Technique correction - Trying to Fix my FH backstroke + hitting through the sponge

[Zezima]

The topspin at 5:16 failed because your arm path was too horizontal. The swing needs to be diagonal — from bottom to top. Your elbow drifts away from the body, and at times the motion turns into a scooping action. Keep the elbow tucked in, close to yourself

Overall, your forehand topspin technique isn’t truly fundamentally wrong. The real problem is rotation, swing trajectory, and tension. Your arm is too stiff. You need to relax it and practically let it go during the swing, keeping no tension. Start with the elbow close to the body, racket near the side or slightly behind the thigh in the backswing. Push off with the leg, contact the ball beside your body, as in the ball needs to be almost parallel to your body, right side, which you already do fairly well

Important detail: the elbow should stay tight to the body at the start. Only release it once acceleration has already begun. That’s what creates a proper outer arc and real acceleration. Find the contact point where your acceleration peaks — that’s where the ball should be struck

Your follow-through also needs work. It should finish around eye level or higher. Right now, you’re often forcing the racket down at the end, pressing down, which kills penetration. The goal is to drive through the ball forward, not press it down. However, this issue mainly seems to surface because of your height — you seem like a tall person, so you need to assume a wider stance and squat a little more

P.S. Your biggest issue is overcomplication. You’re paying attention to details that don’t matter while missing the fundamentals — "activating sponge", feedback this, activating that... It's like trying to study the inside of the leaf without seeing it as a whole, or its shape. Table tennis works like a machine, except it's your body — the more unnecessary moving parts you add, the faster it breaks. Keep movements compact and close to the body. Anything that drifts away loses control and will break down under pressure. Move your feet. And above all: keep the elbow beside your body during forehand attacks. If it leaves before a proper kinetic chain is initiated, the whole stroke collapses because that means you have already done something wrong besides the technique itself — wasn't fast enough to prepare, perhaps too far away from the ball, poor positioning

That's my 2 cents. I have nothing else to add. Hopefully it helps. I have been training my technique rigourously since I started (little over 2 years ago), so, if needed, I may provide what I deem to be a correct stroke in "shadow form" which has been approved by multiple actual professionals, trainers, high level players

Ok I agree with some stuff you wrote and some stuff not at all(eg hitting the ball almost parallel, or keeping elbow too close to body. If you watch pros they have it started close and then they open their armpit alot depending on the ball aswell so I actually see no problem here) My hit timing also got fixed. I dont have my elbow almost in front of the ball.I also start accelerating with my forearm before I am parallel with the ball which was bad before.
Maybe some balls I am still "stiff" mostly I felt like I am actually too loose. Still experimenting here to find the right balance (too loose means my stroke gets wobbly or makes me not control the arc on the ball.

I agree on other things like squatting more standing wider elbow needs to be in a line when hitting the ball etc.

Still thanks for your feedback!

Also here is from the Session on Friday:

A good shot I remember is from 8:35.

No big changes. I still do same mistakes. Maybe this time watching the matches towards the end is more "interesting"
I couldn't find the time to analyze myself.

Also didn't film myself today. I changed both sides to some months used D09c rubbers. Felt very comfortable especially on bh. Man I ripped some nice balls with my bh "finishers" (during matchplay and it landed on the table aswell!) Aswell with the fh but for some reason with the bh I get a bigger dopamine hit lol.

Today I was struggeling with the fh warmup again hitting mostly out. I slowly start to think it might be the rubber actually. It's really hard to loop the ball at the peak close to the table. If I wait till it drops to tableheight (lower than the net) I have good arc but its mainly topsheet and "soft and safe" but I can also go really hard and spin it to make it land on the table aswell. It might be the throw angle of the rubber idk. I def felt more "comfortable" using the G1 I think. I will go try to train tomorrow aswell and see if I will struggle again in the warmup.

My trainingscamp in germany will start in 5 days so I am excited. I will def go with the korbel and d09c setup on the bh. Will decide about d09c or g1 on the fh after tomorrows session. I will still bring my W968 setup and maybe try it for a session or so and talk with the coaches there maybe they can give me some inputs in that regard.

My goal is to use the same motion for long backspin loops and also against block (against block more into the ball and more horizontal motion)

Oh yeah and today I was very successful with countertopspin his opening loops. Prob the first time I had over 50% success rate. I am getting really better with that stroke finally.


Sorry my post is all over the place. Next post I will try to do it more organized. Also there won't be footage till I come back from the camp. Next very important tournament will be on middle of January. It's actually the most important tournament of the year. I hope I can show good effort there. Time is running.

 

[NextLevel]

The Korbel.with D09c is interesting. The problem with D09c in general as a rubber is what happens when you don't have time. I can't believe a Korbel.helps this problem.

Yhat said you are doing the most important thing and hitting a lot of forehands with your conceptual technique with a variety of balls. I like that you feel your technique against most balls.is feeling similar. This is what makes your forehand (and when it happens on your backhand as well) very flexible where you simply read the opponent's ball, and then backswing and swing using your body and arm in a way that feels like the best adaptation to the incoming spin. Once you have mental adaptations for backspin, no spin and topspin and then have a couple (consciously or unconsciously) for the heavy sidespins, then you have a complete forehand skill set. Very important to know how yo read the ball on both your makes and your misses because the same ball tends to show up repeatedly in the match and adapting better to it can change the course of the match (as opposed to not learning from your misses).

Good luck with the camp, it is always inspiring to see someone putting in this much work, regardless of the result, the game is hard, so improvement is as much about luck as hardworking and skill. But you are putting in the hardwork so I expect the luck and skill to show up at some point. Not always on your timeline but at some point for sure.

 

[NetProphet]

Ok I agree with some stuff you wrote and some stuff not at all(eg hitting the ball almost parallel, or keeping elbow too close to body. If you watch pros they have it started close and then they open their armpit alot depending on the ball aswell so I actually see no problem here) My hit timing also got fixed. I dont have my elbow almost in front of the ball.I also start accelerating with my forearm before I am parallel with the ball which was bad before.
Maybe some balls I am still "stiff" mostly I felt like I am actually too loose. Still experimenting here to find the right balance (too loose means my stroke gets wobbly or makes me not control the arc on the ball.

I agree on other things like squatting more standing wider elbow needs to be in a line when hitting the ball etc.

Still thanks for your feedback!

Also here is from the Session on Friday:

A good shot I remember is from 8:35.

No big changes. I still do same mistakes. Maybe this time watching the matches towards the end is more "interesting"
I couldn't find the time to analyze myself.

Also didn't film myself today. I changed both sides to some months used D09c rubbers. Felt very comfortable especially on bh. Man I ripped some nice balls with my bh "finishers" (during matchplay and it landed on the table aswell!) Aswell with the fh but for some reason with the bh I get a bigger dopamine hit lol.

Today I was struggeling with the fh warmup again hitting mostly out. I slowly start to think it might be the rubber actually. It's really hard to loop the ball at the peak close to the table. If I wait till it drops to tableheight (lower than the net) I have good arc but its mainly topsheet and "soft and safe" but I can also go really hard and spin it to make it land on the table aswell. It might be the throw angle of the rubber idk. I def felt more "comfortable" using the G1 I think. I will go try to train tomorrow aswell and see if I will struggle again in the warmup.

My trainingscamp in germany will start in 5 days so I am excited. I will def go with the korbel and d09c setup on the bh. Will decide about d09c or g1 on the fh after tomorrows session. I will still bring my W968 setup and maybe try it for a session or so and talk with the coaches there maybe they can give me some inputs in that regard.

My goal is to use the same motion for long backspin loops and also against block (against block more into the ball and more horizontal motion)

Oh yeah and today I was very successful with countertopspin his opening loops. Prob the first time I had over 50% success rate. I am getting really better with that stroke finally.


Sorry my post is all over the place. Next post I will try to do it more organized. Also there won't be footage till I come back from the camp. Next very important tournament will be on middle of January. It's actually the most important tournament of the year. I hope I can show good effort there. Time is running.

Awesome that the training camp is coming up, you will be well prepared for it.
I wanted to say that I believe you are hitting the ball too late.
I have watched over 100 different FH strokes now and judging from your foot position, which is very square to the table, most ppl I know have their right leg at least 20cm further back (or left leg 20cm further fwd depending how you look at it) compared to your stance.
Your contact point for the ball is very much to the side of your body rather than actually in front. For example, your contact point is where I would take the ball when taking it that split second late in order to play down the line.
Anyway, you may as well ignore this because you will get proper advice from detailed analysis and first hand help at the camp!
Enjoy it and please update us afterwards, be great to hear about it.
And btw I agree with NL on the amount of work and dedication, it is absolutely great to see and I wish you the very best from your training 👊

 

[Zezima]

Last session before the camp.

Ill just drop this here. The match afterwards went really well. Again I don't know if I fell back to my old technique look wise but right now I care more about that thick solid contact topspin than just looping with the topsheet and I seem to do that most of the times atleast.

Ill use this session to compare aftet the the trainingscamp and see if I can spot any difference.

I think I am quite happy with how much I progressed so far. Even if maybe the stroke itself hasn't changed too much I atleast got much better consistency and quality topspins.

I would recommend to watch a minute from each different drill and the match against my brother atleast. See you guys next year!

 

[Der_Echte]

The topspin at 5:16 failed because your arm path was too horizontal. The swing needs to be diagonal — from bottom to top. Your elbow drifts away from the body, and at times the motion turns into a scooping action. Keep the elbow tucked in, close to yourself

Overall, your forehand topspin technique isn’t truly fundamentally wrong. The real problem is rotation, swing trajectory, and tension. Your arm is too stiff. You need to relax it and practically let it go during the swing, keeping no tension. Start with the elbow close to the body, racket near the side or slightly behind the thigh in the backswing. Push off with the leg, contact the ball beside your body, as in the ball needs to be almost parallel to your body, right side, which you already do fairly well

Important detail: the elbow should stay tight to the body at the start. Only release it once acceleration has already begun. That’s what creates a proper outer arc and real acceleration. Find the contact point where your acceleration peaks — that’s where the ball should be struck

Your follow-through also needs work. It should finish around eye level or higher. Right now, you’re often forcing the racket down at the end, pressing down, which kills penetration. The goal is to drive through the ball forward, not press it down. However, this issue mainly seems to surface because of your height — you seem like a tall person, so you need to assume a wider stance and squat a little more

P.S. Your biggest issue is overcomplication. You’re paying attention to details that don’t matter while missing the fundamentals — "activating sponge", feedback this, activating that... It's like trying to study the inside of the leaf without seeing it as a whole, or its shape. Table tennis works like a machine, except it's your body — the more unnecessary moving parts you add, the faster it breaks. Keep movements compact and close to the body. Anything that drifts away loses control and will break down under pressure. Move your feet. And above all: keep the elbow beside your body during forehand attacks. If it leaves before a proper kinetic chain is initiated, the whole stroke collapses because that means you have already done something wrong besides the technique itself — wasn't fast enough to prepare, perhaps too far away from the ball, poor positioning

That's my 2 cents. I have nothing else to add. Hopefully it helps. I have been training my technique rigourously since I started (little over 2 years ago), so, if needed, I may provide what I deem to be a correct stroke in "shadow form" which has been approved by multiple actual professionals, trainers, high level players

SoW and D. Song are right... your swing was too horizontal... so on a higher ball you could use that swing plane and land the ball, but on the lower ball, you have to get lower with hips (and allow ball to get to your strike zone) and get the bat swing plane lower than the ball (lower for slower spin, higher (but still lower than ball) for faster loop... and explode up and forward with timing.

Overall, you do not seem to be using the legs and hip to explode forward and up into the ball as efficiently as you could... this makes it look you get down, and hit the ball while down or going up and still too down. This saps a lot of your power and spin. You still manage enough power and spin to be troubling, but once you figure out the swing plane per the given ball... and figure out how to time your down, up, and forward components of your explosion into the ball, you will be WAY more lethal on your shots.

 

[Der_Echte]

I also agree with SoW's comments about what is more important. It will profit you a lot more (assuming you see and read opponent's ball right) to get better position and leverage to set the strike zone, the impact point in middle of strike zone plus get the swing plane and explosion dynamics into the point of attack...

These things happen each shot.

No one should have to over-think anything.

Every incoming ball is different and there are nuances of how to adjust for each ball (usually your swing plane, amount of power, and your hand), but your base leverage and biomechanics go into each shot... no one should have to think or worry too much about these, only see the ball well and set the leverage and strike zone well and explode well. The rest pretty much will take care of itself without conscious thought.

 

[Zezima]

Alright guys, I have randomly came up to a thought of livestreaming my trainingsessions on youtube if I think it makes sense (depends who I have as my practise partner).

Has anyone done this before? I would obviously need to check my internet connection in the halls I train at. Not sure if this would be something interesting to watch live. Since I would like to upload the Trainingsession afterwards will it be of less quality if the internet is too unstable? Or will the quality be better once I am done livestreaming - same as if I just record it without live streaming. Otherwise I will just ask chatgpt once I am back at home

Also thinking about buying Spinsight but I am not sure if its gonna be worth it. I would also rely on my brother joining the training sessions since he has the Iphone. I am an android user :/


Also the trainingcamp went super well quite happy with my performance there.
feedback:
- footwork (small inbetween jumps missing) I do only one big jump for each ball if I do that jump even (mostly standing still)
- if a ball comes fast to my backhand I should stay closer to the table and counter it with a short stroke.
- Need to find that middle gear on my fh topspin. Especially in the beginning it is either too slow and topsheet or too flat and no topspin (flying out)
- Apparently I don't use my forearm snap fast enough and also barely use my hips or just sometimes forget it completely.
- My FH countertopspin is really good so I should use it more. I sadly don't remember from the camp how I was hitting those balls it just worked somehow.. Now back here I seem to miss way more :/
- BH flick on receive really good I should use it more.

Now other things I want to focus on:
- Serves (How can I keep myself motivated and see improvements?) also how exactly can I train it progressionfocused? Otherwise its just mindlessly doing the same serve over and over.



Also watched the Final 4 Germany yesterday where I saw the likes of Franziska,jorgic AND FZD. Super cool. Also made me feel bad how bad I am in comparison :/.
Not just that but for example I would like to go train and in 4 clubs only 1 have open today and there only players I cant do systemtraining signed up so far..
So I have to wait till tomorrow :/ and will hit the gym instead.

Also when watching the Final 4 event the best player in my club (new club where I play league games now) asked me to come earlier next time so we can train and play a match together. I hope it won't remain the one and only time. In case he is also open to systemtraining (he said he doesnt do that for 20+ yeears now) but he has reached this high level that just training warming up and then playing matches is enough to keep his level.

 

[MORTtheORT]

Your going to get a thousand things to work on here. Wrist is too loose, relaxed is good but loose is bad..you are very stiff (I think you are over thinking it) and so on. The one thing that I think you can work on and get quick results which will lead into everything else is your stance. To have a powerful FH you must have weight transfer (power transfer) from your stance, through your hips and into your shot. Racket speed puts the top spin on, but your leg, hip puts the power into your shot. You are currently hitting only with your arm. The first video is a good example point. You have the idea of getting low, which is great..but you are getting low by pushing your bum back, effectively getting low on the spot by putting your weight backwards. You need to lean forward so you are effectively falling forward but activity catching your self with your core. You can see in your video you have a lot of weight going backwards. This makes it very hard to transfer power through your hips. The big back swing is great for loading up your leg with power like a spring, but it still needs to be in a forward position so you can quickly explode this power forward. A drill I personally do if I fell out of sorts is to jump my FH foot forward to make contact with the ball. If my weight is backwards...this is very hard to do and the jumping forward gets my body mechanics going. It is very hard to do this drill if you are stiff as well...it should help you relax after some time. And don't be afraid of swinging right through your shot as well. You are pulling your shot short...let it go and if it is going long in the short term...don't worry about it, just relaxed and get the feeling of the stance, the build up of power in your FH leg (your leg will hurt and get tired) and releasing it through your hips...worry about the blade angle next as you need to be more relaxed to generate power. Also something to note about your back swing which I think falls into this drill. You need to get set in your back swing earlier so you are effectively ready and watching the ball come. You are not back in position quick enough and letting your opponent dictate the speed/timing of the match. A very common issue and is one of the thing Chinese players are excellent at. Play with intent and get that back swing done early and fast so you are waiting for the ball on your FH and you now have all the time in the world to dictate your shot and intention.... your opponent might go flat footed, not knowing where you are going to hit it .


Work on your stance, have some fun jumping forward with your FH foot (it will be comical at first so laught at it), relax, don't over think it and just let it rip and see what happens.

 

[Zezima]

Your going to get a thousand things to work on here. Wrist is too loose, relaxed is good but loose is bad..you are very stiff (I think you are over thinking it) and so on. The one thing that I think you can work on and get quick results which will lead into everything else is your stance. To have a powerful FH you must have weight transfer (power transfer) from your stance, through your hips and into your shot. Racket speed puts the top spin on, but your leg, hip puts the power into your shot. You are currently hitting only with your arm. The first video is a good example point. You have the idea of getting low, which is great..but you are getting low by pushing your bum back, effectively getting low on the spot by putting your weight backwards. You need to lean forward so you are effectively falling forward but activity catching your self with your core. You can see in your video you have a lot of weight going backwards. This makes it very hard to transfer power through your hips. The big back swing is great for loading up your leg with power like a spring, but it still needs to be in a forward position so you can quickly explode this power forward. A drill I personally do if I fell out of sorts is to jump my FH foot forward to make contact with the ball. If my weight is backwards...this is very hard to do and the jumping forward gets my body mechanics going. It is very hard to do this drill if you are stiff as well...it should help you relax after some time. And don't be afraid of swinging right through your shot as well. You are pulling your shot short...let it go and if it is going long in the short term...don't worry about it, just relaxed and get the feeling of the stance, the build up of power in your FH leg (your leg will hurt and get tired) and releasing it through your hips...worry about the blade angle next as you need to be more relaxed to generate power. Also something to note about your back swing which I think falls into this drill. You need to get set in your back swing earlier so you are effectively ready and watching the ball come. You are not back in position quick enough and letting your opponent dictate the speed/timing of the match. A very common issue and is one of the thing Chinese players are excellent at. Play with intent and get that back swing done early and fast so you are waiting for the ball on your FH and you now have all the time in the world to dictate your shot and intention.... your opponent might go flat footed, not knowing where you are going to hit it .


Work on your stance, have some fun jumping forward with your FH foot (it will be comical at first so laught at it), relax, don't over think it and just let it rip and see what happens.

Which video were you talking about?

Also I seem to do better when I do that step forwards and "jump" into the shot while still doing the topspin stroke. I seem to do it for example when I looped from half distance then a passive slower block comes to my fh again and I have to go into the shot.

I can only comment on the other parts if I know the context of the video you are talking about.

 

[MORTtheORT]

Which video were you talking about?

Also I seem to do better when I do that step forwards and "jump" into the shot while still doing the topspin stroke. I seem to do it for example when I looped from half distance then a passive slower block comes to my fh again and I have to go into the shot.

I can only comment on the other parts if I know the context of the video you are talking about.

It helps with your body mechanics, forcing you to transfer weight. When I watch your shots you are not transfering weight forward into the shot so you have no power and not activating the sponge of your rubber which makes your shot inconsistent. The video on the 21st, you are constantly falling back and moving back from the table and going more defensive just trying to get the ball on the table. Lean forward and get your eyes down to the height of the top of the net so you feel your weight on the front of your feet but not on your heels. You will feel like you are falling forward and will have to activate your core to hold yourself. Bonus benefit is you move faster, allowing yourself to get into position faster and get you back swing setup earlier. This extra time makes a big difference to your shot quality and power as I think you are moving back because you feel like you need more time. Watching the video on the 28th, look where your salute ends up. Very low at your chest. Finish your salute action higher like you are doing an actual salute and don't be afraid to over do it to develop the feel. You will get a better arc on the ball, clearing the net safely and then the strong topspin will rip that ball down to kick off the table. Trust the rubber. This is the shot quality you want which makes it difficult for your opponent to control and will give you more safety and confidence with your shots. It is a lot to get going all in one go, but when you feel that weight forward and you do a full salute action to give the ball maximum topspin, you will see the difference in power, safety and spin as you activate that sponge (you might even get a clicking sound). Work on your stance, get that weight/hip moving forward and a proper salute and you will start to relax and get some good quality shots to win points. To have a powerful FH, you have to play without fear and go for it by dominating the table.

 

[MORTtheORT]

Interesting point with the follow through. I thought that has something to do with my backstroke since I tend to correct my motion just before the contact and depending how much correction it needs the follow through looks also "bad".

But I don't understand the waist rotation and core part since I see myself rotate with the hips. But right now it looks like I rotate and accelerate with the hips seperately but synchron without using the energy of the hips as an additional to my arm movement. That also has to do with the fact that I seem to generate enough power that I already (when hit hard) that it goes out.


I wrote the timestamps out where I think I did a good loop compared to how I normally loop. In the video it still looks like it could be "faster" and maybe still too much with topsheet? I just don't know how to practise this the best because if I don't loop like this it flys out. In the other video. In the 2nd video "Training Smash" I do roboter training aswell if you haven't watched it yet. Did I ever do the "right" loop there? If not I don't know what more I should do..

1. 4:14
   
   
2. 5:00
   
   
3. 5:30
   
   
4. 5:48
   
   
5. 7:35
   
   
   
   Also what did you use to film and upload it here without having to upload it on youtube first? Just from the pc or what?

Just using this to video for what I was saying in my other comment. Note how upright you are standing. You head is a long way about the net, even in your serve. Lean forward more,.weight on the front of your foot and have your head down at the net level. Your opponent is attempting to do this as you will notice they are down at the net height when you serve.

 

[Zezima]

It helps with your body mechanics, forcing you to transfer weight. When I watch your shots you are not transfering weight forward into the shot so you have no power and not activating the sponge of your rubber which makes your shot inconsistent. The video on the 21st, you are constantly falling back and moving back from the table and going more defensive just trying to get the ball on the table. Lean forward and get your eyes down to the height of the top of the net so you feel your weight on the front of your feet but not on your heels. You will feel like you are falling forward and will have to activate your core to hold yourself. Bonus benefit is you move faster, allowing yourself to get into position faster and get you back swing setup earlier. This extra time makes a big difference to your shot quality and power as I think you are moving back because you feel like you need more time. Watching the video on the 28th, look where your salute ends up. Very low at your chest. Finish your salute action higher like you are doing an actual salute and don't be afraid to over do it to develop the feel. You will get a better arc on the ball, clearing the net safely and then the strong topspin will rip that ball down to kick off the table. Trust the rubber. This is the shot quality you want which makes it difficult for your opponent to control and will give you more safety and confidence with your shots. It is a lot to get going all in one go, but when you feel that weight forward and you do a full salute action to give the ball maximum topspin, you will see the difference in power, safety and spin as you activate that sponge (you might even get a clicking sound). Work on your stance, get that weight/hip moving forward and a proper salute and you will start to relax and get some good quality shots to win points. To have a powerful FH, you have to play without fear and go for it by dominating the table.

Not saying I am completely a different player since then. But those videos are literally the oldest ones you see in this thread. I do think my fh got better (I can already start to tell by the sound on contact) I also seem to do close to open motion less or atleast its not extreme on the backswing and with a more open racket angle.

I do agree I can go lower but eyes on net level is a bit extreme I am about 2m show me a pro who does that. + I am not even a pro so I don't have that leg strength to support staying that far low. Also it's wrong if you get too low you don't move faster. It's different for each individual how low they can go to still move around well. For me it's this +-10% maybe.

Again I have no clue what timestamp on the video you are talking about the salute action is also not the same for pro players. Some do it to their left shoulder (on some balls) etc. Also it depends on your position to the ball and everything. Again hard to comment what was going on without a timestamp. I wouldn't generalize it though. Since I do aim for the left eye mostly. But I learned that doesn't even matter and some people care too much about that part. I watched many many videos. And there are some really good players whose stroke (eg towards left eye) they do it even weirder and still apply more quality than you and me.

My goal with this post is changing my backswing so I stay within the same framework as if I would loop a backspin ball. So the difference is very small and only with the trajectory of the swing. In the videos you watched my backswing is almost parallel maybe even more drastic sometimes. So when accelerating into the ball my hand is busy opening up the racket angle instead of fully focusing on the swing forwards into the ball. And that never gave me full confidence to go really hard in matches consistently (only went hard on 3rd ball attack but even that got less and less the higher level I started playing)

I will try to film myself today. Maybe try even livestreaming(test to see if I have internet connection there) it.

The important tournament is on the 17.1. I am also glueing new sheets today since I feel like the sponge died out? To be fair I was mostly training hard shots lately(1-2months) + trainingscamp 4 days 4h each day.

Also attached a picture of omar when he is looping in a game (here against a faster ball from truls even) look at how far above his head is compared to the net. The angle is not the best. But I don't think I should worry about that part for now there are more important aspects and having legs a tiny bit wider than your shoulders is good enough.

Today I will also do some footwork exercise and see if my form breaks or not. Was practising a lot just the stroke in a static position mostly. In the trainingscamp I had no way of checking out my stroke during footwork exercises so it will be interesting to see how it looks like.

 

[MORTtheORT]

Not saying I am completely a different player since then. But those videos are literally the oldest ones you see in this thread. I do think my fh got better (I can already start to tell by the sound on contact) I also seem to do close to open motion less or atleast its not extreme on the backswing and with a more open racket angle.

I do agree I can go lower but eyes on net level is a bit extreme I am about 2m show me a pro who does that. + I am not even a pro so I don't have that leg strength to support staying that far low. Also it's wrong if you get too low you don't move faster. It's different for each individual how low they can go to still move around well. For me it's this +-10% maybe.

Again I have no clue what timestamp on the video you are talking about the salute action is also not the same for pro players. Some do it to their left shoulder (on some balls) etc. Also it depends on your position to the ball and everything. Again hard to comment what was going on without a timestamp. I wouldn't generalize it though. Since I do aim for the left eye mostly. But I learned that doesn't even matter and some people care too much about that part. I watched many many videos. And there are some really good players whose stroke (eg towards left eye) they do it even weirder and still apply more quality than you and me.

My goal with this post is changing my backswing so I stay within the same framework as if I would loop a backspin ball. So the difference is very small and only with the trajectory of the swing. In the videos you watched my backswing is almost parallel maybe even more drastic sometimes. So when accelerating into the ball my hand is busy opening up the racket angle instead of fully focusing on the swing forwards into the ball. And that never gave me full confidence to go really hard in matches consistently (only went hard on 3rd ball attack but even that got less and less the higher level I started playing)

I will try to film myself today. Maybe try even livestreaming(test to see if I have internet connection there) it.

The important tournament is on the 17.1. I am also glueing new sheets today since I feel like the sponge died out? To be fair I was mostly training hard shots lately(1-2months) + trainingscamp 4 days 4h each day.

Also attached a picture of omar when he is looping in a game (here against a faster ball from truls even) look at how far above his head is compared to the net. The angle is not the best. But I don't think I should worry about that part for now there are more important aspects and having legs a tiny bit wider than your shoulders is good enough.

Today I will also do some footwork exercise and see if my form breaks or not. Was practising a lot just the stroke in a static position mostly. In the trainingscamp I had no way of checking out my stroke during footwork exercises so it will be interesting to see how it looks like.

Watch the pro server and receiver. Heads down at the net high as they make contact with the ball so the ball does not bounce too high on the other side of the table. Your height is going to make it more challenging, but not impossible and it will give you even more time to play the shot. Pros also get caught out of position and the head position is different for a loop to a smash, but they are working to keep the head at the height of the ball. watch the smash tournament and you will see many of them have a head that stays at the height of the ball...they go up and down with the flight if the ball and make contact with a head ideally at the height of the net when in top spin rallies. When a players head pops up, they are the one in trouble and normal have to go back from the table, loosing the dominant position. Particularly the top Chinese players do this..but yes they are shorter so it is easier for them but your height should allow you to dominate the table.

 

[Zezima]

Watch the pro server and receiver. Heads down at the net high as they make contact with the ball so the ball does not bounce too high on the other side of the table. Your height is going to make it more challenging, but not impossible and it will give you even more time to play the shot. Pros also get caught out of position and the head position is different for a loop to a smash, but they are working to keep the head at the height of the ball. watch the smash tournament and you will see many of them have a head that stays at the height of the ball...they go up and down with the flight if the ball and make contact with a head ideally at the height of the net when in top spin rallies. When a players head pops up, they are the one in trouble and normal have to go back from the table, loosing the dominant position. Particularly the top Chinese players do this..but yes they are shorter so it is easier for them but your height should allow you to dominate the table.

I appreciate your feedback but I am not gonna get far with "shoulds".

I am tall thats a fact. I have to deal with this. Even though I can copy some aspect of the chinese I can't apply everything that works for them to me. Omar is one example where he goes back a lot. Even though he is not a top 10 player he is still very high up there. You can't tell him go play close to the table and get your head down to net height. That is just absurd at this point.

More than the height I will be working to get a Footwork to get in a good position to hit the ball instead of standing still. That we can agree on.

Again thank you for your comments but as a tall player it isn't very applicable to me.

 

[MORTtheORT]

Last session before the camp.

Ill just drop this here. The match afterwards went really well. Again I don't know if I fell back to my old technique look wise but right now I care more about that thick solid contact topspin than just looping with the topsheet and I seem to do that most of the times atleast.

Ill use this session to compare aftet the the trainingscamp and see if I can spot any difference.

I think I am quite happy with how much I progressed so far. Even if maybe the stroke itself hasn't changed too much I atleast got much better consistency and quality topspins.

I would recommend to watch a minute from each different drill and the match against my brother atleast. See you guys next year!

The very first thing I would notice playing against you in this video is you have a default move backwards, away from the table. Your weight is going backwards a lot and you can see you want to go backwards. I would drive you back with my FH and then FH down the line at your exposed backhand. You are tall, you have the reach advantage over the table, use it. Strong FH are far more dangerous at the table.

 

[Zezima]

The very first thing I would notice playing against you in this video is you have a default move backwards, away from the table. Your weight is going backwards a lot and you can see you want to go backwards. I would drive you back with my FH and then FH down the line at your exposed backhand. You are tall, you have the reach advantage over the table, use it. Strong FH are far more dangerous at the table.

Even in the Trainingscamp the 2000 rated player goes back and even told me I stick too much at the table and should double jump back after my opening. Watch Omar Assar aswell he goes back (I keep bringing him as an example because he is as tall as me).

Again no clue what your own level is but comments like I would drive you back do this do that is not only helpful to this thread but also just claims that are not based on facts.


again this thread is about:

Technique correction - Trying to Fix my FH backstroke + hitting through the sponge​

nothing else. So let's not talk about anything else.

 

[MORTtheORT]

I appreciate your feedback but I am not gonna get far with "shoulds".

I am tall thats a fact. I have to deal with this. Even though I can copy some aspect of the chinese I can't apply everything that works for them to me. Omar is one example where he goes back a lot. Even though he is not a top 10 player he is still very high up there. You can't tell him go play close to the table and get your head down to net height. That is just absurd at this point.

More than the height I will be working to get a Footwork to get in a good position to hit the ball instead of standing still. That we can agree on.

Again thank you for your comments but as a tall player it isn't very applicable to me.

If you are tall and have your head down, you are not close to the table anymore, you are mid distance. So it works but gives you the ability to take the ball early to drive the other player back. Getting low will help your movement.

Last session before the camp.

Ill just drop this here. The match afterwards went really well. Again I don't know if I fell back to my old technique look wise but right now I care more about that thick solid contact topspin than just looping with the topsheet and I seem to do that most of the times atleast.

Ill use this session to compare aftet the the trainingscamp and see if I can spot any difference.

I think I am quite happy with how much I progressed so far. Even if maybe the stroke itself hasn't changed too much I atleast got much better consistency and quality topspins.

I would recommend to watch a minute from each different drill and the match against my brother atleast. See you guys next year!

Watch the 39th minute against the guy in black and red. Perfect player to expose your stance. The guy in Black and Red does a serve to your backhand and you are moving backwards instantly, and miss your backhand because you default move backwards and your weight is always going backwards. You should be blasting this guy off the table as the ball bounces ridiculous high. If you stay forward you will be killing this bouncy balls and your shots will have more power/speed/kick and less slow looping shape to it.

 

[MORTtheORT]

Even in the Trainingscamp the 2000 rated player goes back and even told me I stick too much at the table and should double jump back after my opening. Watch Omar Assar aswell he goes back (I keep bringing him as an example because he is as tall as me).

Again no clue what your own level is but comments like I would drive you back do this do that is not only helpful to this thread but also just claims that are not based on facts.


again this thread is about:

Technique correction - Trying to Fix my FH backstroke + hitting through the sponge​

nothing else. So let's not talk about anything else.

Yes you need to go back from your server to give yourself space and your feet are going to be further away from the table then a shorter person but you keep on edging backwards as the rally goes on instead of finding your position to attack.

 

[MORTtheORT]

Even in the Trainingscamp the 2000 rated player goes back and even told me I stick too much at the table and should double jump back after my opening. Watch Omar Assar aswell he goes back (I keep bringing him as an example because he is as tall as me).

Again no clue what your own level is but comments like I would drive you back do this do that is not only helpful to this thread but also just claims that are not based on facts.


again this thread is about:

Technique correction - Trying to Fix my FH backstroke + hitting through the sponge​

nothing else. So let's not talk about anything else.

Plus playing against high level players you will have to go back because the speed, kick and power is a lot higher. But in your videos these are not 2000 plus players. You are playing against players that put low quality on the ball. It is slow rubbish that you need to put away. Going back away from the table against this is just putting you out of position and you are having to hit a dropping ball. You have to adjust to the person you are playing. You got to learn how to beat these low level rubbish ball players first.

 

[Zezima]

I think my best topspins is from around 13:30 to 15:15. I remember having a good multiballsession for a minute or so. Motion wise it looks the same especially after 14:15 but for some reason I had good contact on the ball.

25-30 is a drill I do with the youth coach (opening up parallel after his random long pushes)

Overall i tried with different angles and for me againdt blockballs open bat angle just doesnt work. Balls fly out. Not sure how other loop kill with an open bat angle.

I feel like quality of my loops got better than the looks of my backstroke lol. But I am still not happy with my loops.

I had much more success when using and thinking actively about using my wrist. But speed wise its still far away from those 2200TTR topspins I see on reels/internet. They just full send it.

I also changed my fh rubber to a 3 weeks old sheet (old one was wearing out you can see it from the previous video) so not sure if I needed some adjustment time.

Also trained 5h 2 days in a row this video is from second 5h(wednesday). I say this because usually I train 1,5-2h. My legs are still exhausted today(friday) even though I had a rest day yesterday.

I am actually questioning how to proceed with my fh. Actively thinking about having a more open racket angle doesnt work against block balls. Racket angle looks still very closed. Might need to compare with the very first video in this thread if there is actually any change in the technique now..
Will do once I get out of the bed...