Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

[Lula]

If I want to try Short pips, then most likely Nittaku Moristo.
If Medium/long probably something from Dawei,

But it means lots of practice and that is the thing I want to minimize. But I think that I will have to twiddle a lot on both sides because I will want to mostly play inverted strokes. But the hardest part is convincing myself to do it.

If you have trouble moving i think you should try a short pimple without grip or a medium long pips. Both of these alternatives will have more or less effect and disturbance for your opponent. I think you should try Spinlord Keiler. Know two really good players and friends that use it. One have played second highest league in Sweden, and both are now playing the third highes league.

I do not recommend twiddle alot because i think it will be to difficult for you, or almost anyone. Will be alot unforced errors i think. I almost never twiddle since i think the playing style is to difficult and it is better to become really good with one rubber. But if you can master the twiddle it will proably be really difficult for your opponent. I have a friend that is good, that twiddle alot with a long pimple, so he makes it difficult for the opponent but at the same time he miss alot because it is difficult for him too.

 

[Der_Echte]

Had a not so great Monday (don't we all ? ) at the club and went to a 2-3 hr place open in a community center... happened to be league... went 1-2.. but win was 3-0 vs 2200 player who is transitioning to pips and is only 2000+ level with them. He plays an off the bounce BH and FH SP kill. He was 2x inverted attacker for DECADES and now at age 60, he can play that style moving less and stay at table. I think he will within a year be right back to 2200 level with his pips and play style and more time... he is too good a player not to succeed.

Lost to Scoobie Doo again... like every match I play vs him, I find new ways to setup or initiate the offense and make some great plays, but Sergey Scoobie Doo is always adapting and is a higher level player... by 2+ levels. Even the points I lose vs him are getting better quality, he just has answers.

A local player who was prolly 1800 west coast level a year ago is pushing towards 2000 now if he do enough tourneys... he now handles my best offensive shots and sequences and is consistent fast attacker. I still win vs opponents he loses to, but his head to head record vs me is now way in his favor.

Moved the Blue Fire M3 to another Person Power Play ST handle blade... did what I wanted to do... play more consistent on first ball and still be able to counter and place the ball... unfortunately, 2 of my opponents tonite did a better job at that than me.

Still, the short bump vs Scoobie Doo and step in flip is now improving... if only I actually step in 80% of the time instead of imaging I did so.

 

[Lula]

Der echte! Maybe you need to think What your strengths are work more on them and try to get that play in a match. It is hard to beat a player if you try alot of things and try to play different ways. It is hard to be better than the opponent at everything. I understand that it is good to try to find the opponent weakness and try new things if you loose. That is correct, But many Times players forget that they need to have a playingstyle to be able to play good and win. It is almost impossible to be better than the opponent at everything But if you can get the play you are better at you Will win. But if you still loose or Do not get your play you need to change something.

I think it is good that you change stuff. Many Times when We play the same opponent We get stuck in patterns were We Do the same all the time.

 

[Loopadoop]

When I play at this one recreation center, I tell the players how to play me vs the long pips. That way I get good practice and they get a lesson. If they ask me how to handle a serve, I tell them the proper way, then do it in the game until they learn.

 

[ttmonster]

This is generally true and very good advise for anybody else but Der_Echte , Der is someone who I have played with and played against a few times. Don't get him wrong he is clever as a fox when it comes to table tennis strategy , infact sometimes I felt his strategy was a little too rigid , meaning he will go with a strategy , refine it in the first set and pretty much stick to it during the rest of the match unless he is losing and needs to make changes . But he can do a lot of things pretty well and if he wants he can bring in more variety . But I haven't honestly seen him in the last few months and all the practice he is been getting Scoobie Doo and Eric can only do him good , both of them are good consistent smart players.

I am actually on the opposite side of the fence and taking all the gripes of Der_Echte with a pinch of salt , pretty sure he comes out of hiding and hands me a clobbering soon ...

Der echte! Maybe you need to think What your strengths are work more on them and try to get that play in a match. It is hard to beat a player if you try alot of things and try to play different ways. It is hard to be better than the opponent at everything. I understand that it is good to try to find the opponent weakness and try new things if you loose. That is correct, But many Times players forget that they need to have a playingstyle to be able to play good and win. It is almost impossible to be better than the opponent at everything But if you can get the play you are better at you Will win. But if you still loose or Do not get your play you need to change something.

I think it is good that you change stuff. Many Times when We play the same opponent We get stuck in patterns were We Do the same all the time.

 

[NextLevel]

This is generally true and very good advise for anybody else but Der_Echte , Der is someone who I have played with and played against a few times. Don't get him wrong he is clever as a fox when it comes to table tennis strategy , infact sometimes I felt his strategy was a little too rigid , meaning he will go with a strategy , refine it in the first set and pretty much stick to it during the rest of the match unless he is losing and needs to make changes . But he can do a lot of things pretty well and if he wants he can bring in more variety . But I haven't honestly seen him in the last few months and all the practice he is been getting Scoobie Doo and Eric can only do him good , both of them are good consistent smart players.

I am actually on the opposite side of the fence and taking all the gripes of Der_Echte with a pinch of salt , pretty sure he comes out of hiding and hands me a clobbering soon ...

Yeah. Lula clearly needs to meet and play DerEchte to know how to read DE's posts properly. They are really sandbagging posts.

 

[JeffM]

I managed to play my first pennant match in a stable team yesterday. (previously I have only played as a fill in player)
I am playing in C grade, as I wanted to start low and find my rhythm, whilst seeing how it can fit in with work.
The match yesterday was against a team that was meant to be B grade, but somehow moved into C grade, hence the rating of the players were both higher than me and my teammate. I think they are at least 50 points more than me and 200+ points more than my partner, but my ranking is not accurate as I don't play in events enough.

I have actually played those players before 2 years ago, but I think they have fogotten me. That time, I had a fairly easy time beating them, 3-1 and 3-0, as I was very much in shape, representing my uni not long ago in the national university competition.

However yesterday...
In my first singles, I took the first set relatively comfortably, but he adjusted and took 2 sets away from me. With one set remaining, he led the 4th game, even getting the match point, but i came back and saved that set.. then 5th set, it was very close again, I led 10-6, but then got equaled to 10-10. Luckily I barely won 12-10.
Second singles, I completely lost it, 0-2 first up. I have my friend whom we often train together. He gave me advice as to how to adjust to the player, and 3rd set, I won 11-1. Then I won the 4th set also, and in fifth set, I barely won 11-9.

My team still lost 2-3, despite i have won 2 singles, as the ranking difference was too big between the teams.

I had to do more long serves in order to win. This is not something that I like doing or that I do normally. But I am speculating that as I don't play pennant matches regularly, the nerves make me play very stiff, and I cannot perform like what I would if I play against my training partner which I am very familiar with his style. I am also surprised that those 2 players have improved so much, or that I have deteriorated so much, that I struggle so much to win.
Anyway, very tough beginning of the pennant for me, but hopefully I will be able to control my nerves and start playing out my style freely soon.

 

[perham]

As I get better on topspinning back spin, I’ve noticed that I’m hitting my head more often with my bat, and consequently losing the point because of the shear amount of pain. Looks like I’m getting carried away! [emoji23]


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[NextLevel]

As I get better on topspinning back spin, I’ve noticed that I’m hitting my head more often with my bat, and consequently losing the point because of the shear amount of pain. Looks like I’m getting carried away! [emoji23]


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Lower the body, use the wrist and keep the elbow down throughout the stroke. Don't raise the shoulder or upper arm. Lift the body with the core or legs.

 

[perham]

Lower the body, use the wrist and keep the elbow down throughout the stroke. Don't raise the shoulder or upper arm. Lift the body with the core or legs.

But doesn’t it give more whip if I bend the arm at the moment of contact?


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[NextLevel]

But doesn’t it give more whip if I bend the arm at the moment of contact?


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Bending the elbow is not the Same thing as raising the upper arm which is what usually causes the blade to hit the head. Getting lower with your body by folding the torso and lowering the knees is always the preference unless you have a good reason not to.

 

[Richie]

I recorded my FH against block earlier as there's one concern I've had some comments on which is that I don't rotate my torso forward enough. I think my FH's against block in this video felt good but I still wonder if I should rotate slightly more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZknQ_zKWpY

As I watched it I remembered I've seen this angle before and started comparing myself to Koki Niwa in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glO1qpIYWeE

His elbow looks like it's more in front of him than mine and the logo on his back is shifted more towards the left which I assume are both results of slightly more torso rotation. Maybe I'm going technique crazy like Lula said and being a bit too pedantic about this but I cannot help to be curious.

 

[mart1nandersson]

Richie: I'm not a coach like Lula but to me it looks that you're quite passive/stationary when blocking and not moving your feet. I'm awful at this and I'm getting quite a lot of feedback regarding this from my coach during drills when blocking. The BH block drifting to the FH side without the body moving along is probably a sign of standing still a bit too much and not "being on your toes".

Take this for what it is. Advice from a beginner. Lula will most likely tell me off

 

[Richie]

Richie: I'm not a coach like Lula but to me it looks that you're quite passive/stationary when blocking and not moving your feet. I'm awful at this and I'm getting quite a lot of feedback regarding this from my coach during drills when blocking. The BH block drifting to the FH side without the body moving along is probably a sign of standing still a bit too much and not "being on your toes".

Take this for what it is. Advice from a beginner. Lula will most likely tell me off

Sorry I should have clarified I'm the guy closest to the camera. I will let him know haha , your advice is appreciated regardless!

 

[mart1nandersson]

"I recorded my FH AGAINST block"

Hahahaha... I'm too tired and will go to bed

 

[Lula]

I recorded my FH against block earlier as there's one concern I've had some comments on which is that I don't rotate my torso forward enough. I think my FH's against block in this video felt good but I still wonder if I should rotate slightly more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZknQ_zKWpY

As I watched it I remembered I've seen this angle before and started comparing myself to Koki Niwa in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glO1qpIYWeE

His elbow looks like it's more in front of him than mine and the logo on his back is shifted more towards the left which I assume are both results of slightly more torso rotation. Maybe I'm going technique crazy like Lula said and being a bit too pedantic about this but I cannot help to be curious.

Haha, maybe you are becoming technique crazy. I think it is good to try to make the technique better, but you can not change the technique all the time if you want to become safe at a stroke. It is hard to know how to play and to be safe in a match then. And i think it is good too know that the technique do not need to be perfect, as long as you get a good result from it. But in long term maybe it is wise to change the technique. Hard to know.

I also think it would be best if you had a good coach that could help you. It is hard to know how good the advice from strangers is and i also find it hard to really see how the stroke looks from one angle, so it is difficult to give you a good answer.

I think that Koki Niwa play pretty close to the table, so i do not know how mucb body he uses since he proably have a hard time to have the time to do it close to the table. But he proably still use the body more or less. Please correct my about how he plays. I am not sure.

If you play further from the table, maybe you can look at a player that also does that and see how this player uses his body.

Like i said before, the result is the most important thing. I think you seem to get good power with the stroke you do at the moment, so maybe you do not need to change. You explode nice at the contact of the ball i think. But maybe you can get an even better result.

From what i see, but again it is difficult to see from just one angle is that it seems like your arm are a bit tense and that you could get the arm more extended if you relax more. The more extended the arm and the more relaxed it is the more you will benefit from using the body. If you tense your arm and have it close to the arm(which i think makes the arm tense) your arm will not swing more and get more speed from using the body.

Does it feel like you are using your stomach? I think it looks a little like you are going back with your arm but do not follow with the stomach. I think that turning of the stomach and taking your arm back should come together.

Then maybe you do not have the time to use the body more. I play somewhat close to the table so i do not have so much time to use the body alot. But i still use it, but not as much as people further away.
If you have time maybe you can try to add more rotating in the stomach and see if the shot becomes more powerful. I think a good way to force yourself to use the stomach more is to relax and extend your arm and have it infront of you. Then you do not move the arm at all, just have it relaxed and for the arm to go back you need to turn your torso. Do that a couple of times and see how it feels compared to your regular loop and look what your result is. This is pretty hard to do i think, but try! And then you can try to do the same but accelerating with the forearm when you go forward with the torso and are about to hit the ball. In my opinion a forehand loop should look something like that, the arm is more following the torso back and then when we turn the torso forward again we want to use the arm to accelerate and snap the ball at contact.

Maybe you can try the things i suggest and make your own opinion. I think it is alot of trial and error. Since the spin mostly comes from the arm and the power from the body, if you then try to use the body more and get more power maybe you did not use the body so much before and if you find the new stroke with more body better maybe you should go for that. keep filming and i think you can try to see how you do with your stroke when you get a good result.

Good luck!

 

[Lula]

Richie: I'm not a coach like Lula but to me it looks that you're quite passive/stationary when blocking and not moving your feet. I'm awful at this and I'm getting quite a lot of feedback regarding this from my coach during drills when blocking. The BH block drifting to the FH side without the body moving along is probably a sign of standing still a bit too much and not "being on your toes".

Take this for what it is. Advice from a beginner. Lula will most likely tell me off

Haha, i do not know everything! And i feel like strokes can be played many ways to it is hard to agree how to do it. Are not so many right and wrongs. We can just try to give our advice and then people need to make their own opinion

 

[Richie]

Thank you for such a detailed comment Lula , very kind to take the time to give so much feedback, I appreciate it. I think it will be difficult to change a lot of things and I don't want to do that. I think I get good power for the most part.. I'm not sure I can get much more than what I got in that video or I would have to change something in that case and lose consistency. I'm getting advice from a good coach right now. I mainly wanted more opinions if I rotate enough forward and I was thinking that it had more to do with recovery for playing a backhand after FH.. but maybe I am wrong.

 

[Lula]

Thank you for such a detailed comment Lula , very kind to take the time to give so much feedback, I appreciate it. I think it will be difficult to change a lot of things and I don't want to do that. I think I get good power for the most part.. I'm not sure I can get much more than what I got in that video or I would have to change something in that case and lose consistency. I'm getting advice from a good coach right now. I mainly wanted more opinions if I rotate enough forward and I was thinking that it had more to do with recovery for playing a backhand after FH.. but maybe I am wrong.

Okey, i did not understand that you wanted us to look for that. I really need to go to bed soon so i can not watch the video again.

But i think that if you play 1,1 and irregular exercises with bh and fh i think you will notice pretty fast if can play bh good after a fh. If you do not maybe you need to change something.

I think some of my players turn the torso to fast and then the ball comes to their backhand and they are not there. So we need to turn the torso when we see that the ball is coming to fh.

If you have a hard time to play bh after fh maybe you have to much fh feet and turn up the body to much and/or have the arm to far back. I know that we almost do not want to have fh feet anymore because the game is so fast nowdays. If you feel that you do something of the above you can try to correct it. Maybe try to stand a little more square to the table so less fh feet, do not turn the torso as much and try to have the elbow as much as infront of you as possible. I think that having the elbow infront of you is very important to become fast between bh and fh. And of course maybe you are playing to fast at one wing and do not have the time to play at the other.

Once again it is hard to tell you anything definite. You need to try yourself if you have trouble with bh fh transition and maybe try some thing that you can change, like the things i mentioned. Technique is not exact science.

And remeber to ask your good coach to! Much easier for the coach to see this than for us in a video.

 

[Richie]

Okey, i did not understand that you wanted us to look for that. I really need to go to bed soon so i can not watch the video again.

But i think that if you play 1,1 and irregular exercises with bh and fh i think you will notice pretty fast if can play bh good after a fh. If you do not maybe you need to change something.

I think some of my players turn the torso to fast and then the ball comes to their backhand and they are not there. So we need to turn the torso when we see that the ball is coming to fh.

If you have a hard time to play bh after fh maybe you have to much fh feet and turn up the body to much and/or have the arm to far back. I know that we almost do not want to have fh feet anymore because the game is so fast nowdays. If you feel that you do something of the above you can try to correct it. Maybe try to stand a little more square to the table so less fh feet, do not turn the torso as much and try to have the elbow as much as infront of you as possible. I think that having the elbow infront of you is very important to become fast between bh and fh. And of course maybe you are playing to fast at one wing and do not have the time to play at the other.

Once again it is hard to tell you anything definite. You need to try yourself if you have trouble with bh fh transition and maybe try some thing that you can change, like the things i mentioned. Technique is not exact science.

And remeber to ask your good coach to! Much easier for the coach to see this than for us in a video.

Yes what you say makes sense.. I think I overthink things too much. At the end of the day it's up to me to figure it out. Maybe I should be happy with my FH rotation and practice this bh to fh transition. Unfortunately the good coach is only through online haha. We have a coach at our club but he doesn't give us that much attention unfortunately, he mainly coaches the beginners.
Thanks again Lula!