Si-hing,
I don't feel very natural playing my forehand without brushing the ball upwards, so I am trying to work on a more solid contact. In the first video, I am trying to do more solid contact, but despite the balls landing on the table, some hit the top of the net, which makes me feel unsafe. Might eventually find a coach to work on the forehand.
1. Forehand / Backhand
If I am understanding you correctly, you are not trying to add spin to the ball with your FH. You are trying to "do more solid contact" but you keep 'brushing' the ball which imparts spin. You basically want to 'flat hit' with your FH. Is this correct?
If so, I may be able to help despite being a beginner to intermediate player and not a coach. So take this reply from that perspective.
IMO I have a decent flat hit FH. It's way better than my FH loop. My FH flat hit is probably my best stroke. In this day and age of the Internet and YouTube, I actually don't watch the multitude of instructionals. However, as a kid back in late 1970's and early 1980's, my
sifu was Alex Tam
. He was a 2-winged short pips TBH PH. Back then, all PH were single-sided. I believe it was either Liu Guo-liang's coach(es) or LGL himself who came up with the RPB in mid or late 1990's. He started me off with short pips. I don't recall how long I played SP and I don't recall how many lessons I had with him. It was not that many though. However, after I got the basics, he had me work with one of his students whom I addressed as
dai si-hing.
Many players from the 1980's-early 2000's, if they played in Chinatown, will know my dai si-hing, Richard Ling. IIRC, Carl has been coached by him for a bit. Tam sifu was probably mid-1970's USTTA ~2400-2500, although he started smoking and his game suffered.
Both sifu and dai si-hing taught me to 'sow' (sweep, like with a broom). The upper arm doesn't move much. The wrist is locked/rigid. Only the forearm moves. It's like a salute the military does. I've seen some righty FH end near right temple. I've seen some end at the 'third eye' (in between both eyes) - this covers the right eye somewhat though. I've also seen the stroke end past the left eye a little. This also covers a little of one's vision. My current stroke seems to end about my left eye.
Some key points to keep in mind:
1. Follow-through.
No half-hearted hits. You will know if you make solid contact when you hear the 'pock' of the ball after the FH flat hit. This past year I have been following-through better. The 2 or 3 yrs before I had a 'half-stroke' and didn't follow through completely. My FH is much better now with the full follow-through.
2. When/Where to start to hit the ball.
After a 32 yrs break from the game, I don't recall exactly what they taught as to when to hit the ball. I just know when I started playing again after the long break, my stroke started by my side, sometimes a little further back, but not so far back like I'm going to FH loop.
I have a friend who coaches. He worked with me a few times and commented that my FH stroke was from the 1980's. The current FH stroke is to meet the ball earlier. So the arm should be in front of the body. I am slowly adjusting my stroke to meet the ball earlier. But sometimes the muscle memory from when I was a kid kicks in and I am hitting the ball too late. I see it in my videos and I feel it after a hit too.
3. Add a slight waist twist.
With the waist twist, you get extra power from your core. It is not just an arm swing. But seeing you loop, you understand this already.
During gameplay, because my footwork is bad, sometimes I end up only arm swinging.
4. Wrist doesn't move.
If wrist moves, spin will be imparted. Lock your wrist. Think of sweeping a broom. Think of the whole forearm stroking. Your racket is part of your arm. It is not separate from your arm. It is one unit. Move the forearm.
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I will post video of my FH loop practice in my next post. I start with some flat hits and then start looping. I have better FH flat hits when i'm strictly flat hitting and not flat hit a few times and start looping.
I truly hope i was clear and HTH!
~
si-dai
p.s. nice RPB BH! my RPB BH is a flat hit. I do not brush the ball and turn my wrist. I will start adding the type of RPB with a short brushing motion next.