Injuries from the modern backhand game?

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As an older 40+ player, my body harshly reminded me that I wasn't so young any more when I developed tennis elbow in 4 months of intense practice and tournament play after returning to the sport after a long hiatus. I hit the 1600 level last Nov, but was forced to switch to my other hand when I got injured. I'm now a lot more injury-aware, and focus on stretching properly and weight training my wrists and forearms. I've also switched permanently to my other hand since I've made very rapid progress.

I'm keen to develop a consistent and efficient backhand game on my new hand that reduces potential injury risks. I'm concerned that the modern bh is very forearm and wrist-centric. In particular, the banana flip receive requires a lot of wrist, and I worry that it may lead to injuries down the road. I would appreciate thoughts on the injury risk of the modern bh game, how to prevent wrist injuries, and how to develop a solid backhand game that minimizes injury risk. Thank you.
 
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Banana flick doesn't bother my wrist (though too much in and out footwork definitely bothers my forward foot), but 15 minutes of reverse pendulum serve practice and my wrist hurts for the next couple of days. I think you just have find out what hurts you and what doesn't, and don't do the things that hurt. You don't need a banana flick for a solid backhand-centric game. You do need good footwork, though; not the flashy big movement/pivoting/cross-over type, but the small, subtle type that keeps you balanced, gets your body behind the ball on backhand, and minimizes lunging and reaching on forehand. This kind of footwork also minimizes injury risk. Drills that target your playing elbow are good practice for making those small movements that get you in comfortable position. Another priority should be playing relaxed, especially keeping a relaxed grip. Serve-open up-drive drills can be helpful with this, as many players tense up when looping and don't relax to recover for the next shot.
 
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Sorry to hear that.

Tennis elbow in 4 months,despite the intense practice it is still too soon. Would it be possible that you are focusing on power too much that you are over-straightening your arm to generate more power? Modem table tennis requires BH more, but the BH is still more on close-mid to table rather than away from table, so it requires to rebound the ball more than using your own power to hit. I think close-to-table BH & FH transfer rather than stretching properly and weight training is more effective.

Warm up before training.
 
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says Rozena! You complete me.
As an older 40+ player, my body harshly reminded me that I wasn't so young any more when I developed tennis elbow in 4 months of intense practice and tournament play after returning to the sport after a long hiatus. I hit the 1600 level last Nov, but was forced to switch to my other hand when I got injured. I'm now a lot more injury-aware, and focus on stretching properly and weight training my wrists and forearms. I've also switched permanently to my other hand since I've made very rapid progress.

I'm keen to develop a consistent and efficient backhand game on my new hand that reduces potential injury risks. I'm concerned that the modern bh is very forearm and wrist-centric. In particular, the banana flip receive requires a lot of wrist, and I worry that it may lead to injuries down the road. I would appreciate thoughts on the injury risk of the modern bh game, how to prevent wrist injuries, and how to develop a solid backhand game that minimizes injury risk. Thank you.
The Chiquita return ala Lin Yunju style is a bit tad over-rated for non-professional play. We don't need to chiquita all the balls all the time and over use the wrist which then cause repetitive stress injury. There are still the pushes / cuts, active blocks, BH drives and also BH open ups / loops that can be used that have been used for a long time and has stood the test of times. Hope your wrist get well soon.

Happy Pongin'!

 
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