Lin Yun-Ju: The Great River

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I've written a short piece on why I find Lin Yun-Ju such an inspiration and what makes his technique so fantastic. If anyone reads or enjoys it that would be great :)


Lin Yun-Ju: The Great River
An Essay on my Inspiration (Ben PJ)

Lin Yun-Ju is a hero of the sport and has the most beautiful technique in the game.
Before considering why Lin worthy of such praise, it is important to consider the backdrop he set against: Chinese dominance. The modern Chinese game is often fast, rigid and strong. The top Chinese players hit the ball with furious force and the speed with which they move is almost aggressive. It is the product of years of rigorous, structured drilling and intense exercise. The results speak for themselves. Players like Ma Long and Fan Zhendong perform feats of movement and precision which push the upper limits of human capability. They swat balls from impossible positions and regularly annihilate some of the world's best (even the B team players are capable of such feats). The way they play is sublime, fierce and fiery.
As the Chinese are to fire, Lin Yun-Ju is to water. His movement is elegant and free flowing, and I don't think it would be far fetched to say that he looks almost as if he's dancing when he plays. Despite not being as physically strong as some of the Chinese players, Lin uses his body efficiently to create devastating amounts spin and power. His movements are not forced but by allowing his joints to rotate freely, his arms and wrist can crack into the ball. His backhand flick exemplifies this. Using his elbow, he makes a short, sharp movement, the wrist simply following through. As well as being exemplary, his style looks like it belongs to someone who has fun playing the sport, and has done so from a young age. The young and precocious Lin presumably picked up a love for table tennis and ran with it. The fact that some of Lin's closest (his family and practice partners in Taiwan) appear to be warm and genuine people, suggest that his love of the sport was innate and not simply motivated by strict parental or systematic conditioning. Although Lin is modest, and is so-called the 'Silent Assassin', his love of the game shines through his well polished technique. His movements flow so naturally, like a river one could say.
As well as this, he seems to be a very wholesome and kind individual, and a friend anyone would be lucky to have. Lin Yun-Ju is one of my main sources of inspiration for the sport and I strive to incorporate both his technique and level-headedness into my own game.
Lin Yun-Ju, you are the water that can extinguish the great Chinese flame and a beacon of hope for the future of our sport (or, as you demonstrate, our art).
 
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That is very well written. Nice to see appreciation of LYJ in comparison to the Chinese players.
Thank you for sharing.
I've written a short piece on why I find Lin Yun-Ju such an inspiration and what makes his technique so fantastic. If anyone reads or enjoys it that would be great :)


Lin Yun-Ju: The Great River
An Essay on my Inspiration (Ben PJ)

Lin Yun-Ju is a hero of the sport and has the most beautiful technique in the game.
Before considering why Lin worthy of such praise, it is important to consider the backdrop he set against: Chinese dominance. The modern Chinese game is often fast, rigid and strong. The top Chinese players hit the ball with furious force and the speed with which they move is almost aggressive. It is the product of years of rigorous, structured drilling and intense exercise. The results speak for themselves. Players like Ma Long and Fan Zhendong perform feats of movement and precision which push the upper limits of human capability. They swat balls from impossible positions and regularly annihilate some of the world's best (even the B team players are capable of such feats). The way they play is sublime, fierce and fiery.
As the Chinese are to fire, Lin Yun-Ju is to water. His movement is elegant and free flowing, and I don't think it would be far fetched to say that he looks almost as if he's dancing when he plays. Despite not being as physically strong as some of the Chinese players, Lin uses his body efficiently to create devastating amounts spin and power. His movements are not forced but by allowing his joints to rotate freely, his arms and wrist can crack into the ball. His backhand flick exemplifies this. Using his elbow, he makes a short, sharp movement, the wrist simply following through. As well as being exemplary, his style looks like it belongs to someone who has fun playing the sport, and has done so from a young age. The young and precocious Lin presumably picked up a love for table tennis and ran with it. The fact that some of Lin's closest (his family and practice partners in Taiwan) appear to be warm and genuine people, suggest that his love of the sport was innate and not simply motivated by strict parental or systematic conditioning. Although Lin is modest, and is so-called the 'Silent Assassin', his love of the game shines through his well polished technique. His movements flow so naturally, like a river one could say.
As well as this, he seems to be a very wholesome and kind individual, and a friend anyone would be lucky to have. Lin Yun-Ju is one of my main sources of inspiration for the sport and I strive to incorporate both his technique and level-headedness into my own game.
Lin Yun-Ju, you are the water that can extinguish the great Chinese flame and a beacon of hope for the future of our sport (or, as you demonstrate, our art).

 
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