Great stuff everybody!
@blahness Regarding 09c vs 05 ---> I was between the two for the BH but my believe is that 09c is more forgiving and gives more control. Much easier on serve receive too. In match situations and pressure moments 09c helps tremendously - much easier to keep the ball on the table with it, which for a fh orienter player makes sense as it is easier for me to set up fh pivot for example. I disagree that 09c is for mid distance however - you would need a lot of power then and you lose on the good short game.
Do you use pronation on the fh btw? Pressure on index finger? I seem to hit fh fully relaxed and no pressure on rubber on either side.
Interesting. Using fingers first then wrist and arm later? Thought it would be forearm-->wrist-->fingers. Just saw Ti Long at 3:23 and he doesn't have the thumb on the rubber on the backswing and indeed puts it there before going forward. Eye opening that!
@KM1976 About Liam's masterclass.. I was thinking of getting it. But he uses a lot of wrist, doesn't he? Not easy for us amateurs to find the consistency i would think. Although.. i remember someone (I think
@NDH )saying that his kind of backhand is well suited for his height and long arms (and i am a bit taller) so maybe worth giving that a shot.. He doesn't seem to use much the fingers.
The backhand stroke is in this sequence -
1. If you are choosing to flip over the table - it is mostly wrist snap. You do not have enough time to engage your forearm in this situation.
2. If you are taking the long incoming ball on top of the bounce, it is engaging only forearm and wrist snap on ball contact with your legs and core initiating the stroke with your elbow as a hinge.
3. Mid-distance, more of your forearm and wrist snap engaging only when you contact the ball (again forearm, wrist, elbow).
4. Further from mid-distance - just don't do it. It is not worth, since you are far away from the table, you have enough time to execute your forehand or just keep the ball with a roll. There is no need to be Kreanga or Hugo or like anyone on the international circuit.
The more your understand the concept of wrist and when it comes into focus, the better your will be in executing the shot. In essence, backhand stroke window is very small compared to forehand stroke and is mostly in front of your body. This makes timing on backhand stroke and small foot movements very important, much more than amateur players like me realize.
Lastly, you should understand that any stroke, be it backhand or forehand, offense or defense is part of a larger framework. It incorporates your stance, your body rotation, your grip on your paddle, your swing and contact point. The larger the stroke (think of topspin vs. a push) the more important these aspects become. Not only from the success perspective but also from injury prevention perspective and keeping you fit and healthy.
This is one issue which I have with YouTube videos, though I wholeheartedly respect the knowledge of the online coaches, but these lessons only give us a snapshot rather than showing us the whole picture. This makes integration of these techniques very difficult in real match play.
