Changing from Penhold to Shakehand

[ttmonster]

Not trying to pimp Karis M becuase I am friends with Der_Echte. But the qualities of the rubbers as a true and linear rubber really helps understanding your own strokes , considering how long it lasts I will strongly recommend you give it a shot , it might take a day or two to adjust to the linearity but when you do, you will love it ...

ttmonster

See I've heard good things about the Nexy Karis Series however it seems abit tricky to get it over here in the UK and the places that do sell it (ebay) are like £49 per sheet inc p&p is that the standard price over by you? As I can get tenergy cheaper than that.

Yes I'm using the backhand jab I find it alot more difficult than the loop though as coming from a penhold point of view its a very open angle shot were as with the SH I have to adjust my angle depending on spin. I've looked at some videos of people playing SH and when they are doing a backhand block their thumb becomes more horizontal I presume to keep the bat stable. Is this a good technique?


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[NextLevel]

I completley agree with you NL. As I used to practice RPB the shakehand backhand felt natural and not uncomfortable.

What I have noticed about playing shakehand is I move alot better and freely I think it's because I'm not worrying about covering my backhand much so I'm getting some quality wide forehands back which I wasn't before.

My stroke just needs fine tuning and I hope that in a year I will be as effective on my BH as I am on my FH. I have completley changed my training and also increased it from 3 x per week to 4 and focusing on 70% drills (mainly footwork and transitioning from FH to BH) and 20% serve practice and 10% matches which is working well.


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The biggest thing is that you will have many more role models and people to follow. My biggest role models for backhand play with my current strokes are this guy (for obvious reasons given my height and the fact that I don't grip switch)
and Kreanga. All of this guy's technique are a beauty to watch and you might learn something too.

http://elearning.tibhar.com/

Many people don't see quick improvement with their backhand when they make these changes because they simply win points they would have won in other ways. It is very important to remember the plays you couldn't make when you didn't trust your backhand and use them to motivate the drills you are building into your game.

What I like about the video above is that you can see how he is using his core to introduce a circular aspect into his stroke on a lot of his strokes.

 

[Pricey 11]

Not trying to pimp Karis M becuase I am friends with Der_Echte. But the qualities of the rubbers as a true and linear rubber really helps understanding your own strokes , considering how long it lasts I will strongly recommend you give it a shot , it might take a day or two to adjust to the linearity but when you do, you will love it ...

ttmonster,

This does sound promising [emoji3] my EJ senses are going through the roof I think I've found my new BH rubber [emoji1305]


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[Pricey 11]

The biggest thing is that you will have many more role models and people to follow. My biggest role models for backhand play with my current strokes are this guy (for obvious reasons given my height and the fact that I don't grip switch)
and Kreanga. All of this guy's technique are a beauty to watch and you might learn something too.

http://elearning.tibhar.com/

Many people don't see quick improvement with their backhand when they make these changes because they simply win points they would have won in other ways. It is very important to remember the plays you couldn't make when you didn't trust your backhand and use them to motivate the drills you are building into your game.

What I like about the video above is that you can see how he is using his core to introduce a circular aspect into his stroke on a lot of his strokes.

Thats very true and to be honest I've always preferred the style of Timo Boll over Xu Xin for example.

I've only watched a few kreanga vids but will definetly be watching more!!

I think the main thing I've noticed even after a few weeks training only SH is how not only can I use my BH for consistency I can also win a fair few points even against BH oriented players.

Also now I 've changed to SH I can clearly see my improvement through the time which in turn motivates me alot [emoji3]


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[ttmonster]

Here's the thing, once you adjust to it its hard to not become very consistent . Then like NextLevel said earlier , you have to remember to keep pushing the boundaries to keep improving your stroke.
Just yesterday, I was showing off new setups to a friend and I was playing after a gap of 6 day, I could not miss a BH block. Given how my friend keeps increasing the power on her BH-BH loop , I can tell you its not easy ...

ttmonster,

This does sound promising [emoji3] my EJ senses are going through the roof I think I've found my new BH rubber [emoji1305]


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[NextLevel]

Last major thing I got from a high level coach. The backhand loop as an opening shot is mostly good vs shots which are regular and predictable. While you can train your backhand to improve against shots that are hard to time, the limited range of the backhand will never let it replace a forehand. One quick and easy way to lose confidence in your backhand is to use it on shots that are much easier to handle with your forehand. High balls are the most common culprit, but long pushes off long balls often fall into this category as well. Backhand is largely meant to reduce the demands on your forehand not to replace it. Pivoting should be a huge part of the shot arsenal of a backhand oriented player. It is good to have a backhand like Karaksevic or Wang Hao or Kreanga but match it up against a backhand and for easy balls, pivot and use the forehand.

 

[ttmonster]

Great resource NextLevel, thanks for sharing !

http://elearning.tibhar.com/

 

[Loopadoop]

Why not just use long pips on your penholder bh ?

 

[sunny]

It is possible. You need to evaluate the reasons for you to change and what the potential benefits are.
Could it be you want to play more effective backhands, could it be your footwork is not where you want it to be to be an effective modern day penholder.

I started off playing table tennis with my father from a young age and was a youth international playing penhold but when I was about 16 I made the decision to change to shakehand, I progressed on to be a senior international with a respective world ranking. Albeit this is somewhat 20 yrs ago.
However the benefits I found in changing were that I could get further coaching in my backhand from the coaches in my area. There were no other penholders playing when I was playing so I couldn't "exchange" notes if you know what I mean.
If you work hard and commit yourself to the adaption, it will work for you. Also good to base a style on a realistic role model

 

[Dominikk85]

Btw do you know who was first to use the reverse backhand topspin? Did a player invent it or was it designed by coaches?

 

[ttmonster]

I am sure there would be someone less prominent who would have invented it, but as far as I know Liu Guoliang was the first to take to the international level.

Btw do you know who was first to use the reverse backhand topspin? Did a player invent it or was it designed by coaches?

 

[jamesmith]

I played central league in London long long time ago at 1 division. I played Penhold for 25 yrs and then changed to Shakehand for 5 yrs, in that 5 yrs my forehand was strong but all the rest was not as strong as Penhold, Service was nowhere near Penhold style, backhand was the worse , it took me almost 4 yrs concentrated to practice back hand then I can played well in practice but in real game it was not easy to use it, my block was good but not attack. Also it was so difficult to defense as the dead position which was in between your waist and the hand to hold the bat, in Penhold it was easy to block but not in shakehand. Now I changed back to Penhold for 5 months, I played much much better, my service is strong, backhand block is fast but of-course backhand attack will never be as good as Shakehand, that is the only one disadvantage using Penhold,as you can solve this problem Penhold is better.
that is only my own experience and opinion . Love to discuss with you.

 

[Dominikk85]

Have you seen a video of Liu guoliang using it? I have only seen him hitting flat counter hits with the other side of the blade.

 

[Tadeiro]

 

[Dominikk85]

Thanks, great find. But he didn't really use it regulary in competitions, right?

 

[Pricey 11]

Great to see alot of people getting involved in this thread [emoji3]
Just an update with me things are coming along very well, during the week ive been focusing on backhand open-ups and blocking. What I am finiding is that the xiom is a good rubber but Now that I've got the control I need something with abit more speed especially on my FH.
I've bought some new T05 as I used to use this when playing PH got for a steal so I could pass up the chance.
Will try this tomorrow morning in training


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[Dominikk85]

Regarding early RPB.

Saw this oldies match between Jiang Jialiang and persson

Is that a RPB about 14 seconds into the video? If yes did he learn it later or did he already use it in the 80s?

 

[suds79]

Is that a RPB about 14 seconds into the video? If yes did he learn it later or did he already use it in the 80s?

I know he for sure didn't use it in the 80s. He learned it later on as the game has changed. Good for him. Always keep improving.

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

Saw this oldies match between Jiang Jialiang and persson

Between 0:20-0:21 you can see JJ almost going to the RPB and then decided on TPB. I get stuck all the time lol

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

I know he for sure didn't use it in the 80s. He learned it later on as the game has changed. Good for him. Always keep improving.

I saw JJ play in person when he and some of the CNT visited NYC for an exhibition ... he didn't use RPB and if you watch his matches, he only uses TPB.

Agree with suds, cool to see an old dog learn new tricks.