How to Overcome Trembling in Table Tennis Forehand?

[r0b3rt0]

Hello everyone,

I want to share with you a challenge I've been facing in my table tennis game and seek some suggestions to overcome it. For some time now, I've been experiencing a tremor in my hand when I hit with the forehand. It's an involuntary movement that persists despite my consistent training.

To give you a bit of context, I'm 40 years old and have been playing table tennis since I was 12. At 15, my forehand was my best shot, but around my twenties, I began to notice this tremor, although I haven't been entirely consistent in my practice over the years. Although I have a good topspin and a regular backhand, the tremor in my forehand has made my game difficult and has affected my confidence on the table.

I've been training diligently again for two months now, and while I've noticed improvements in other aspects of my game, the tremor persists in the forehand. It's frustrating because I know I can do better, and when others see my training, my forehand doesn't reflect my actual skill on the table.

So, I'm here seeking advice and suggestions from those who have faced similar situations or may have ideas to overcome this obstacle. Has anyone experienced something similar? Is there any advice or technique you've found helpful in reducing or eliminating this tremor in the forehand?

I appreciate any advice you can offer. Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[turbozed]

Hello everyone,

I want to share with you a challenge I've been facing in my table tennis game and seek some suggestions to overcome it. For some time now, I've been experiencing a tremor in my hand when I hit with the forehand. It's an involuntary movement that persists despite my consistent training.

To give you a bit of context, I'm 40 years old and have been playing table tennis since I was 12. At 15, my forehand was my best shot, but around my twenties, I began to notice this tremor, although I haven't been entirely consistent in my practice over the years. Although I have a good topspin and a regular backhand, the tremor in my forehand has made my game difficult and has affected my confidence on the table.

I've been training diligently again for two months now, and while I've noticed improvements in other aspects of my game, the tremor persists in the forehand. It's frustrating because I know I can do better, and when others see my training, my forehand doesn't reflect my actual skill on the table.

So, I'm here seeking advice and suggestions from those who have faced similar situations or may have ideas to overcome this obstacle. Has anyone experienced something similar? Is there any advice or technique you've found helpful in reducing or eliminating this tremor in the forehand?

I appreciate any advice you can offer. Thank you in advance for your help!

This sounds more like a question you should be asking a doctor, as I think involuntary tremors are likely a medical condition if they've persisted for decades. I'd start with a GP and ask for a recommendation to see a neurologist.

 

[r0b3rt0]

This sounds more like a question you should be asking a doctor, as I think involuntary tremors are likely a medical condition if they've persisted for decades. I'd start with a GP and ask for a recommendation to see a neurologist.

I'm not sure if is a medical condition since after a while training the tremor is gone.

 

[cytivrat]

You have unlocked my memories. I used to have weird tremor ~15 years ago. Interestingly, it never appeared in normal life, only in table tennis. It didn't affect pushes, nor loops, nor bh shots. And only while doing fh drives during warm up. FH drives were just absolutely unpredicatble for maybe first 15-30 minutes of my usual training routine those days, that was very annoying, I felt that I'm spoiling other person's training and wasn't confident at all, tried to warm up with weaker players before switching to better ones.
In my case it disappeared on its own as suddenly as it appeared. Lasted for 6-12 month. Looking back at that time, I think that it was in my head: I had a difficult period in terms of money, and was getting ready to move 3000 km away from home, I had no idea how my life was going to go from that point and I'm not a person who can share those feelings with others. Probably good psychologist could resolve my problem much faster than those 6-12 month it lasted.
Nowdays, I think that I would go to some kind of chiropractor first, than psychologist (I have one in each category who I can rely on) and then, if those two didn't work, go to neurologist.

 

[r0b3rt0]

You have unlocked my memories. I used to have weird tremor ~15 years ago. Interestingly, it never appeared in normal life, only in table tennis. It didn't affect pushes, nor loops, nor bh shots. And only while doing fh drives during warm up. FH drives were just absolutely unpredicatble for maybe first 15-30 minutes of my usual training routine those days, that was very annoying, I felt that I'm spoiling other person's training and wasn't confident at all, tried to warm up with weaker players before switching to better ones.
In my case it disappeared on its own as suddenly as it appeared. Lasted for 6-12 month. Looking back at that time, I think that it was in my head: I had a difficult period in terms of money, and was getting ready to move 3000 km away from home, I had no idea how my life was going to go from that point and I'm not a person who can share those feelings with others. Probably good psychologist could resolve my problem much faster than those 6-12 month it lasted.
Nowdays, I think that I would go to some kind of chiropractor first, than psychologist (I have one in each category who I can rely on) and then, if those two didn't work, go to neurologist.

Wow, it's incredible to find someone who has experienced something similar. I really resonate with what you shared about the tremor in table tennis and how it affected your confidence during training. I'm also going through a similar situation and feeling quite lost, worried and sometimes desperate about it.

I started with the tremor some years ago, at that time I started using a Primorac Carbon and for me the blade was too fast (maybe in my mind), but now I tried all round blades blades and rubber without any difference.

 

[ttarc]

Not a diagnosis but a friend that plays guitar had that once https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_dystonia

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Hello everyone,

I want to share with you a challenge I've been facing in my table tennis game and seek some suggestions to overcome it. For some time now, I've been experiencing a tremor in my hand when I hit with the forehand. It's an involuntary movement that persists despite my consistent training.

To give you a bit of context, I'm 40 years old and have been playing table tennis since I was 12. At 15, my forehand was my best shot, but around my twenties, I began to notice this tremor, although I haven't been entirely consistent in my practice over the years. Although I have a good topspin and a regular backhand, the tremor in my forehand has made my game difficult and has affected my confidence on the table.

I've been training diligently again for two months now, and while I've noticed improvements in other aspects of my game, the tremor persists in the forehand. It's frustrating because I know I can do better, and when others see my training, my forehand doesn't reflect my actual skill on the table.

So, I'm here seeking advice and suggestions from those who have faced similar situations or may have ideas to overcome this obstacle. Has anyone experienced something similar? Is there any advice or technique you've found helpful in reducing or eliminating this tremor in the forehand?

I appreciate any advice you can offer. Thank you in advance for your help!

You have unlocked my memories. I used to have weird tremor ~15 years ago. Interestingly, it never appeared in normal life, only in table tennis. It didn't affect pushes, nor loops, nor bh shots. And only while doing fh drives during warm up. FH drives were just absolutely unpredicatble for maybe first 15-30 minutes of my usual training routine those days, that was very annoying, I felt that I'm spoiling other person's training and wasn't confident at all, tried to warm up with weaker players before switching to better ones.
In my case it disappeared on its own as suddenly as it appeared. Lasted for 6-12 month. Looking back at that time, I think that it was in my head: I had a difficult period in terms of money, and was getting ready to move 3000 km away from home, I had no idea how my life was going to go from that point and I'm not a person who can share those feelings with others. Probably good psychologist could resolve my problem much faster than those 6-12 month it lasted.
Nowdays, I think that I would go to some kind of chiropractor first, than psychologist (I have one in each category who I can rely on) and then, if those two didn't work, go to neurologist.

@cytivrat: your description sounds like an issue where once you were sufficiently warmed up, it went away. Is that correct?

@r0b3rt0: is that the case for you? Does it go away after you are warmed up? Or is it continuous? Is it still there after you are warmed up and the whole time you are playing? Because, if it goes away after you are warmed up, it is a VERY VERY different issue than if it is something that is persistent regardless of how warmed up you are.

One is a cause for a considerable amount of extra FH training and you taking your time to warm up before playing matches, perhaps even using a robot or self-hitting to warm up for 10-15 min before hitting with humans. The other could legitimately be the purview of a neck/shoulder/upper back specialist or a neurologist.

 

[gordonluvsu]

The cure could be very simple.

I had / have a similar issue.
Most of what you describe fits to me.

For me, it happens when I stretch my wrist outward, towards my arm, towards the back Side of my hand.

By over-turning the wrist like that it starts to hurt and feel tense.

Try holding the racket more naturally,
dont overuse wrist.

More inward, towards your body.

Try around.

 

[cytivrat]

@cytivrat: your description sounds like an issue where once you were sufficiently warmed up, it went away. Is that correct?

Actually I have no idea right now, it was too long ago for me to remember those details and it was noticable only in that piece of technique which I almost didn't use. Pushes were not affected by this and that was the start of a training when I'm not fully warmed up. But maybe it is just due to different muscles working on push and drive.

 

[r0b3rt0]

@cytivrat: your description sounds like an issue where once you were sufficiently warmed up, it went away. Is that correct?

@r0b3rt0: is that the case for you? Does it go away after you are warmed up? Or is it continuous? Is it still there after you are warmed up and the whole time you are playing? Because, if it goes away after you are warmed up, it is a VERY VERY different issue than if it is something that is persistent regardless of how warmed up you are.

One is a cause for a considerable amount of extra FH training and you taking your time to warm up before playing matches, perhaps even using a robot or self-hitting to warm up for 10-15 min before hitting with humans. The other could legitimately be the purview of a neck/shoulder/upper back specialist or a neurologist.

Yes, it's something that goes away after warming up, let's say about 30-45 minutes. Sometimes it doesn't completely disappear, but the tremor does reduce significantly.

 

[r0b3rt0]

The cure could be very simple.

I had / have a similar issue.
Most of what you describe fits to me.

For me, it happens when I stretch my wrist outward, towards my arm, towards the back Side of my hand.

By over-turning the wrist like that it starts to hurt and feel tense.

Try holding the racket more naturally,
dont overuse wrist.

More inward, towards your body.

Try around.

I don't feel any pain. I'll try your advice to keep my hand closer to the body; indeed, the further away I move my hand from the body, the more noticeable the tremor becomes.