Thanks for your input so far guys. Really appreciate that.
Another little thing i found out watching my vod again, is that i had a pretty close batangle early on. Especially on the first shots that arent in this cut here. Later on a opened my racket a bit more and hit way better shots (just for thought^^).
So to sum that up im gonna work on the following for now in the upcoming offseason:
- Working more closer to the table over all
- Position my body more forward towards the palm/toes of my feet by having those in a not so horizontal position
- Swing my attacks more to the left side of my body and try to recover faster from my left foot
- Be more lose with my lower body and try to move faster through that
The biggest problem is the last point i suppose, because i struggle becoming faster for around half this year. Any suggestions on how to develop this better? Any training methods, drills or exercises i could go for to enhance this development?
A bit of personal recipes, starting from warm-up stretches :
1. Before warming up, or during free time at home, try to do some boxing tiptoe-jumping to 'lighten' one's foot
2. While warm-up strokes, involve more waist/torso rotation to create the habit of 'engage' the ball with the waist/torso rotation. If this point is found to be confusing, try searching Harimoto's forehand topspin against block training videos. In my personal view, he's one athlete with most obvious/evident waist/torso rotation. One parameter indicsting a good/right progression, is when one feels there's some kind of extra 'oomph'/'slingshot effect' when doing topspins from waist/torso rotation, that even with the smallest/most compact stance, it feels there's more 'oomph' in one's topspin.
3. During topspins, contact the ball at the apex, don't wait for ot to descend. Big swings, smaller swings, it depends. If one's feeling 'sluggish', try make smaller, compact swing for quicker backswing and recovery movements.
4. One thing most detailed coaches I've met knows, but mostly forgotten by us mortals (or maybe neglected, since if doing it the wrong way might cause serious injuries affecting muscles surrounding our lumbar spine area, even worst the lumbar spine itself) : try to contract/crunch the abdominal muscles when contacting the ball. This results extra 'whip' without over-forcing hip/lumbar muscles, and also helps re-position body stances to 'neutral'. To get the feeling of this (and of course avoiding the risk of any injuries), during spare/free time, whether sitting down on a chair or standing up, rotate the waist/torso to the right side (or left side, for left-handers. Or just try it both sides), and contract/crunch abs. When one feels there's some kind of 'urge' to return facing affront, and that's it. That's the feeling one should be getting. This may sound weird, but somehow it magically is how our muscles work. Simple example, no bodybuilders, gym rats, etc. contract/crunch their abs while twisting/rotating their body during constests's on-stage performance, or a mere short video for social medias, right? It is more natural when facing affront.
While trying to apply these points, make sure not to rush. Try to do it slowly, as 'chill' as possible, and systematically. Get the hang of it, get the 'feel', and gradually escalate things up.
Bat angle, there's no right or wrong. Some prefer more open angle, some are extremely closed. Just do what feels natural, as relaxed as possible. And of course, always 'bring it forward'.
