Countering heavy top challenge

[Wrighty67]

Table tennis is so mental that you have to continue to find stories that keep you relaxed or at least in the best playing mindset. Why tight when you have stepped up a level? Unless you play your best TT when tight, you need to reframe that better.

Just pressure to justify to my new team mates that they have not made a mistake I guess - I want to win and slam not relaxed, especially in early games/matches.

 

[Jslick89]

View attachment 32677View attachment 32676
He doesn't even tossing the ball (at max 2-3 cm) only quickly lowering the hand. Unfortunately it's common thing.

there's a loser at my club who starts doing this same exactly thing when he begins to lose the match. shady AF.

 

[NetProphet]

The truth is that at the amateur level, just about everyone's serves are somewhat dubious if not illegal, they just don't know it yet.

I have to say I don't encounter many issues with illegal serves, thankfully, but I do accept that maybe I do and don't notice, as you also mentioned.

And the reality is that many illegal serves don't really interfere with anyone's enjoyment of the game at the lower levels unless one makes it an issue in which case, it consumes one's mindspace and often drops his level of play.

This is why most of us choose to just get on with it I suppose. Its often not worth the eyes or the aggro of complaining and it absolutely can lead to a loss of concentration depending on how the conversation goes.

But I get it, he should fix his serve. The funny thing is that if you put many people on camera, they will be very surprised by how their serve looks.

Isn't this the truth! Its one of the most revealing things, including helping to decipher what spin is on other peoples serves. When you see what yours looks like when doing your thing it definitely helps to identify for others, to a certain extent anyway.

 

[Jslick89]

I have to say I don't encounter many issues with illegal serves, thankfully, but I do accept that maybe I do and don't notice, as you also mentioned.

This is why most of us choose to just get on with it I suppose. Its often not worth the eyes or the aggro of complaining and it absolutely can lead to a loss of concentration depending on how the conversation goes.

Isn't this the truth! Its one of the most revealing things, including helping to decipher what spin is on other peoples serves. When you see what yours looks like when doing your thing it definitely helps to identify for others, to a certain extent anyway.

In practice i don't really call illegal serves. I try to practice stronger mental fortitude. but in a match that has a score keeper, i would probably call it out! especially ones as bad as this.

 

[NetProphet]

In practice i don't really call illegal serves. I try to practice stronger mental fortitude. but in a match that has a score keeper, i would probably call it out! especially ones as bad as this.

I think I might also in such a situation.
I'd just get ready mentally beforehand to ensure that whatever the outcome of the discussion, it's not me who's going to lose concentration so it would be done as a ploy to piss of the opponent and nothing else. , purely because I wouldn't expect them to start serving differently after I'd said it!
Hopefully they'd be upset about it and I'd get a few points from that.
In my mind that would be a fair return for having to face illegal serves all night. 🤷

 

[Wrighty67]

All this whining about illegal serves is utterly counterproductive - the OP is not losing because of the opponent's serves.

In 2nd division local leagues here in UK whomever can spin the ball first wins most of the time.

Both players in the video serve long with little spin. The opponent pushes OP's serves back and OP pushes back instead of looping, opponent loops first and wins most of the time. Opponent's serves are long and when they are not attacked with a spinny loop (like 1st point), pushing them results in a deep/high ball which the opponent loops, wins most of the time. That's why the opponent's win average is so much higher than the OP's ...

In other words, the opponent has a winning tactic - loop first - and is able to execute it, while the OP does seem to have one or cannot execute his.

The solution is simple and works against the vast majority of 2nd division players. Short underspin serve, they push, you do a slow spinny loop. When they serve long, never push back, always respond with a spinny loop. When they serve short, push back short and wait for a long push which you then loop. Practice that and you will start beating the majority of 2nd div players very easily.

So simple Vadym when you say it like this, but not quite that easy in the heat of battle for me. I wanted/thought I could counter those loops and left it too late to change strategy! This week I started differently and served short FH or long BH and attacked the 3rd ball earlier. I attacked any serve to FH and scored well but still pushed serves to BH (bottled it) It was nearly enough but not quite - a much tighter affair.

The principle you outline is certainly good through this league (S'oton div 1)

 

[Der_Echte]

It is almost impossible to cheat in badminton. The atmosphere is definitely better imo. And you get a way better aerobic workout with badminton.

I would argue it is an outstanding anaerobic experience. Much explosive movements and power generation/transfer.

 

[vvk1]

So simple Vadym when you say it like this, but not quite that easy in the heat of battle for me. I wanted/thought I could counter those loops and left it too late to change strategy! This week I started differently and served short FH or long BH and attacked the 3rd ball earlier. I attacked any serve to FH and scored well but still pushed serves to BH (bottled it) It was nearly enough but not quite - a much tighter affair.

The principle you outline is certainly good through this league (S'oton div 1)

Keep going! All you need is practice it and then play like you've practiced it, and the results will follow.

 

[NetProphet]

So simple Vadym when you say it like this, but not quite that easy in the heat of battle for me. I wanted/thought I could counter those loops and left it too late to change strategy! This week I started differently and served short FH or long BH and attacked the 3rd ball earlier. I attacked any serve to FH and scored well but still pushed serves to BH (bottled it) It was nearly enough but not quite - a much tighter affair.

The principle you outline is certainly good through this league (S'oton div 1)

You could also adopt Gozos new match approach that he shared in the Daily TT Chitchat, post 14,637 I believe.
I think it's a nice intro/approach for breaking from old habits and I'm trying it myself, some 'safe' habits I have are definitely holding me back at times and this concise approach is helping.
Maybe it's useful for you too?

 

[Wrighty67]

You could also adopt Gozos new match approach that he shared in the Daily TT Chitchat, post 14,637 I believe.
I think it's a nice intro/approach for breaking from old habits and I'm trying it myself, some 'safe' habits I have are definitely holding me back at times and this concise approach is helping.
Maybe it's useful for you too?

Yes, thanks - I read that and agree!

 

[NextLevel]

I don't know quite how the club settings in the UK work but at my club in Philly when I started playing, there were a few very strong players 2000 to 2200 USATT, who were very aggressive ball bashers, and could generate balls loaded with spin. But they couldn't attack everything if you played a somewhat disciplined game. Somewhat disciplined means you tried to put topspin on the opening ball as it kept them from consistently scoring points off the first attack and since they didn't counterloop, their relative level dropped significantly after you played the first attack.

Playing such players repeatedly and being forced to do the right thing so that you had a chance of beating a better player was one of the things that got me more disciplined about taking the first attack. It's easy not to value the first attack when the opponent is not shooting. But when you play enough to have to do the right thing against players who do, you then get better at it. In fact, a point comes when you have to attack the opponent's first attack or you are a sitting duck. These things stack up on each other.

 

[dingyibvs]

So to summarize:

1) Be more aggressive and attack first as well as utilizing tactics that will allow you to attack first, e.g. serve short, more topspin/no spin.
2) Learn better blocks, e.g. block earlier off the bounce and go over the ball
3) Call out the illegal serves.

I think those are all good advice!