Video Footage Safe Thread

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Really great posts here, very inspiring to read.

I thought I’d share one video from a bit over a month ago and one from around a year and a half ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ0SGaYBq3E (older video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwCQNBP5xlc (newer video)

Hi Richie,

I like your BH opening in the older video.
Your new video, you are moving backwards while the BH shot is in progress.
older video, you are more steady and only move after the transfer of weight is completed.
I suggest you should do your 2nd opening on the old video, at the 00:07 mark. here you can see you did a step back after your shot - this is the correct way to be moving back.

However, your arm action on newer video looks better.

I can't see much of your older FH, but your newer - you also have the going backward motion.
Older video, your entire body is more stable and solid. Newer video, there is some magnetic energy there.....

 

[Richie]

Hi Richie,I like your BH opening in the older video.Your new video, you are moving backwards while the BH shot is in progress.older video, you are more steady and only move after the transfer of weight is completed.I suggest you should do your 2nd opening on the old video, at the 00:07 mark. here you can see you did a step back after your shot - this is the correct way to be moving back.However, your arm action on newer video looks better.I can't see much of your older FH, but your newer - you also have the going backward motion.Older video, your entire body is more stable and solid. Newer video, there is some magnetic energy there.....

Thanks both for the comments.

It is more difficult after the injury to push off and jump with my right foot. I am cheating a bit in the second one too because I'm anticipating the ball more in my FH. So I can't really execute the moment like I used to right now. That's probably also why my body looks more stable and solid in the older one, it really was.

For the FH when you say backward motion, do you mean backward with the feet or with the body or both? If it's with the body, what is the solution?

@NL I don't know if it's temporary but I've had the feeling that I can get away with more unorthodox play with the allwood and sort of odd shots/more unpredictability with it while the faster one requires everything to be more textbook. But it's true what you say that my opponents have more time to respond, especially when looping further from the table or smashing.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

For the FH when you say backward motion, do you mean backward with the feet or with the body or both? If it's with the body, what is the solution?

here is some example.
0:42
0:46
0:59
1:18

Solution - finish your shot/stroke.
And you are rushing to move further back from the table - which I'm not sure why you are doing that.
Maybe it is your style/habit?
But from the footage, your opponent is only blocking the ball for you, so there is no reason why you need to keep moving back.

So other than finishing your stroke and to bring the foot back down (or forward when required), is to stay put from that same zone, and not move any more back.

If you do need to move back, it is the same as your 2nd BH shot of the old video, after the stroke, you step back in 1 movement.

 

[Der_Echte]

I feel like zero truly high-level players skipped over the ability to push long aggressively and with placement and variety. But we only see the finished product on WTT streams, so many amateurs go straight on to short pushes and flicks, and we never learn a proper long push. Nowadays you do see pros pushing long fairly often because they counterattack so easily and well. But to do that your push had better be pretty special. As a final inducement, there are few better ways to totally crush an opponent's spirit than to constantly feed him long balls that he cannot successfully open against. I know I hate that when people do it to me.

I stress with those who I work with on serve receive... how to return short... how to push deep... how close to the bounce and how

Get bat to ball right off bounce loose grip no real discernable stroke, very tiny. That is short receive. For fast/deep push, get close to bounce, let ball rise to 1/2 net height or net height and use a short lower arm maybe some wrist this is quick and gives control.

Real important to know what you want to do BEFORE you move in. In general, once opponent impacted ball and it moves 30 cm, you should have already figured out what ball this is, where it is going with what and know what you want to do to it.

 

[NextLevel]

Thanks both for the comments.

It is more difficult after the injury to push off and jump with my right foot. I am cheating a bit in the second one too because I'm anticipating the ball more in my FH. So I can't really execute the moment like I used to right now. That's probably also why my body looks more stable and solid in the older one, it really was.

For the FH when you say backward motion, do you mean backward with the feet or with the body or both? If it's with the body, what is the solution?

@NL I don't know if it's temporary but I've had the feeling that I can get away with more unorthodox play with the allwood and sort of odd shots/more unpredictability with it while the faster one requires everything to be more textbook. But it's true what you say that my opponents have more time to respond, especially when looping further from the table or smashing.

The rally can be overrated and it is mostly about how early your strongest weapons come to bear on the point. As great as the CNT players are at rallying, most of their success has come from being able to push lots of serves short so that they know they can get the first attack in. If your serve and arrve return improve significantly enough with the spinnier blade, that usually trumps the rally element unless you win most of your points by going into the rally.

Tony's comments are interesting in light of your work to improve things related to similar comments in the past. Table tennis is really difficult.

 

[latej]

Curious to hear anyone's thoughts and if they are or are not consistent with mine. I don't mind receiving thoughts and comments from other than those in the list.

Ritchie, you hit the BH spin sort of "in front" of you. Did you try to hit it, when you (LH) are a little bit more to the left of the ball, and the ball little closer to you and little more to the right of you? This should allow you to move your arm/bat faster. Or perhaps just experiment with this positioning, like "mapping the space", where "space" is all the different executions.

I am not permitted to write to this thread, it's an exception. Cheers.

 

[Richie]

Ritchie, you hit the BH spin sort of "in front" of you. Did you try to hit it, when you (LH) are a little bit more to the left of the ball, and the ball little closer to you and little more to the right of you? This should allow you to move your arm/bat faster. Or perhaps just experiment with this positioning, like "mapping the space", where "space" is all the different executions.

I am not permitted to write to this thread, it's an exception. Cheers.

Thanks for the comment Latej! I will give this more of a go, I have had it in mind before but not really tried it much. I've always heard to hit the ball right in front of my body with the BH, but maybe I've taken it too literally. That could explain some comments in the past saying I hit it too far in front..

 

[LDM7]

Attached is my 7/31/SUN RR match (7:37) I lost 0 - 3

Seeking feedback to what worked, what I should try next time & any glaring weaknesses need to work on, thank you

https://youtu.be/-iUJD2pldu8

 

[Lula]

Attached is my 7/31/SUN RR match (7:37) I lost 0 - 3

Seeking feedback to what worked, what I should try next time & any glaring weaknesses need to work on, thank you

https://youtu.be/-iUJD2pldu8

I think you should try some easy exercises like 1 bh and 1 fh or maybe two point forehand from forehand and the middle. If you get a feeling of when you stand correct and can do the stroke well i believe you will become much more consistent since you know how to move the feet, when you can do the stroke and when you need to play more safe. Good luck.

 

[Lula]

Really great posts here, very inspiring to read.

I thought I’d share one video from a bit over a month ago and one from around a year and a half ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ0SGaYBq3E (older video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwCQNBP5xlc (newer video)

I know that I’ve had some changes in perspective on technique between these, but that was more so for the FH. I feel less explosive now, don’t know if that is partly due to injury or because of other changes as well. But I do feel like I have more control and that I don’t use as much effort in each shot. Maybe to compensate for the injury as well.

I feel like I used to hit bigger winners and that may have caused some distortion. I think I have better match results in training now and the latter half of the season. I've been told I've improved. Yet being told that plus the results, I still find it hard to believe. But this just goes to show again that if we just manage to hit a few big shots in a match that can really skew how we evaluate our performance. Or if we have some spectacular points etc.

I've been using my acoustic the last few sessions and as expected the results are pretty much the same. Though I do play safer with the acoustic, it gives me more time etc. So it's possible I'll stick to it. But it doesn't have the block stability of my TB ALC or the wow factor when I loop harder or counterloop. Still, it gets the job done. Maybe that will persuade some players to also be ok with using an allwood blade. You'll probably get more reps in with it compared to an outer ALC blade which will help improvement in the long run. NL, Der_Echte and others have been hammering in the importance of spin and we know that it's easier to spin with an allwood blade.. so especially at the lower levels, if you want to win a little easier I suggest using allwood.

Curious to hear anyone's thoughts and if they are or are not consistent with mine. I don't mind receiving thoughts and comments from other than those in the list.

I think you can try to get up on the toes a bit while you are doing the stroke, so you use the legs a bit without standing up. I think Harimoto and Jorgic do this well. Keep up the hard work Richie.

 

[LDM7]

next session, i will train your suggested two drills above (perhaps multi-ball)

i will also set to robot for mastery

thank you Lula, good day

 

[Der_Echte]

Attached is my 7/31/SUN RR match (7:37) I lost 0 - 3

Seeking feedback to what worked, what I should try next time & any glaring weaknesses need to work on, thank you

https://youtu.be/-iUJD2pldu8

I will say a couple things to keep it simple. This guy blocked well and placed the ball to your middle a LOT... and you did not see this coming soon enough.. and were late moving and your steps were awkward. You sometimes upright too, and that makes it almost impossible to move laterally on balance. The drill Lula suggested (a ball to your BH, middle and FH) will force you to move your feet in this match realistic sequence. Also a ball to FH and one to middle will force you to move from FH corner to middle to play a FH and get these steps too if you want a little simpler exercise.

You are just starting out and do not yet have the steps and timing for all these continuous attacking sequences... you WANT to do them and it is obvious in matches you want to keep pressing opponent, but your anticipation, stance and step are hurting you right now. That isn't any big shame, it takes a damn long time to get these things straight and natural. TT isn't easy. I did see a few sequences where you successfully kept attacking (but your attacks were not really troubling him)... one notable one was at 6:26 to 6:42... he made you do like 7 BH topspins, then you finally stepped around for a spinnier FH and he blocked it out. The ones on stage could not here your YES after that point.

Your initial position to attack, especially on BH vs weak balls was a little too far off the table... easier to be within a foot or so of table on BH on those, makes things easier. That will improve with more reps. Things are not so easy to improve in training and are 10x harder to get them to work in matches. TT is a lot of work.

 

[Der_Echte]

OH... the venue (where was this?) is hot garbage for TT.. WHITE walls, shiny floor, strong light with lots of glare... hard to see that tiny white ball in conditions like that... but it is what we have to work with and must fight under.

 

[LDM7]

OH... the venue (where was this?) is hot garbage for TT.. WHITE walls, shiny floor, strong light with lots of glare... hard to see that tiny white ball in conditions like that... but it is what we have to work with and must fight under.

This was Concord TTC weekly Sun RR @ private high school gym

 

[LDM7]

This guy blocked well and placed the ball to your middle a LOT... and you did not see this coming soon enough.. and were late moving and your steps were awkward
=> after viewing multiple times, i recognize did not play a tactically intelligent match
=> i should've adjusted by moving him more, looping to his BH/FH/BH/FH or attacking his elbow more (?)

The drill Lula suggested (a ball to your BH, middle and FH) will force you to move your feet in this match realistic sequence
=> isn't this like a faulkenberg?

You are just starting out and do not yet have the steps and timing for all these continuous attacking sequences...
=> how do i drill for better steps & spectacular timing?

you WANT to do them and it is obvious in matches you want to keep pressing opponent, but your anticipation, stance and step are hurting you right now
=> how do i drill for better anticipation, stance & steps?

I did see a few sequences where you successfully kept attacking (but your attacks were not really troubling him)... one notable one was at 6:26 to 6:42... he made you do like 7 BH topspins, then you finally stepped around for a spinnier FH and he blocked it out. The ones on stage could not here your YES after that point
=> i guess i should've celebrated louder
=> even my wife (doesn't do sports at all) saw the other just standing not moving much & i was doing all the heavy lifting

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I think you should try some easy exercises like 1 bh and 1 fh or maybe two point forehand from forehand and the middle. If you get a feeling of when you stand correct and can do the stroke well i believe you will become much more consistent since you know how to move the feet, when you can do the stroke and when you need to play more safe. Good luck.

I normally +1 to Lula, so let me continuing to do so (years later lol)

From your video, your movement (the complete action on how you hit the ball) is too inconsistent. A big part of this is the movement, and because your movement is not smooth, most times you are late, and then your whole body and action goes out of sync and of course then, the result will be inconsistent too.

Think a swimmer. imagine every stroke is different tempo, left and right don't balance, how would you swim straight?

What Lula suggest is a good idea of common areas on where the ball lands and if you can train more of it, you would then be better prepared when the ball goes there during a match, and then your overall movement can be better and thus your over shot quality will be better too.

Here is a BH / FH I took of Lin YunJu's practice partner yesterday.

I don't have 2 point FH, I was socializing too much and didn't take much videos

 

[LDM7]

Here is a BH / FH I took of Lin YunJu's practice partner

heLL0 Tony,

thank you for giving my match video a watch, feedback & drill video

i am committed to practice & drill in order to improve

i am hopeful to see some improvement in my next match video

good day sir

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I see more and more, people are commenting about technique and then writing something like: "I am not permitted to make comments in this thread".

If the comments seem to be positive and not weird or out of line, I don't feel there is a need to mess with or delete. I am seeing in this thread and other threads, the way members are posting on video content seems, overall more positive than it was just before this thread was started.

If the comments are useful and constructive, I have been looking the other way.

I do feel like, if you are not on the list of people who can comment, and would like to comment, you should post footage of yourself IN This Thread. But, I am not going to call people out for that.

The idea of the thread is to make it so people can post footage and feel safe that they will not be personally attacked for how they look in video footage. To make it so we can get to know each other despite the fact that Table Tennis Daily membership spans the globe.

 

[Brs]

Another exercise you could do with a partner is to both play softly with early timing and no spin, all over the table. The idea is to learn how to win by placement and timing alone. And of course to defend yourself from that by moving well. It's the simplest exercise in the world. Just feed a normal ball and then you both play soft counterhits anywhere.

Against players like this guy I also think you could benefit from playing only counters and no topspins. It's the same principle as the exercise. You wouldn't throw yourself off-balance And you would have more brain space to think about how to pressure your opponent with placement angles and timing.

 

[latej]

I see more and more, people are commenting about technique and then writing something like: "I am not permitted to make comments in this thread".

I do feel like, if you are not on the list of people who can comment, and would like to comment, you should post footage of yourself IN This Thread. But, I am not going to call people out for that.

I've posted here because of Ritchie, and his explicit invitation. And I gave Like to Lula, because it was freshly afterwards, and he said what I thought. I have no intention of further posting to this thread. But I'd like to hit with you