4th Ball and Beyond!

[The Juice]

Also, what you said about serving is definitely correct. I can get great spin on my serves, but getting great spin consistently is something I struggle with and have started really working on.

Serve at least 100 practice balls a day! At least 100. Preferably use balls with a stripe gong around them so you can see the actual spin you're getting. Serve into a catch net and listen to how long the ball spins after going into the net. The longer the spin time after the ball is in the net, the stronger your spin is.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

If the only shadow footwork drills you did were the ones in this video, it would help immensely. And it's pretty fun and a good cardio workout if you do it at a decent intensity.

Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

 

[Boogar]

Hey guys litle question concerining usa tt ratings:
About what rating are the two players shown in the video? I have absolutely no idea how the system works
(Migth be helpful to know as i am going to come over soon)

 

[thekleifheit13]

My official USATT rating is 1170, Thomas doesn't have one but I'd estimate 1000. The guys that have been giving advice will know better though, we haven't done many tournaments here

 

[Boogar]

I see. Thank you Good work keep it up!

 

[pgpg]

Hey guys litle question concerining usa tt ratings:
About what rating are the two players shown in the video? I have absolutely no idea how the system works
(Migth be helpful to know as i am going to come over soon)

What's your level, if you can share? To get a feel for USATT system - search for 'rating estimation' threads here and other TT forums. These are usually quite entertaining and have plenty of videos, some of them from active members.

 

[thekleifheit13]

Solo practice today, I felt like I got better spin on these and started actually using legs and shoulders for power. Still awkward as bawlz but it's not feeling terrible.

 

[thekleifheit13]

Also, played against a guy that usually stomps me and blocked him to death today. He hits too fast for counters so it worked out well. Managed to rip a few loops past him which has never happened before. I didn't get video though, unfortunately...

 

[Shuki]

Theknife is realizing the power of the block and after a few blocks the loops you send them they won't be expecting.

 

[thekleifheit13]

I used to block all the time but got caught up in the flashiness of all-out attacking...it all comes full circle I guess!

 

[ttmonster]

This looks really good ... a couple of things :
Ideally you should not be using shoulder, you should be able to generate power from legs and waist. The power in the hand kind of flows from the forearm , the loose wrist snaps just before the point of contact and the forearm muscles generates that power . The danger in using shoulder is that it causes shoulder injury. Now because your shoulders are very strong you might be able to generate a lot of power and not get injured but it really slows down the recovery time. If you use forearm you might be able to counter the guy you are ending up blocking... just a thought.

And if you can put the camera in the landscape mode we will be able to see a bigger picture , will help us to see the dynamics. You could also do the drill from this side , closer to the camera, will tell us how much power and footwork you are using .

Solo practice today, I felt like I got better spin on these and started actually using legs and shoulders for power. Still awkward as bawlz but it's not feeling terrible.[/QUOTEl

 

[thekleifheit13]

Thanks monster, I should clarify that I mean shoulder rotation for power generation and not my shoulder muscles moving my upper arm. The best shots I hit in this practice session involved me bending my knees and getting way lower than usual with my body, I might be onto something with that. But next time I'll do landscape mode with the camera to my side. I have practice Monday so if I play matches I'll try and get video as well. Thanks again for chiming in and giving suggestions!

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

With that drill, if you have a bucket of balls you can do a lot more in a shorter amount of time.

I also think, if you bounce the ball low, net height, on the table, and let it bounce 2x, not once, and are looping that, it will be more beneficial. And with that version and a bucket of balls, you actually should be able to do 20-30 in the space you are doing one. I will see if I can remember to make a video of what I mean tomorrow.

What I see is your toss of the ball makes you less ready and more rushed, for when you should make the stroke. As a result your backswing is exaggerated.

What you are doing will still give you good ball feel and help you learn to spin the ball better. But my experience is that how I described would be more useful for what you are working on. Whereas, I would use what you are doing with a slightly different angle to work on something like going around the net.

 

[thekleifheit13]

I've always had a hard time doing that bouncing on the table, like I have to rush so badly I can't get any body into it whatsoever. Your video will definitely help though. Some of the reason my toss makes it awkward is because there's carpet and the bounce is inconsistent. I definitely see where doing it over the table would help more though so I'll see what I can do about it

 

[Der_Echte]

Theknife is realizing the power of the block and after a few blocks the loops you send them they won't be expecting.

Later, if he can achieve and maintain consistent position and crouch and step to the ball, will learn the art of changing hand pressure at impact to make the ball defy laws of physics. Grip pressure is known as touch and it is an invisible force harnessed by Luke Skywalker & Co.

 

[Der_Echte]

I've always had a hard time doing that bouncing on the table, like I have to rush so badly I can't get any body into it whatsoever. Your video will definitely help though. Some of the reason my toss makes it awkward is because there's carpet and the bounce is inconsistent. I definitely see where doing it over the table would help more though so I'll see what I can do about it

You could also let ball bounce and drift towards net and let it bounce so it is only an inch or two above table and step in with one step and medium pace soft wrist flick it.

You could also drop ball 1.3 way onto table with a little finger action to make roll bounce and drift towards endline and before it falls off table forward stroke, loose wrist cover ball and lift a tiny to make a medium pace spinny shot deep. That will work your step to ball, judgment, wrist/grip pressure at impact, touch, impact, balance recovery, confidence...

When you look at it... that drill works a lot and pays you a lot. If you can carve a broken piece of pallet wood to hold your smart phone, then you could make clips with a cheepo $15 tripod and get instand feedback like Carl and NL and others mention.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I've always had a hard time doing that bouncing on the table, like I have to rush so badly I can't get any body into it whatsoever. Your video will definitely help though. Some of the reason my toss makes it awkward is because there's carpet and the bounce is inconsistent. I definitely see where doing it over the table would help more though so I'll see what I can do about it

The double bounce is the key to making the timing easy. But I will try to show it. A video of what I am talking about is worth having.

 

[NextLevel]

I've always had a hard time doing that bouncing on the table, like I have to rush so badly I can't get any body into it whatsoever. Your video will definitely help though. Some of the reason my toss makes it awkward is because there's carpet and the bounce is inconsistent. I definitely see where doing it over the table would help more though so I'll see what I can do about it

You can hit the ball out of your hand if that helps. Your timing and touch challenged by the carpet irregularity is not advanced enough for you to attempt what you are doing without supervision if you want good and consistent results. But you might be that supertalent that gets a lot out of it.

Usually, when people do the bounce off the table, they may have to start by moving over to their backhand side as this gives them more room to play a full forehand stroke (the table is not in the way). Timing is a huge part of the sport - while the carpet is likely also affecting the table bounce, you have to work through timing issues patiently. You may need more balls and a ball picking tool if you really want to get serious about this. If you want to copy the video technique, the main fix is to start in ready position more consistently than I do and maybe use less upper arm and a bit more body. But it's more for you to get the positioning right so you have more room to swing into the ball until your timing is on point.

 

[ttmonster]

If you want to copy the video technique, the main fix is to start in ready position more consistently than I do and maybe use less upper arm and a bit more body. But it's more for you to get the positioning right so you have more room to swing into the ball until your timing is on point.

This is super important, note that NextLevel's technique has been modified by him/his coaches to put not too much stress on his knees. You get the idea of how to do it, its not as easy as NextLevel makes it look , even with his touch he is missing one or two balls, so don't get disheartened if you miss a few and also make sure you try to copy Brett's forehand video technique , the one demonstrated with a teddy bear when you are hitting the ball, not what NextLevel is doing, even though his arm swing form is very good, he does not add the balance transfer power as much to not hurt his knees.

 

[thekleifheit13]

I did this drill today and after 2 rounds of 4 balls I was having pretty good success. My main focus was keeping my arm fluid and using good weight transfer and it felt much better. I'll upload video tonight. Also, it looks like I'll really get tested in May. We have a tournament and I can only fit the U1200 and U1800 into my schedule so it'll be interesting. As of now the highest rated player I'll face is 1660, I don't expect to do great but I'm gonna put my game face on and give em as much hell as I can.