Based on a few things I read, I think I want to talk about a couple of things that have to do with technique.
Good technique on offensive strokes is about mechanical efficiency. If a player is trying so hard on his shots to make the ball go fast that it hurts:
1) it is likely the shots are not going as fast as they could.
2) it is likely that there is a whole lot of inefficiency in the shot.
3) it is likely that that shot is making the player reset for the next shot way too slowly.
4) it is likely that the player is not ready to watch the opponent before the opponent takes their next shot.
With a good efficient stroke, you can make the ball go very powerfully with a minimum of effort. A table tennis ball is very light. The racket is very light in comparison to a tennis racket or a baseball bat. In tennis and baseball, you need much more power to make the ball go really fast. But you still need efficiency. In table tennis, the premium is actually on timing not on power. You simply have to time the pop from your legs and core into the ball precisely. If you are trying too hard, it is likely that there is a lot of wasted effort. A player with good offensive technique can use a Stiga Allround Classic or a Donic Appelgren Allplay with Mark V and hit shots with a lot of pace and power because their technique is mechanically sound.
The next issue, the reset. When you are playing table tennis, you want to be in the set and ready position as your shot lands on the opponent's side. The reason is:
--You want to already be set to watch what your opponent does with the ball.
Then, when your opponent is pushing the pace, you are still ready for the ball coming back and his shots don't seem too fast. If your opponent's shots seem too fast, usually it means you are not reset and watching the opponent soon enough after your shot. So the issue there is to work on resetting as fast as possible after each shot. Which is also why, very often, using only 60% power is often emphasized. It means you can stay balanced and reset faster. And with 60% power, if your timing is good, you can still launch rockets.
Often newer players think that getting better at table tennis means improving what you are doing, your strokes, your shot selection, your game strategy. But getting better at table tennis, at a certain point is much more about watching and reading what your opponent is doing. If you are not focused on that, you can have amazing shots and still lose to someone who looks like he cannot play.
I have seen so many times, when playing with someone who is not as good, them thinking, feeling and expressing that they are just not playing good for some reason when they play me. For some reason shots they would normally make are not going on the table the way they normally would. And yet they don't seem to fully realize that it is because of something I am doing.
In any racket sport, but especially in table tennis, what your opponent does will always effect what you can do. And the answer to closing the gap between a player and a better player WOULD NOT BE the EJ Virus. Changing equipment to beat a better player is not something that will usually help.
But improving technique and learning to reset faster and watch your opponent better may help you improve faster.
So, get the Viscaria if you want to feed your EJ Virus. You have had many rackets and rubber combinations in the past year. Have fun. Spend all the money you want. But don't think the equipment will actually help you magically fix your technique and help you beat the best player at your club.
