Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

[Shuki]

LOL just watched this for this first time. Club member wang is standing right in front of the camera for like 20 seconds and then gets ran into by duc. haha

 

[NextLevel]

I was the top seed in Group 2 of the PP league yesterday. I forgot my camera so unfortunately no video.

It seems everyone came out for justice (or is it revenge). I played a usual practice partner (about 2000 playing strength) and beat him 3-1 in a match that felt like our usual matches. Then I had to get through the 3 1800 players. For some reason, I didn't feel like I was playing 1800 players (yes, it is because they all are up and coming in different ways). I first face the 10 and under US champ in girls. She had beaten me on Sunday and she plays that fast junior hitters game (her mother is a coach). I went down 2-1 and barely squeaked into the decider. In the decider, I was struggling and then decided to serve a couple of long light spin serves that she looped off the table. I also started punching my backhand down the line more as her crosscourt and backhand is too strong. Managed to pull it out. She tends to lose to the 1800s who back off the table and lob to her but I don't consistently have that option because of my mobility issues.

Then came a lefty who I usually cream in the serve and attack game. For some reason, he started bringing back my attacks and I was struggling to read his serves and balls even more (he plays with Tackiness chop on both sides). He likes to back up and play off the table and when I power looped to him off the table, he often counterlooped my attack for a winner (WTF??!?!?) Again I went down 2-1 and was in a fight, missing lots of high balls. I then decided that I had to spin the ball. Then I later realized that I was serving too long and allowing him to do things to the ball that I couldn't read so I Started serving the first ball short to bring him in over the table before looping the ball as he didn't drop the ball short. Pulled out that one in 5 too.

Then more of the same vs another lefty who I hadn't played before. Again, missing his balls and he blocks very well on his backhand and has a spinny opener vs backspin. I lost the first game 11-9, and had to go to deuce to win the second game. The third game.. well, I was down 8-10 and I realized that if I went down 1-2, I might not be able to come back from all the stress. I got it to deuce and he had several match points.I think I squeaked it in at 16-14 or something like that.

After that, I came back and relaxed and played my game. It wasn't always good but the lucky part was that at 8-6, I served a deceptive topspin backhand serve to his backhand which he put off the table. I said, hmm, that miss looked like a complete misread. So I did it again and the ball went off the table again. So at 10-6, I felt better.

I noticed though that I tossed away a few 9-7 and 10-6 leads - I need to work on mental game more. But with that win, I had clinched the group and will be in group 1 next week regardless of who shows up.

I then played another practice partner, who I mentored for a while and train with occasionally, also about 2000 strength and the #2 seed. I won the first game easily but lost the second game after being up most of it. He reads my game much more easily and blocks most of my shots and I can't reloop the next one consistently. At 8-9 in the fourth game. We have a rally where he hits the net and then pops up the ball and I miss and he chos loudly. I realize that I don't try hard enough to win matches against him and I am going to fix that - I can't be playing someone who is willing to cho when he wins the point and just because he is my practice partner, I am not fighting as hard. Next time, it will be war. It's okay to lose - just fight properly.

 

[Shuki]

part 2 is up

 

[JeffM]

Watched a bit of your video Shuki, that man at 5:17... was lucky not to get some fracture
Nice loops and backhand opening!

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

NextLevel,

Congratulations on clinching Group 2!!

"Started serving the first ball short to bring him in over the table before looping the ball as he didn't drop the ball short."

This sounds very familiar Oh yeah, Doctor, heed thy own advice! That was sage advice you prescribed for me after you watched the match video i posted against "K".


"I realize that I don't try hard enough to win matches against him and I am going to fix that - I can't be playing someone who is willing to cho when he wins the point and just because he is my practice partner, I am not fighting as hard. Next time, it will be war. It's okay to lose - just fight properly."

One either wins or they lose ... it is always ok to lose. However, what is not ok when one loses though is if they learn nothing from their loss to improve and also if they did not give it their all in the fight. The better player that match will win, that's a given. But if one doesn't fight to win, then why keep score? Train only then.

There are games like poker, where players say something like, we are friends until we get to the table. Then it's war!

In general, depending on my partner, I either play my best to win, or I play to win but scale it back to 50-75% of my game or I play to let my partner work his game - so i'm at 33% of my game, and I may win or lose.

In games where i give it my 100%, once on the table, one of us will win, i will do my best to win regardless of who my partner is. There is a mental switch that must be flipped... killer instinct must kick in. Zone out the Past (practice partners), zone out the Future (outcome of match), live in the Moment, one point at a time. To get my blood boiling and to get in the zone and mentality, I go for my high-probablity attacks first. No secret to my game ... I serve sidetop, 2nd ball popup, 3rd ball smash. Get a few winners and "Success breeds confidence and confidence breeds success."

Great to read your AAR!

Good luck next wk in Group 1 action!!

 

[Archosaurus]

Shuki, I gotta hand it to your partner, he's unleashing a can of whoop ass on you, especially on the serves! Your technique looks better but he has some of that touch. Love his backhand serves.

I could just be skipping to all of the wrong points, though.

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

JeffM,

CONGRATULATIONS!! That's awesome news!! Look forward to your best points compilation should you make one.

 

[NextLevel]

Shuki, I gotta hand it to your partner, he's unleashing a can of whoop ass on you, especially on the serves! Your technique looks better but he has some of that touch. Love his backhand serves.

I could just be skipping to all of the wrong points, though.

Shuki's technique on the serves is clearly much worse. Decent rally strokes but it's mostly badly placed control stuff even on relatively easy balls. Gotta move the opponent around more on the easy balls!

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

Shuki,

At 5:48-5:54, I didn't see if your headband was on upside down

A new pet peeve... when your partner makes a good loop and they knock on the table 2x ;-)

Some great loops, some points though seem like you could continue to loop, but you FH blocked passively. You and Duc seem to have a lot of fun playing!

Thank you for the videos!!

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

Last night's AAR (after action report):

1) Played "M1", 2000 modern ph, with a very strong reverse backhand. Seen him mid-distance from table and still be able to reverse bh block it to a corner! Good fh loops too. I've played him 2 or 3x before. Lost all.

I wasn't warmed up even after 10 mins or so. Some of my shots were not finding the table like last week and Monday night. I didn't flow, couldn't get into the moment. I think i'm thinking TOO much of my shots. Lately been conscious of missing shots even on basic strokes. Feel bad for my partner having to go pick up the ball.

"S", a player from the old 1980's club I used to play at, was sitting on the side and said "Start!" An aside, some months ago, I saw S and we chatted and caught up. We recognized each other, but didn't recall our names.

So we started. Lost in 3, iirc, -8,-7,-6. Scores may seem close, but it wasn't ... M1 jumped out to early leads each game. One aspect of M1's game I picked up on and tried to do now in my games, just a light touch on service receives. Despite my spin serves, he's able to just touch/float it back. He made a lot of winners, I missed a lot.

Only 3 memorable points... the first time I served down the line, he had a weak return which i was able to smash for a winner. Tried it again later (in same game? i don't recall) but he was waiting and looped it fast cross court for a winner. Another time i was able to smash again, but right in the center at his racket, and ball returned before i could reset or it was angled away from me and caught me flat footed. LOL at me.

With NextLevel's advice in mind of serving more short serves ... i served them with mixed results. Nothing memorable as I type up now except for one. I served short to M1's FH and he didn't expect it but it was a net serve lol. I do recall now i didn't serve any nospin serves.

Thanked M1 for the game. In hindsight, perhaps warm up on a diff table before playing on the higher-level tables lol

2) Hit with J next... he generally likes to just hit. Blocked for him. I tried looping a little, but still not finding the table. Played a set a while back with J, he ate my serves and my side-to-side game was too much for him.

3) Went to a table where Mark Berg was playing. He was having a rough night... we saw each other on our way in and said let's play a set later. He lost the match and it was time for him to leave. NL posted a vid of his match vs MB before. MB is a lefty SH who has anti on the back. He has excellent ball control, will move opponents side-to-side.

I played the winner, an 1800 traditional japanese ph. Great BH smash, great sidespin loops. Very steady. Admire his BH smash. Lost to him before 2x or 3x. We have close games. We just hit for 30 mins or so... he was looping, nice easy smooth strokes. I was able to FH block/light smash back... tried to counter-loop and couldn't find the table. Then mostly, just bh block. Thanked him and he commented we got a good practice in.

Called it a night after that.

Thank you TTD CCers!

 

[JeffM]

JeffM,

CONGRATULATIONS!! That's awesome news!! Look forward to your best points compilation should you make one.

Hey OSP, thanks! Yes I will definitely make one, this one is gonna have lots more good points, with a strong theme of RPB! Might not be too soon though, theres alot of content to chew through first

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

Coolness! Looking forward to it JeffM!

 

[NextLevel]

OSPH,

When you serve serves you haven't practiced playing behind, you will often lose points because you may not have practiced how to play behind the kinds of returns you are getting. So one has to take an attitude of doing it for a whole set or match if one wants to improve behind that serve. IT can't be a one point strategy until you have an idea what will happen. I have lots of serves I don't use because I don't have the footwork or anticipation to play behind them right now. That will change over time though.

So serve short no spin for a whole match and see what it does. Not just one or two points. Get used to all the different returns you get and see if it even works for you. For me, when I do a serve, I am not so much concerned with whether I win or lose the point but rather I look at the quality of the return and ask myself if I like that because even if I pushed or made a weak 3rd ball, it could still be a ball that I like the look of once I know it is coming.

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

Thank you NL! That will give me focus. Lately I've been serving the short serves more.

WRT to no spin, i think i don't know HOW to serve no spin... that is to serve it the same motion as if i were to serve spin on my FH serves. For now, my BH no spin serves in my mind are clearly readable as no spin. My old club, i could've gotten some balls and have a table to myself to practice serves. My new club, way too many members to do that sadly.

Thank you again!

OSPH,

When you serve serves you haven't practiced playing behind, you will often lose points because you may not have practiced how to play behind the kinds of returns you are getting. So one has to take an attitude of doing it for a whole set or match if one wants to improve behind that serve. IT can't be a one point strategy until you have an idea what will happen. I have lots of serves I don't use because I don't have the footwork or anticipation to play behind them right now. That will change over time though.

So serve short no spin for a whole match and see what it does. Not just one or two points. Get used to all the different returns you get and see if it even works for you. For me, when I do a serve, I am not so much concerned with whether I win or lose the point but rather I look at the quality of the return and ask myself if I like that because even if I pushed or made a weak 3rd ball, it could still be a ball that I like the look of once I know it is coming.

 

[NextLevel]

There is an ITTF video with Marcos Freitas that shows the concept. Basically, you have to hit the edge of your paddle closest to the handle and hit the ball with a flatter motion whose sound may be detectable if the environment is quiet ( which is why some players stomp). I will see if I can find any videos that illustrate but there should be a few if you Google how to serve no-spin.

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

There is an ITTF video with Marcos Freitas that shows the concept. Basically, you have to hit the edge of your paddle closest to the handle and hit the ball with a flatter motion whose sound may be detectable if the environment is quiet ( which is why some players stomp). I will see if I can find any videos that illustrate but there should be a few if you Google how to serve no-spin.

LOL at me, out of the Google hits, i watched this first ...

will watch others too later

 

[NextLevel]

Look for a video where someone is teaching the technique. I may post a few links when I get to a PC. The Xkaboomx tutorial is decent and Brett might have a video.

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

Look for a video where someone is teaching the technique. I may post a few links when I get to a PC. The Xkaboomx tutorial is decent and Brett might have a video.

No worries on posting links. Thank you, will search.

 

[Shuki]

Shuki, I gotta hand it to your partner, he's unleashing a can of whoop ass on you, especially on the serves! Your technique looks better but he has some of that touch. Love his backhand serves.

I could just be skipping to all of the wrong points, though.

that partner is a 2000-2050 level play whom I've never beaten. He also wasn't warmed up. If you'd like I can upload video of him playing someone around his level.

 

[Archosaurus]

that partner is a 2000-2050 level play whom I've never beaten. He also wasn't warmed up. If you'd like I can upload video of him playing someone around his level.

I'd like to see that.

The backhands he did in the warmup reminded me of NL's backhand. So I figured he was around 2000's.