Beginner forehand topspin

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Different coaches might offer differing answers to this question. My coach take on this question is that he wants me to straighten the arm slightly to straight on the end of the backswing in all forehand topspins. It depends on how much time you have. If you have a slower ball you have more time to straighten the arm more and go more behind you too. He stresses the need to be relaxed in the arm and start the forward hip rotation slightly before the arm swing so the arm straightens a bit naturally without thinking about it. So you do not try to straighten the arm at all, it just happens from the forward hip rotation and slight delay in arm motion. This can be hard to see in pro strokes as it is subtle. The relaxed form allows the wrist to move too at the end of the backswing too.
 
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For the forehand topspin, is it better to start with the same bent elbow throughout the entire stroke, or to have the elbow slightly bent and have the forearm snap at the moment of contact? I'm not sure which to use since the Chinese style rubber I use (Skyline TG3) needs good power to use to its full potential, which putting some arm force would help with, and that there aren't many Chinese style players who play forehands with the same elbow angle throughout the entire stroke (other than some players like Xu Xin, who has a wider swing).
 
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
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For the forehand topspin, is it better to start with the same bent elbow throughout the entire stroke, or to have the elbow slightly bent and have the forearm snap at the moment of contact? I'm not sure which to use since the Chinese style rubber I use (Skyline TG3) needs good power to use to its full potential, which putting some arm force would help with, and that there aren't many Chinese style players who play forehands with the same elbow angle throughout the entire stroke (other than some players like Xu Xin, who has a wider swing).

If you watch the Chinese players FHs closely, all of them have excellent mechanics. All of them start with their arm more straight than when they finish. So, at some point in their stroke, their elbow starts to bend. The timing for those large strokes is that the elbow starts to bend more just before contact.

But if you think to do that and you have a habit of keeping your arm stiff and your elbow joint fixed at one angle throughout the stroke, it is very hard to learn to get the bend in the elbow at all. And even harder to have it timed well to the contact.

And if you tried to do a stroke where the angle of bend in the elbow did not change at all through the stroke, the racket would move much slower than if there was that snap from the forearm (elbow joint).
 
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
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I made this video in October to answer a specific question from a member. But this might help you guys understand the mechanics of the stroke.


In the video, I don't overemphasize it, but if you look how much faster my hand moves when my arm starts straight and ends bent and I have the weight transfer and the core rotation in the stroke in comparison to any of the other movements, you may better understand why you want all those things at the same time.

1) Weight Transfer
2) Core Rotation
3) (Further from the table for sure) Upper arm starting almost straight and ending bent to about a 90-degree angle.

I am not a pro table tennis player. But I am a movement analyst. So, even though I can't do the shot as well as a high level player (I am really a mid level intermediate player at best), but I may be better able to analyze, break down and explain the mechanics of the stroke than many pros since since analyzing human movement and mechanics is what I do for a living. :)
 
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