Getting back into TT properly with the DHS Neo Hurricane 3

[latej]

Thanks for the clarifications, both specific ones for Gozo's issue and those about the frog pose exercise. Hope Gozo gets well and that potentially the frog pose might be useful to someone.

 

[Топовая Китя]

years of practice and everything will come

 

[latej]

@UpSideDownCarl, you have invested a lot of time explaining Gozo's issue and the frog pose, I hope it eventually bears fruits... In my past, when I practised other sports, the trainer wouldn't say a word - he just assumed the position and we repeated, or tried to As I said, I did this exercise many many times, but I didn't know it is sometimes called "frog pose", until I had a desire to mention this exercise to Gozo. And I had that desire, because he seems to be one of the rare people who are willing to actually do some stretching. Usually that is very unpopular. I may have overstepped though - at the moment this exercise may bring more harm than good for him - thank you for keeping watch again.

P.S. Also the link I posted is simply the first one youtube gives for "frog pose". The lady is nice though...

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

@UpSideDownCarl, you have invested a lot of time explaining Gozo's issue and the frog pose, I hope it eventually bears fruits... In my past, when I practised other sports, the trainer wouldn't say a word - he just assumed the position and we repeated, or tried to As I said, I did this exercise many many times, but I didn't know it is sometimes called "frog pose", until I had a desire to mention this exercise to Gozo. And I had that desire, because he seems to be one of the rare people who are willing to actually do some stretching. Usually that is very unpopular. I may have overstepped though - at the moment this exercise may bring more harm than good for him - thank you for keeping watch again.

P.S. Also the link I posted is simply the first one youtube gives for "frog pose". The lady is nice though...

No worry. You were trying to help. This is my field. I am used to "yoga teachers" not knowing the details I have mentioned. I did not feel there would be any harm in explaining some of the important details. People on this forum are smart. And the ones who want to read the information will. And those who don't want all the details can skip past.

But it is true that that stretch would be good to help people get lower and have a more open stance for TT. I thought of posting photos of Horse Stance from martial arts as well. That would help with the opening while also developing some of the strength to stay low. Funny thing, while yoga teachers often do things that force the foot to point out too far and thereby torquing the knee, when you do a search for photos of Horse stance, martial arts people often have the feet turned in while the knees are pointing out torquing the knee in the opposite direction. So, I decided not to post one. But, here you go. I will put it in the next post.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

The video was called the perfect Horse Stance. Just don't turn your feet in like that if your knees are pointing out that much.

You can look at his toes and tell his feet are twisted and trying to turn back out but he is gripping with his feet and not letting them turn to the natural position. Ideally, for the safety of the knees, the feet would be at pretty close to the same angle as the thigh.

 

[Tango K]

I watched a video from Timo Boll, in which he says he always tells himself to point the knee outward. I used to do the opposite as it seemed easier to twist that way. Then I learnt 😅 the outward knees seem to make your legs much more rigid and powerful. But then I gotta be flex to use it. (I.e. I gotta feel its shape changing on the move and in a swing.) (It’s like a compressed spring. It’s compressed so that it can be released.)

But table tennis players are not martial artists so the change is probably so subtle that one can’t see it visibly.

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

Hi Latej & Carl,

I am still doing the stretch Carl shown but have not tried the frog pose because it looks ouchy!

The stretch that Carl shown, when performed by me, tends to hit at the right spot. Thanks Carl.

Oh! By the way, I have tried to do the Sumo Squat to help open up my hips. Is this helpful, hurtful or neutral for my problem?

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Hi Latej & Carl,

I am still doing the stretch Carl shown but have not tried the frog pose because it looks ouchy!

The stretch that Carl shown, when performed by me, tends to hit at the right spot. Thanks Carl.

Oh! By the way, I have tried to do the Sumo Squat to help open up my hips. Is this helpful, hurtful or neutral for my problem?

Sumo Squat: you have to show a photo. Without it, the words could mean a variety of things.

However, if your knees are going out, like the horse stance photo (and I think that it probably is) and you are bearing weight, for now, that COULD make what is going on in your hip worse.

That is why I suggested, until your hip is not bothering you any more, which could take a few weeks to a few months, depending, to maybe make your stance in TT LESS wide; to make your feet a little closer to each other. It won't be great for TT. But it will put less stress on that right hip.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

As for the feet, something to watch in the baseball slow motion video is how the feet turn as the the hips and legs turn. Even though those guys are wearing cleats that have spikes on the soles for grip, their feet change position with their hips to accommodate the changing position of the legs, hips and upper body.

If you watch the feet of a top TT player his feet will turn with the stroke.

Just watch Ma Long's feet:

 

[IB66]

The video was called the perfect Horse Stance. Just don't turn your feet in like that if your knees are pointing out that much.

You can look at his toes and tell his feet are twisted and trying to turn back out but he is gripping with his feet and not letting them turn to the natural position. Ideally, for the safety of the knees, the feet would be at pretty close to the same angle as the thigh.

Usually when addressing the ball for a golf swing, the feet are fairly straight at 90 degrees to the target line, some splay the feet slightly (toes wider than heals) I have also been told that having a more pronounced splay of the feet can really help protect a golfers back and knees, there’s a few players that put their longevity down to having a more splayed stance.
Also I think a ‘Pilates’ squat (whether it’s specially a Pilates squat, I’m not 100% sure) helps protect the knees, my old Pilates instructor used to say this. When you perform the squat, you don’t allow the knees to move forward over your toes, which puts increased pressure on your knees.

There’s definitely stances / positions that can help protect body parts for the move that is going to be performed, how these are related to table tennis is another thing!!

One of these may be the tensioning of the abdominal muscles, This can be ‘heard’ a lot of the time, the ‘grunting’ of tennis players, Dima does this as well !!! In one of Timo Bolls blogs, if I recall correctly, he said it was one of the 3 top tips he has implemented, adding power to his shots, in Pilates it’s used to both strengthen the abdominal muscles and protect the back. In TB’s case he doesn’t grunt as much!! The grunting or almost screaming in the case of some female tennis players is an easy way of tensing the abdominal muscles,
When you think about this, how many times have you seen and heard someone lifting an object and grunting when they do so, totally unconsciously, without meaning to. It may well be the bodies ‘natural’ way of tensing the stomach muscles when exerting to the max.