it instinctively unless it is built into their hitting...

In case people think that Ma Long never spins up the ball or has never practiced it in his life... I know this thread is about looping contact, but ultimately, it comes down to the fact that no one can hit the ball one way every single time. Even Timo Boll. His style is relatively softer in...

I had a whole response written out. I used to think that spin was all about the rubber, but as you get better, you realize that all spin is about the blade and the rubber - it is all a matter of degree. The ball can't move fast unless you get good impact. That said, for ANY spin shot, the...

You forgot equipment. EVerything is spot on. Just remember equipment. EDIT: I see Carl pointed it out.

I don't see any disguise at all - I think you are overthinking this. His follow through is part of the full motion for his stroke - it's one of the things that people who focus only on contact get wrong about stroke theory. A different follow through often indicates a different stroke because...

All great advice. I would also recommend stuff from Samson Dubina's blog or Larry Hodges blog for playing your first tournament

I told you exactly the same thing. This is all for after the tournament. Right now, you just play hard until the tournament. That said, remember that you have a lot of time to play TT. Don't take anything in TT so seriously that it makes or breaks you. IF you enjoy playing with your grip...

Lots of approaches to grips. You can have a grip for every shot if you want to play that way - I know kids and other players who do that and I was on that track too sometimes. I now prefer the approach that ttmonster and myself have taken - keep it simple. Of course, you need to find a grip...

So in order to not sound cryptic, let me point out the influences on my game so you know my biases. Brett is obviously one. Brett believes in having uncapped technique on your strokes ans serves and footwork then using those strokes and serves to play and get better with experience. He tries...

Shuki, I get it. You have a good countering game. Conventional TT wisdom says that among level.players, he who gets in the first topspin wins 80% of the points. I don't remember upsetting a better player without getting in my fair share of first topspins. In fact, more than my fair share. I...

You pushed the ball way too much and got lucky that the long serves were not looped back at you. But you were playing someone who didn't threaten you so I guess you were relaxed. At one time, you served, got a long ball above net height, then pushed it. IF you do that against me, you probably...

Haha - and you have had some pretty great coaches too. I am doing that too so great point.

Believe it or not, you don't have to take the ball as early as possible if you have the right technique. Just do the right stroke and eventually, you will figure it out. It's actually better to wait for the ball and catch it at the right point in your stroke. It will not rush the opponent...

Yes. If your counter hit is like Persson's (I actually think Henzell's finishes too high for someone of his height), then yes, use the same motion to block. Someone described the motion as wiping the ball up and down with your wrist while hitting through it.

The block and the counterhit are very similar strokes with one just being a shorter version of the other. The problem is that if you don't have a proper counterhit motion, you can't have a proper block motion because the arm motions are exactly the same apart from the length. The inward turn of...

That said, it's not always easy to see someone with a grip and know how that grip expresses itself with play. There are some no-brainers (high fore finger, high thumb on face of paddle) and you interesting sometimes combine both. There are worse grips, but it is a huge credit to you to play...

Ahhh... maybe there was something else taking up my brain space and the problem with threads is that because of the notifications, you usually post where you last posted - it takes a lot for new topics to attract me. The transition from service logic, I fully get. It's one of my struggles with...

I remember that thread - we focused on all the wrong things. What is really wrong with your grip is how high the indexfinger and thumb are on the blade. The cocked wrist thing is minor. You need to get your finger and thumb lower to a truly neutral grip like the ones we displayed in the...

Master hitting the ball EXACTLY the way Jorgen Persson and Oh Sang Eu are doing it here in the first 30 seconds of the video - take the racket back, start at ball height and swing forwards (not upwards) into the ball. Finish at chest height at most (not head height), no matter whether you are...