I suck at this sport, please help me.

[pedro.dantas]

It has been a year of training, but i still suck at this game, i'm really bad at producing spin, and really bad at reading it also, i also feel like i'm too stiff and can't move well, and at the same time i feel anxious and nervous when I play, and for some reason i just completely miss a lot of balls, can't even hit it with my bat (like at 50s).
I think my most issue is psychological or something like mindset, but can't really overcome fear and just keep loosing. I don't know if one year it's a short period of time, but i wish i could get better soon.
Can you guys give me some advice to improve? I'll show a footage with a bit of training.

 

[PenHoldSandro]

For me, I would first gain confidence in my shots. I also have the same habits as you, so I know what it feels like. What you need to do is just blank your mind out. Don't think, let your body move! The only part of the game where you need to use your mind is for strategy.

For the footage, I notice you don't use your waist. You just flail your arm around and you don't use the rest of your body. Not only that, even though I'm a penholder, I think your backhand is wrong. It's too in front of you and you don't use your body well.

Work on those and I'm 100% sure you'll get better!

When you do a forehand stroke, you should grip tighter when you are about to hit the ball. Don't strike with slow arms, speed it up! Ryu Seung Min (2004 Olympics Champion) said that the acceleration to hit the ball is the most important part in producing power

 

[PenHoldSandro]

also your racket is illegal

 

[pedro.dantas]

also your racket is illegal

I was testing a rubber from another setup that i had, but i already ordered a new one with the right color.

 

[pedro.dantas]

For me, I would first gain confidence in my shots. I also have the same habits as you, so I know what it feels like. What you need to do is just blank your mind out. Don't think, let your body move! The only part of the game where you need to use your mind is for strategy.

For the footage, I notice you don't use your waist. You just flail your arm around and you don't use the rest of your body. Not only that, even though I'm a penholder, I think your backhand is wrong. It's too in front of you and you don't use your body well.

Work on those and I'm 100% sure you'll get better!

Thanks!

 

[PenHoldSandro]

Thanks!

no problem man, I think you might be better than me ehe. keep up the work and you'll improve. Even if the improvement is just by 0.01%, it's better than nothing, it will accumulate over time

I also have a thread like this, so Ik what it feels like. my version of this thread

 

[lodro]

Ha Ha Ha...you think you suck ----- you should see me after 6 years of playing 😂
You have to just learn to relax. It is just play, winning or loosing does not matter, having fun is what counts.

 

[pedro.dantas]

no problem man, I think you might be better than me ehe. keep up the work and you'll improve. Even if the improvement is just by 0.01%, it's better than nothing, it will accumulate over time

Yess, getting god bit a bit, but it is a long journey.

 

[PenHoldSandro]

Yess, getting god bit a bit, but it is a long journey.

exactly man, it's the same for everyone

 

[lodro]

Yess, getting god bit a bit, but it is a long journey.

Its a long journey ???????? Are you avin a larf ????
You are so young you can not even grow a beard yet. I am in my mid 70s . 😁
Here is a trick : Next game you play just hum your favorite song while playing.
That'l work and makes you relax.

 

[PenHoldSandro]

Its a long journey ???????? Are you avin a larf ????
You are so young you can not even grow a beard yet. I am in my mid 70s . 😁
Here is a trick : Next game you play just hum your favorite song while playing.
That'l work and makes you relax.

Mid 70's? and no pips???? Wow, you must be crazy good in your youth!

And yes @pedro.dantas , the trick works

 

[Jslick89]

First of all, you’re not bad for only playing one year. Give yourself a little grace. This is a difficult sport to play. Learning to read the spin takes years and years of practice.

You also seem athletic enough so that is going to help you improve in this sport too.

Finally, you just need to swing a little harder on your forehand if you want to impart more spin and power on the ball. Lots of your strokes seem to be DEaccelerating, which is the opposite of what you want to be doing.

 

[McSmasher]

It has been a year of training, but i still suck at this game, i'm really bad at producing spin, and really bad at reading it also, i also feel like i'm too stiff and can't move well, and at the same time i feel anxious and nervous when I play, and for some reason i just completely miss a lot of balls, can't even hit it with my bat (like at 50s).
I think my most issue is psychological or something like mindset, but can't really overcome fear and just keep loosing. I don't know if one year it's a short period of time, but i wish i could get better soon.
Can you guys give me some advice to improve? I'll show a footage with a bit of training.

lol you don't suck... to be honest, for a beginner, your fundamentals are pretty good. Your weight is leaning forward, and your elbow is in a stable position for both backhands and forehands. This will put you in good stead for when you look to put more spin and power into your shots.

Based on your stroke mechanics, it looks like you probably already have a coach? If so, would be worth asking them to find ways of generating more acceleration into your shots (e.g. using your body weight transfer a bit more).

Just a couple of things to consider:

1) You have a pretty pronounced grip change between your forehand and your backhand. Is that something that you do naturally? Or do you have to think about it every time you hit a shot? If you have to think about it, then that could account for you missing shots, as it's just another thing that you need to think about before hitting the ball. This might not be a problem during training, but during a match this could be more difficult. Maybe try a neutral grip that works for both forehand and backhand? Then once you feel like you have plenty of time during match situations, then possibly consider the grip change again? (although there's even plenty of pros that don't bother with the grip change)

2) You train close to the table, and many of your shots are off the bounce... do you play your competition matches like this as well? If so, maybe take a step back to give yourself some more time. That way, you'll have more time to get in the right position to execute your shots, as well as more time to read any incoming spin.

But in general, I think you just need more reps into your shots, so they feel more natural.

Also, is this you? Dude, you're making great progress in a pretty short time...

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/help-with-footwork.35550/

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

A

Its a long journey ???????? Are you avin a larf ????
You are so young you can not even grow a beard yet. I am in my mid 70s . 😁
Here is a trick : Next game you play just hum your favorite song while playing.
That'l work and makes you relax.

Tomorrow got a tourney to attend, which should I hum? which should I hum? Life present me with such difficult choices...

 

[Tyce]

A

Tomorrow got a tourney to attend, which should I hum? which should I hum? Life present me with such difficulg choices...

I dare you to hum the guitar riff from Thunderstruck
Had it as a ringtone back when you still had to key those in manually... I can still hear it in my head

 

[lodro]

Mid 70's? and no pips???? Wow, you must be crazy good in your youth!

No ping pong in my youth, we had sex ,drugs and Rock'nRoll though 😂

 

[boretennis]

if this is a video of someone sucking at this sport then i should never pick up my bat again 😟

 

[latej]

I also think very good progress for 1 year. Calm down, practise, practise, have fun, let the time work... Trust it!

 

[Double_Trouble]

I see the opposite and a very decent base built. Of course, it depends what you expect/compare your self with….
As long as you enjoy it, it will improve. I am certain with coaching after additional year, you will post another much more positive/self confident thread.

 

[You're Tacky & I Hate You]

Some things I noticed in the video. All observations about your BH. Much harder to comment on your FH because you jump out of the screen on the video 😅.

It looks like you're training with a long but slow ball feed and as McSmasher points out as well, you're practicing close to the table against a ball that puts you under no pressure. So when playing matches against anyone hitting stronger shots you're perhaps too close to table and not used to the speed of the ball which puts you under pressure and makes you nervous. Train with higher tempo to help get used to this and find a comfortable position a step or 2 back from the table.

Your overall stance and body position looks good to me but a tweak I would definitely suggest is how you're holding your shoulders. You're pulling your left shoulder back and up and pushing your right shoulder down and forwards which will be creating unnecessary tension and slowing you down as well as limiting your movements. Relax both and keep shoulders roughly perpendicular to where your aim is meant to be.

Your right arm motion looks good. You are pivoting around your elbow but the movement is short and almost all forwards with minimal backswing. This will be great for blocks and counters but if you're struggling to generate powerful spin I think this is likely holding you back. If you relax your shoulders to a neutral position you can more easily make space for backswing underneath your chest, then you can execute a longer, powerful brushing stroke to make stinky spin.

Something I can't quite see but I'm reasonably sure of is your leg position. I think you have your right foot forward with your weight set on it, which again will be limiting your movements and power. With your right foot forward you can only hold or push your weight backwards which will reduce power. Get your right foot more level with your left and load weight more onto left foot so you can push your weight from left foot forwards into the shot.

The nervousness and anxiety are tougher to shake than the physical stuff. The short, easy answer as others have pointed out is that TT is just a game, relax and enjoy it. Don't put pressure on yourself to be good or to win. Have fun hitting the ball.

A deeper answer is perhaps to realise that your mental state is a skill and it can be practiced as much as your physical skills.

I hope this helps you. Good luck.