Best forehand in the world ?

[Anders]

power on an average forehand loop - wang liqin. his nickname on the chinese national team was "great power" because he could hit his forehands with great power consistently, with good placement and recovery.

third ball attack - ma lin.

ryu seung min is a combination of the two, following them closely in both areas.

ma long probably hits the fastest forehands on average. similar to wang liqin, but with more speed, less spin and a little less placement.

best placement - waldner.

zhang jike has a very explosive forehand but doesn't play it very often to his full force.

wang hao is very consistent with great spin, also sometimes plays amazing close to table forehands.


i would say wang liqin and ma lin have the best forehands of all time, building their games mainly on the forehand shot. wang liqin relying on overpowering his opponents and ma lin on his third ball attacks.

How about Liu Guoliang, I think he is in close secong place to Waldner

 

[Alborz]

How about Liu Guoliang, I think he is in close secong place to Waldner

Come on! Liu Guoliang forehand is not the best ever. His loops were without enough spin and they were pretty slow compare to Ma Lin that time.
Ma Lin clearly have better forehand than Liu.

Also i don't think Waldner have the best forehand. Players today train better and more than before so it is logical to say they have better forehand than 2 generation before. Just look at the form of Ma Long and Xu Xin. Their forms are the best/beauties ever.

 

[mahomedy13]

How about Liu Guoliang, I think he is in close secong place to Waldner

Liu never have tactic and style.He was very good,undoubtedly,but he attempted to overpower his opponent instead of playing with variation.He doesnt come close to Waldner with regards to placement.
Waldner was by far the better placer,and i could even say Ma Lin was better at placement than Liu

 

[ColoArbuet]

i like the right of Xu Xin by footwork and movement and effect on stroke speed is also impressive

 

[ttmonster]

Liu never have tactic and style.He was very good,undoubtedly,but he attempted to overpower his opponent instead of playing with variation.He doesnt come close to Waldner with regards to placement.
Waldner was by far the better placer,and i could even say Ma Lin was better at placement than Liu

Dude, Liu was always about tactics and third ball attacks.

 

[tan.theveteran]

Come on! Liu Guoliang forehand is not the best ever. His loops were without enough spin and they were pretty slow compare to Ma Lin that time.
Ma Lin clearly have better forehand than Liu.

Also i don't think Waldner have the best forehand. Players today train better and more than before so it is logical to say they have better forehand than 2 generation before. Just look at the form of Ma Long and Xu Xin. Their forms are the best/beauties ever.

it is because liu guoliang played with short pimples.

 

[Anders]

Liu never have tactic and style.He was very good,undoubtedly,but he attempted to overpower his opponent instead of playing with variation.He doesnt come close to Waldner with regards to placement.
Waldner was by far the better placer,and i could even say Ma Lin was better at placement than Liu

I think you need to check the history books again man, Liu was one of the players that based his game most on tactics, that is how he beat Waldner!

You can read this interview and see what Im talking about

http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/f...-Liu-Guoliang-interview(talks-about-his-game)

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I think you need to check the history books again man, Liu was one of the players that based his game most on tactics, that is how he beat Waldner!

You can read this interview and see what Im talking about

http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/f...-Liu-Guoliang-interview(talks-about-his-game)

This is why I think this thread is really pointless.

You have different styles of plays, so you get different kind of tactics.
You cant just take a random style and then classify a best FH player or best tactical player.

LGL for example has the best tactics inside 5 or 7 hits. From his serve to 3rd ball to 5th ball, is his winning formular. The moment the rally is long than that, so is his chance of winning the point - due to his style of play.

LGL forehand is very deadly, but now people are debating there is no spin.... LGL is not a spin player, he is a speed player in that regards. Speed + placement.

So this thread is pointless as the styles of play + tactic = all different kinds of forehand shot. You can not get a unverisal one - AKA Ma Long forehand is great - but for the 9 years he has been playing in the international scene to date, he hasn't achieve much - besides being world rank 1 for a long time.
Ma Lin and WLQ was in the era of speed glue, where the table tennis is really different there too, and those 2 were likely the best in that era.
Xu Xin's style is different, thus is forehand is also unique
RSM has only a forehand, so he has no choice but to master it and use it

Table Tennis must be looked at, as a whole. you can't break it apart and measure it like that.
IE a weak 3rd player is maybe because he has weak serves or weak 3rd ball
A good forehand player is because he has a weak backhand

 

[Alborz]

it is because liu guoliang played with short pimples.

This is not important what they were using. He prefers short pimples so he thinks he has the best game with short pimples. So no one can say he will have better game with another rubber.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

This is not important what they were using. He prefers short pimples so he thinks he has the best game with short pimples. So no one can say he will have better game with another rubber.

It is VERY important.

LGL/Short pimple style is about close to table - fast attack.
Not about spin........

Table Tennis is not 1 dimentional, there are different styles of play, with different kind of rubbers.
You can't compare a fish and a cat and say the fish is the better swimmer of the 2.....

 

[Alborz]

It is VERY important.

LGL/Short pimple style is about close to table - fast attack.Not about spin........

Table Tennis is not 1 dimentional, there are different styles of play, with different kind of rubbers. You can't compare a fish and a cat and say the fish is the better swimmer of the 2.....

First, there is no reason the i can not compare a fish and a cat and surely the fish is the better swimmer.
Second, We are talking about the best forehand not the best spin or speed. And Liu surely feels his forehand is the best it can be by using short pips. No one banned him from using another kind of rubber. And if his forehand is best with another rubber why he didn't use that?

 

[Anders]

This is why I think this thread is really pointless.

You have different styles of plays, so you get different kind of tactics.
You cant just take a random style and then classify a best FH player or best tactical player.

LGL for example has the best tactics inside 5 or 7 hits. From his serve to 3rd ball to 5th ball, is his winning formular. The moment the rally is long than that, so is his chance of winning the point - due to his style of play.

LGL forehand is very deadly, but now people are debating there is no spin.... LGL is not a spin player, he is a speed player in that regards. Speed + placement.

So this thread is pointless as the styles of play + tactic = all different kinds of forehand shot. You can not get a unverisal one - AKA Ma Long forehand is great - but for the 9 years he has been playing in the international scene to date, he hasn't achieve much - besides being world rank 1 for a long time.
Ma Lin and WLQ was in the era of speed glue, where the table tennis is really different there too, and those 2 were likely the best in that era.
Xu Xin's style is different, thus is forehand is also unique
RSM has only a forehand, so he has no choice but to master it and use it

Table Tennis must be looked at, as a whole. you can't break it apart and measure it like that.
IE a weak 3rd player is maybe because he has weak serves or weak 3rd ball
A good forehand player is because he has a weak backhand

I agree with you. To measure, we have to at least set up a dicussion on who is the best player of all time, and even then it would be unfair due to different eras of table tennis! To get it more correct, we have to set up: Who was the best in the 70's, 80's, 90's 00's (before SG ban and after SG ban) and so on.. I think I'll do this later today haha

 

[Anders]

And OFC by "the best" we must consider the most winningest, like who won the most World Championships, Pro Tours and Olympics and such.. Not only who beat who..

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

First, there is no reason the i can not compare a fish and a cat and surely the fish is the better swimmer.
Second, We are talking about the best forehand not the best spin or speed. And Liu surely feels his forehand is the best it can be by using short pips. No one banned him from using another kind of rubber. And if his forehand is best with another rubber why he didn't use that?

LGL defiantly has one of the best forehands in his era.
His close to the table FH attack is so deadly and that is what made him won the grand slam.

Some one then comments saying but LGL forehand has weak top spin.....just by saying this, it shows the poster has no idea what is table tennis (I didn't check who commented this, I will check later).

Seriously now. forehand is not just about spin, its not about 1 dimentional, it must take into consideration of style, placement and era of play (rules, balls etc) etc.
38mm ball, SP forehand attack was a good type of play. Sadly after so many rule/ball changes, the style is fading out, and then came the speed glue era of loopers, and now we in another era of 40mm VOC Free allround play, and now we entering a new 40+ era. The styles will change as it has been changing the past 20 years.

Not sure why you are divoting this debate by bringing in banned....whatever thing about LGL choosing rubbers.....

 

[Rajah*]

Come on! Liu Guoliang forehand is not the best ever. His loops were without enough spin and they were pretty slow compare to Ma Lin that time.
Ma Lin clearly have better forehand than Liu.

You just did compare a fish from a cat :-D

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I agree with you. To measure, we have to at least set up a dicussion on who is the best player of all time, and even then it would be unfair due to different eras of table tennis! To get it more correct, we have to set up: Who was the best in the 70's, 80's, 90's 00's (before SG ban and after SG ban) and so on.. I think I'll do this later today haha

lol, lucky that you have so much time on your hand.

Yes, era, rules, balls, rubber technology, results etc all needs to be taken into consideration.
This isn't a 100m race, where we can compare fish and cats and see who is better in swimming fast.

Not to mention the tons of styles which includes the forehand stroke:
serves
3rd ball
fast attack
top spin
block
lobs
chop
etc

Maybe a measurement for "best average" of the above can be more fair, but to only focus on top spin and limiting out the rest is really thinking only 1 dimentional and doesn't really understand how big and detailed the sport really is.

If we say, best forehand topspin player, then we can remove the likes of LGL etc. But to say LGL was not a good or best forehand player (comparing to his era and style of play, then, this debate is really pointless)

 

[Rajah*]

First, there is no reason the i can not compare a fish and a cat and surely the fish is the better swimmer.
Second, We are talking about the best forehand not the best spin or speed. And Liu surely feels his forehand is the best it can be by using short pips. No one banned him from using another kind of rubber. And if his forehand is best with another rubber why he didn't use that?

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk

 

[Rajah*]

Tony i keep on liking your posts lol, i think some of the viewers do not understand the effects of each rubbers. Funny at the same time interesting to read.

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk

 

[Alborz]

LGL defiantly has one of the best forehands in his era.
His close to the table FH attack is so deadly and that is what made him won the grand slam.

Some one then comments saying but LGL forehand has weak top spin.....just by saying this, it shows the poster has no idea what is table tennis (I didn't check who commented this, I will check later).

Seriously now. forehand is not just about spin, its not about 1 dimentional, it must take into consideration of style, placement and era of play (rules, balls etc) etc.
38mm ball, SP forehand attack was a good type of play. Sadly after so many rule/ball changes, the style is fading out, and then came the speed glue era of loopers, and now we in another era of 40mm VOC Free allround play, and now we entering a new 40+ era. The styles will change as it has been changing the past 20 years.

Not sure why you are divoting this debate by bringing in banned....whatever thing about LGL choosing rubbers.....

Liu's forehand was one of the best that time but not the best. For ME Ma lin's forehand was much better. Also i hate Liu's forehand style. He just hit the ball again and again and again without spinning it until his opponent miss the ball.
Anyway forehand is not just about speed that Liu has. It's also about spin, control, tactics and different techniques.

 

[Alborz]

You just did compare a fish from a cat :-D

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I can compare a fish(Liu Gouliang) and a cat(Ma Lin). Then say fish is better swimmer(looping without spin) and cat is better jumper(looping with spin). Just easy as that.