Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

[UpSideDownCarl]

I personally find it more difficult to play a forehand if my right foot is not pointing to the side. Both my feet are always pointing outwards at about the same angle to each other. But I will try to give my best explanation of what you said the way I understand it.

Mark Croitoroo, way back when my feet were still glued to the ground, showed me something to do to turn my hips and take a big FH over the table if I forgot to move my feet or if I had to step my right foot under the table.

You just keep your feet where they are and turn your hips. It gives a lot of power to the hip rotation because you can add more torque from the hips in the forward swing.

HOWEVER, I think this would be terrible for YOUR joints. So it makes sense to me why you have to have your feet placed correctly for an FH.


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[ttmonster]

I also stand a little like how NL described , just feels that it would be easier on the knees. I agree the Samson dubina stance would probably make more sense but then again we won't be able to do the small step footwork that efficiently with our banged up knees and would need to resort to one step footwork anyways ...

Mark Croitoroo, way back when my feet were still glued to the ground, showed me something to do to turn my hips and take a big FH over the table if I forgot to move my feet or if I had to step my right foot under the table.

You just keep your feet where they are and turn your hips. It gives a lot of power to the hip rotation because you can add more torque from the hips in the forward swing.

HOWEVER, I think this would be terrible for YOUR joints. So it makes sense to me why you have to have your feet placed correctly for an FH.


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[ttmonster]

Thats exactly how I treated one guy who I used to play in my previous club. He was not tall and he was not arrogant as you described , but he was older in his 70s , used to work in the kitchen for 7-8 hours and then come to the club to play. He would hold the paddle with the head pointing upwards and block back anything on the table unless you could place it really well or very powerful and I mean spinny on wide forehand or place it with decent on wide backhand ...

I later figured out he could not handle topspin serve on the wide backhand but that did not end up being fun because it became too easy to beat him like that, I used to pull out that trick in case I really wanted to beat him and I was already tired ... otherwise I would use the opportunity to practice my footwork and play spinny loops till he missed

MZ... Maybe dude is a better player than many accept... The attitude... Defeat... Repeated brutal DEFEAT is good medicine for that situation.

That player trouble you or anyone? Then improve and play vs that player every opportunity.

That dude is giving away free trainng opportunities... You run into such players in comps. It's simply a golden opportunity waiting for you.

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[NextLevel]

I also stand a little like how NL described , just feels that it would be easier on the knees. I agree the Samson dubina stance would probably make more sense but then again we won't be able to do the small step footwork that efficiently with our banged up knees and would need to resort to one step footwork anyways ...

I don't feel that I play any differently from how Dubina describes. I just do it with the right foot pointing slightly outwards. I rotate over my base and I don't bend my knees as much. I try to play my backhand out of that stance as well as much as possible, even down the line, by moving my upper body over base.

 

[pgpg]

Guys - there is a guy in our club (probably there can be one of that kind in almost every club) that acts like king of the world..
Doesnt play pingpong (or table tennis), but is good at holding the bat and retrieving the ball back on the table.
He personally doesnt create anything, he only stands behind the table, and he is tall, so he reaches everything.
And THE LUCK!
Well, here is what he said about net quotes: "That should not be considered luck, that is perfectly normal and no need to say sorry, you hit millions of those.." .. and, YES, HE DOES..
Playing him is totally boring, because he just pushes or blocks the ball back, and he can smash it when high.
Also hits a lot of nets that always fells on opponents side, hits a lot of edges and he is sort of hard to beat because of this.
Because noone is really willing to play him, so mostly if there is nothing at stake - you let him win to get rid of him.
And that is why he thinks that he is best in the club!
He is shiny star of ours, when he sometimes loses, its just an accident, he slept bad or the opponent had too much luck..
(too much luck means that he scored half lucky points from what he did, lol )

How to deal with this kind of a person??

I found out I am pretty confident to beat him when I really try. I mean - REALLY try.
Even though its very difficult, as his luck is beating me and making me crazy sometimes.
Imagine to receive 4-7 nets or edges EVERY SET ..
Anyways - since we started to play for money (each of us puts 5 eur under the table and the winner takes it), I have positive bilance with him.
Mostly I win.
But - he never stops talking that he is better than me etc..
And - well - y-day I lost to him, because of the luck was just too high and my motivation not really..

You know what I mean?

He's probably better than you give him credit for. Sounds like a very consistent blocker who can place them low (nets) and deep (edges). I get that it's very frustrating to play folks like that, I struggle with this style a lot myself. But - the fact that you pretty much play him even, implies that he is doing something right and you have a hole in your game, perhaps specific to his style.

P.S. He does play table tennis, assuming his equipment is legal and he follows the rules - just in the style you happen to hate.

 

[ttmonster]

I have both my feet pointing outwards ... like 1:30 .. just feels more comfortable , is that wrong ?

I don't feel that I play any differently from how Dubina describes. I just do it with the right foot pointing slightly outwards. I rotate over my base and I don't bend my knees as much. I try to play my backhand out of that stance as well as much as possible, even down the line, by moving my upper body over base.

 

[NextLevel]

He's probably better than you give him credit for. Sounds like a very consistent blocker who can place them low (nets) and deep (edges). I get that it's very frustrating to play folks like that, I struggle with this style a lot myself. But - the fact that you pretty much play him even, implies that he is doing something right and you have a hole in your game, perhaps specific to his style.

P.S. He does play table tennis, assuming his equipment is legal and he follows the rules - just in the style you happen to hate.

My precise assessment as well. When I learned to beat such players, my game actually got better because it enhanced my ability to read and eliminate certain kinds of balls. I also suspect that he has major short game or in and out issues that can be exploited if you build out that skill set. But the first step is to stop pretending that people who do not play table tennis with the mindset, style and attitude that you like are not worth beating, even if it might not be fun to play them in the beginning because of the awkward tempo, attitude and potentially losses.

 

[NextLevel]

I also stand a little like how NL described , just feels that it would be easier on the knees. I agree the Samson dubina stance would probably make more sense but then again we won't be able to do the small step footwork that efficiently with our banged up knees and would need to resort to one step footwork anyways ...

BTW, Dubina is not recommending a specific stance. He is saying that your stance should be able to support forehand and backhand to all points on the table as you get better in order to play faster. This is related to what Takkyu is saying.

I used to argue with my coaches for a long time because they wanted me to turn my body more sideways to the table or one foot in front to play forehands. I noticed that most pros were not doing this so I know there was an alternative. It ended up being that I needed to be able to rotate my upperbody to play those shots. It is much easier for me to rotate and remain stable with that foot pointed to the right wall. I have not been as good with 10:10, I have always felt better with a mental image of 10:15, even if my legs may be 10:10 for all I know.

 

[NextLevel]

I have both my feet pointing outwards ... like 1:30 .. just feels more comfortable , is that wrong ?

It is correct. I am more like 10:15. Some people would advocate 10:10 but for me, 10:15 is more stable. I try to play all my shots out of 10:15. Unless I bias myself to play a power forehand or backhand to end the point.

 

[Michal_Z]

MZ... Maybe dude is a better player than many accept... The attitude... Defeat... Repeated brutal DEFEAT is good medicine for that situation.

That player trouble you or anyone? Then improve and play vs that player every opportunity.

That dude is giving away free trainng opportunities... You run into such players in comps. It's simply a golden opportunity waiting for you.

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I would love to take it as a training opportunity.
But everytime I win, its some kind of accident.. I only had luck.. because he is sooo much better..
Problem is - it never works. You can beat him 10times in a row, but still he wont accept you are better and he never will shut up
I know it. I tryed, I won.
What I got? Just tons of excuses.. lol..

 

[Boogar]

I have a question guys.What is the best way to hit a forehand loop against backspin down the line?

Lately I am having problems opening up on third ball attacks with my forehand. Might be because my backspin serves are getting better.
However I have the most problems with hitting topspins against backspin down the line.
My take on it is that my racket contacts the ball where the backspin has the most effect, on the backside of the ball.
In comparison to topspining the ball diagonally over the table, where i hit the ball more on the side.

Do I need to fade the ball more or how do you execute shots like this?

Cheers

 

[pgpg]

I would love to take it as a training opportunity.
But everytime I win, its some kind of accident.. I only had luck.. because he is sooo much better..
Problem is - it never works. You can beat him 10times in a row, but still he wont accept you are better and he never will shut up
I know it. I tryed, I won.
What I got? Just tons of excuses.. lol..

OK then, it gets even better - you get to practice both your TT shots/tactics against the uncomfortable opponent AND work on your mental game!

Only half-joking here - it sounds like he's getting under your skin. Pretty sure you'll run into someone similar in competition eventually, so learn to deal with it.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

10:10 or 10:15 whats this ? direction of clock ?

if so, i think what my coach recommends me for FH is more like 12:07

 

[NextLevel]

10:10 or 10:15 whats this ? direction of clock ?

if so, i think what my coach recommends me for FH is more like 12:07

Foot positioning. My feet are relatively parallel. It is just how they point.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

Foot positioning. My feet are relatively parallel. It is just how they point.

sorry whats the unit ? i'm not sure i understand those numbers

 

[ttmonster]

the hands of a clock

sorry whats the unit ? i'm not sure i understand those numbers

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I have a question guys.What is the best way to hit a forehand loop against backspin down the line?

Lately I am having problems opening up on third ball attacks with my forehand. Might be because my backspin serves are getting better.
However I have the most problems with hitting topspins against backspin down the line.
My take on it is that my racket contacts the ball where the backspin has the most effect, on the backside of the ball.
In comparison to topspining the ball diagonally over the table, where i hit the ball more on the side.

Do I need to fade the ball more or how do you execute shots like this?

Cheers

I think you can fade the ball or hook the ball down the line. Or, I'll say it differently. There was a time where I could only hook the ball. But I was able to hit it down the line still. At a certain point I really worked on contacting the inside of the ball for fading. Now I can hook, fade or hit the ball down the line with straight topspin.

Which one should you use? It may depend on you reading the spin on the ball. Like if it is a (regular) pendulum backspin (from a righty) or a straight backspin, I personally will want to hook the ball because that is where there is less spin. That is where spin avoidance is. And that is what I am comfortable doing.

If it is (REVERSE) pendulum backspin. Or backspin from a BH serve or a hook serve (from a righty) or regular pendulum from a lefty, it is easier to fade the ball because inside of the ball is where there is less spin. However, I have also played with hooking those because I am so comfortable doing it. And, as long as you have the racket speed for that, it works and produces massive spin because you are contacting precisely where the spin is heaviest.

However, I would say, the real answer to your question is: PRACTICE.

How you loop backspin down the line is practice. When you have done it enough then your body just knows what to do and does it. If your head is too involved, you need more practice at it.


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[Der_Echte]

To add to Carl's post, one also choose what type of loop speed/spin to use. The stroke and impact are different for each.

For a powerloop vs vs heavier underspin, one needs to open the blade face and swing more forward loose arm shoulder and grip and firm up the grip right at impact. Finish stroke more upwards vs heavier underspin, more forward vs less underspin. Impact ball on the rise.

You control the direction of the powerloop by adjusting how much in the front or rear of the effective hitting zone you impact the ball. Let it come deep into your hitting zone to blast it down the line.

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[OldschoolPenholder]

10:10 or 10:15 whats this ? direction of clock ?

if so, i think what my coach recommends me for FH is more like 12:07

Sir,

Imagine a circular clock laid on the floor surrounding you. Directly in front of you with you facing your partner/table/net would be 12:00 (or like a compass pointing north, 12:00 would be north), to your left is 9:00 (West), to your right is 3:00 (East)

10:10 or 10:15 would be left foot on the 10 of the clock and :10/:15 would have the right foot on the 2/3 of the clock

[EDIT: your 12:07 probably would be described as 12:10 as generally it's units of 5 mins to correspond with the numbers on the clock]

HTH

p.s. an aside, in the military they have a saying, 'Watch your 6!' -- IIRC it came from jet fighters in combat where 6:00 is directly behind you and no one has eyes in the back of their head.

 

[Der_Echte]

If dude gets beatdown like spanked puppy howling repeatedly by you and friends, and still has that attitude, then he is either delusional or exceptionally resillient. No one enjoys that much defeat.

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