How to know if my bh loop will hit the table?

[TensorBackhand]

On half-ling balls, i find it easier to loop with fh because my body is sideways and i can use my body to measure my distance to the table.

But on the bh loop, i find it very uncomfortable. I dont know how close i am from hitting the table with hand or paddle. This causes me to hold back and miss a lot of shots.

Are there any techniques to deal with these half long balls on bh loop?

 

[Lazer]

On half-ling balls, i find it easier to loop with fh because my body is sideways and i can use my body to measure my distance to the table.

But on the bh loop, i find it very uncomfortable. I dont know how close i am from hitting the table with hand or paddle. This causes me to hold back and miss a lot of shots.

Are there any techniques to deal with these half long balls on bh loop?

Hit the ball at highest point, do not wait for it to sink, use more of a drive movement. Never had a similar problem.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Attitude]

I usually avoid those. Im not FZD or LSD who bh loop even from far away from the table.
At my level i try to stay close to the table for bh and only leave the table if i know i will fh loop and then i stick with it.

In rare cases, when im out of position and have to loop with bh away from the table i open up my racket completely (90 degree to the table) and flick the shit out of the ball in a mostly upward motion. That does the trick in 90% of the time.
But that is a around 50%+ weaker shot than i could do with fh. And it is riskier most of time. Therefore i always try to get my fh into play. Bh is simply not recommended

 

[Jslick89]

I suck with half long balls on my backhand, but I am practicing them on my robot a lot since the OMNI S Pro is capable of producing highly accurate and consistent half long balls. however, some balls go long and some go short, even when programmed to the same spot, which is actually good practicing for judging the landing spot of the ball.

I've come to realize that this is a skill that is going to take thousands and thousands of practice shots to truly develop into something dangerous and consistent.

Anyways, the way i've been doing it:

-Staying really low, which helps me judge how high the ball is bouncing
-recognizing the incoming spin and speed of the ball, to judge the trajectory of the ball
-extending my non-paddle hand outwards. The non-paddle hand is probably the best "Measuring stick" for where your backhand stroke will be. If your non-paddle hand is over the table, you will probably hit the table on those half long shots. if the top part of my longest finger is "flush" with the end of the table, i'm probably in the right spot for the half long shot.

 

[Gaurgle]

Hit the boll on the highest point, get low and use your legs! Look at how Fan Zhendong and Lin Shidong move their bodies and hands during these shots, also look at Ma Longs technique. A little different styles, but to me they have a really particular movement when hitting those shots (if in a good position, of course).
Youtube and slow down the clip!

 

[mcfly]

On half-ling balls, i find it easier to loop with fh because my body is sideways and i can use my body to measure my distance to the table.

But on the bh loop, i find it very uncomfortable. I dont know how close i am from hitting the table with hand or paddle. This causes me to hold back and miss a lot of shots.

Are there any techniques to deal with these half long balls on bh loop?

maybe practice more than 30 times? @Tony's Table Tennis do you agree?

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

maybe practice more than 30 times? @Tony's Table Tennis do you agree?

its just another day and another coaching thread on "how to do this".....
and you are right, practice 31 times... will be so much better than 30 times

 

[TensorBackhand]

maybe practice more than 30 times? @Tony's Table Tennis do you agree?

Whether you practice 30 or 300 times, the question still stands: Is there a good way to PRACTICE this shot on those 30 or 300 tries and avoid hitting the table or judge the ball length better?

 

[TensorBackhand]

Hit the boll on the highest point, get low and use your legs! Look at how Fan Zhendong and Lin Shidong move their bodies and hands during these shots, also look at Ma Longs technique. A little different styles, but to me they have a really particular movement when hitting those shots (if in a good position, of course).
Youtube and slow down the clip!

I don't understand how to do this. The highest point is deep inside the table. Against heavy underspin, I won't be able to get an upward motion

 

[mcfly]

Whether you practice 30 or 300 times, the question still stands: Is there a good way to PRACTICE this shot on those 30 or 300 tries and avoid hitting the table or judge the ball length better?

why don't you try 300 times first? good way for which player? at what level? only you can find out

 

[Gaurgle]

I don't understand how to do this. The highest point is deep inside the table. Against heavy underspin, I won't be able to get an upward motion

Ah.. yeah that’s different!
Either you push here, or you flick it!

 

[zeio]

One way to find your "stroke range" is to shadow swing as close to the table without actually hitting it. Find a reference point, say, your non-playing arm, and make an imaginary "mark". Then practice at different ball heights and adjust the limits of the "mark".

 

[NextLevel]

On half-ling balls, i find it easier to loop with fh because my body is sideways and i can use my body to measure my distance to the table.

But on the bh loop, i find it very uncomfortable. I dont know how close i am from hitting the table with hand or paddle. This causes me to hold back and miss a lot of shots.

Are there any techniques to deal with these half long balls on bh loop?

It's called the breaking backhand when you form a mountain over the ball:

 

[blahness]

With half long or even short balls you are right that the table is in the way, hence there is no room to backswing except for this trick that chiquita players use (watch a lot of them). You can get more backswing room by closing the racket more during the backswing. You open the racket angle as you swing forward to get the correct racket angle during contact. So you could have BH rubber facing down towards the table at max backswing and then still contact the ball with BH rubber facing forward. This takes practice but is in fact the easiest way to loop underspin with BH. Almost all BH oriented pros do this.

If you look at them they all use an very closed racket angle during backswing which would be impossible to use for a stroke if they maintained the same racket angle throughout.

But yeah once you master this, not even half long but short heavy underspin can be looped (ie chiquita) easily. This is because the whole swing can be made over the table. You just treat half long balls like short balls. No risk of hitting the table.

 

[TensorBackhand]

With half long or even short balls you are right that the table is in the way, hence there is no room to backswing except for this trick that chiquita players use (watch a lot of them). You can get more backswing room by closing the racket more during the backswing. You open the racket angle as you swing forward to get the correct racket angle during contact. So you could have BH rubber facing down towards the table at max backswing and then still contact the ball with BH rubber facing forward. This takes practice but is in fact the easiest way to loop underspin with BH. Almost all BH oriented pros do this.

If you look at them they all use an very closed racket angle during backswing which would be impossible to use for a stroke if they maintained the same racket angle throughout.

But yeah once you master this, not even half long but short heavy underspin can be looped (ie chiquita) easily. This is because the whole swing can be made over the table. You just treat half long balls like short balls. No risk of hitting the table.

Ah yes, i see people do this and always thought it seems counter intuitive: you are changing your racket face in the opposite direction mid-stroke? Seems hard

But does this work even on looping against heavy under serves?

 

[tomahawk11]

I dont know how close i am from hitting the table with hand or paddle.

What is preventing you from knowing this?

I think some of the key points for practicing this are:

• Do not take a backswing at all
• Ball must drop below the table before you contact it.
• Follow the ball and keep the racket close to it at all times
• At the very last moment, accelerate into the ball by hinging at the wrist.

If an opponent catches your off guard with a fast long backspin serve to BH, you can use the same stroke, just hitting the ball as it is bouncing up from the table.

 

[Dr Evil]

I don't think there are any shortcuts for this issue. The more you practice, the better your feel will be for where your hand is relative to the edge of the table. Your hand and the blade often gets in the way of seeing this directly on backhand, so it is more difficult than forehand. As usual, multiball is the fastest way to improve. If you're just getting started, have someone roll the ball to you and practice spinning it over the net just as it falls off the table.

 

[TensorBackhand]

What is preventing you from knowing this?

I think some of the key points for practicing this are:

• Do not take a backswing at all
• Ball must drop below the table before you contact it.
• Follow the ball and keep the racket close to it at all times
• At the very last moment, accelerate into the ball by hinging at the wrist.

If an opponent catches your off guard with a fast long backspin serve to BH, you can use the same stroke, just hitting the ball as it is bouncing up from the table.

I think my mind is trying to do 2 conflicting operations at the same time. 1st thing is my mind is tracking the ball and trying to see where it will come, and I'm trying to strike the ball at that distance.

2nd thing is I'm trying to see if the table will be in the way at that length.

So my 1st mind is telling me to hit the ball, and 2nd mind is telling me to not hit the ball/table. So I am being conflicted.

 

[pong99]

Get a rubber golf tee, like the ones used at the driving range. Put a ball on it at the edge of table and practice hitting the ball. These can be bought in various lengths.

It's better if you clamp the tee to the table so the tee won't go flying away.

 

[blahness]

Ah yes, i see people do this and always thought it seems counter intuitive: you are changing your racket face in the opposite direction mid-stroke? Seems hard

But does this work even on looping against heavy under serves?

Yes it works against heavy under, just go around the side to avoid the strong spin axis.