Videos of my gameplay, advice welcomed!

[JeffM]

Looking for advice to improve

Hi everyone! I have some videos of myself playing some matches, and would really appreciate some feedback on what you think is great, and what I should do to improve.

Some background info:
I do not have a coach, therefore I have started recording myself playing since half a year ago for the purpose of self improvement.
I generally practice twice a week at the uni club.
My highest level of competition is between universities in Western Australia.

This video is 4 months ago, when I had the opportunity to play more 3-4 times a week on holiday.

This video is 1 month ago, but the venue is quite small, with obstacles that hindered some movements.

(My friend did the editing for this video for fun)

Any advice or suggestion to improve is greatly appreciated!

 

[JeffM]

I have more videos if the 2 provided isn't enough for any feedback, just let me know, or look at the channel. I do watch TT videos, but without a coach, it is sometimes difficult to know what I should work on, since there are too many areas to choose from.

 

[virtuososiu]

I see some good touches there
if I may give one piece of advice only, that would be the use of body
If you find a partner to block for you
You could focus on rotating your body as you hit

????What do others think? I'm interested too.

 

[JeffM]

Thank you virtuososiu! I will keep that in mind next time

 

[Musaab]

I would suggest doing drills with your friends instead of just playing matches, how about looping from really under the table ? looping underspin balls ?

 

[Der_Echte]

I look at the vids and I see a player who has some ability to do more and hasn't gotten all the fundamentals down yet. Too much to go over, would take pages to break down. At this stage, improvement in matches can come from improving a number of things. Going forward, improving the balance/recovery, the ability to read the ball, the ability to quickly select a shot based on the ball, and some serve touch will profit the foundation a lot more. That comes with more attention to it during practice and matches.

 

[Shiro]

From what i see, you seem to not be moving much. I am not sure whether it's because the area you are playing in is small, or you just have the habit of standing still a bit too much. As a player, always try to move as much as possible. Like after each shot you take, trying moving just a bit so that if a player hits to your forward side, you can get there faster rather than taking huge steps to get that shot. You want to sort of have like a "Bouncy feet"" movement, if you know what i mean.

 

[JeffM]

I would suggest doing drills with your friends instead of just playing matches, how about looping from really under the table ? looping underspin balls ?

Thanks Musaab, I have been doing normal loops drills with friends but not looping from really under the table. I will give it a try! Also for the underspin balls, i have only been doing them in matches but not in a drill setting.

I look at the vids and I see a player who has some ability to do more and hasn't gotten all the fundamentals down yet. Too much to go over, would take pages to break down. At this stage, improvement in matches can come from improving a number of things. Going forward, improving the balance/recovery, the ability to read the ball, the ability to quickly select a shot based on the ball, and some serve touch will profit the foundation a lot more. That comes with more attention to it during practice and matches.

Thanks Der_Echte. With regards to going forward, do you mean to rotate the body more and to involve more brushing of the top of the ball? And the ability to read the ball and select a shot based on the ball, does that come with time? Or is there specific things I can do to hasten the process?

From what i see, you seem to not be moving much. I am not sure whether it's because the area you are playing in is small, or you just have the habit of standing still a bit too much. As a player, always try to move as much as possible. Like after each shot you take, trying moving just a bit so that if a player hits to your forward side, you can get there faster rather than taking huge steps to get that shot. You want to sort of have like a "Bouncy feet"" movement, if you know what i mean.

Thanks Shiro. I agree with you that I need to move my feet more. For the first video, I have no excuse for area being small, but for the second video, I do feel a bit constricted in space. I will however attempt to develop faster footwork and keep my feet moving most of the time.


I shall record another video in the future to see if I have made any improvements on these aspects

 

[Der_Echte]

Jeff, with regards to going forward, I meant going forward in time with your TT progression. Sorry I cut the words short to make you mis-understand.

 

[Der_Echte]

With regards to "Hasten" the progress, aren't we ALL in a hurry to die a horrible TT death?

However, I am with you. I started my TT journey as a recreational player with zero coaching and for the first 4 years or so of my TT time, I wasn't anywhere near a club or a coach. All I had was TT forums.

I was in the same proverbial boat as you for years.

There are many things you can train independent and absent of a coach, but one must get a solid foundation, or whatever practice is done is simply done ineffectively and hurts future growth. That is why many new adult players are at a disadvantage.

Unless you relocate to an area with some active clubs and players and coaches, it is gunna be difficult, so just accept that.

Maybe the single most ONE thing i could say to you to improve your effective playing level at least 1-2 levels is to learn how to serve (and attack the return strong). I have commented on a recent thread (Emulating Coach Brett's Serves) and laid down a lot of info, and so has a lot of others.

Learning the timing and touch and bat angles for a short underspin serve is a MUST, as getting this one heavy sets up your no spin and spin variation. I was in an Army camp in iraq for a year in a real remote place with zero players, no one there was even 600 USATT newb. All I could do is practice serves, but i did that for 3-5 minutes a day, and after a year, i got real better at serves and it immediately improved my playing level by 2 levels.

Learn the bat angle and touch by doing a forward brush stroke in a hallway or open space to make the ball go out a meter or two, then spin back. this practices the loose grip and timing and touch needed. You are grabbing the ball, then flinging it forward, and it takes a lot less long motion than you would think.

 

[JeffM]

Hi guys, I participated in a GCCFI table tennis competition, which is a charity to raise money to improve the living conditions of children in rural parts of China.
Below is the full video of the my last game in the competition. I would really appreciate if I can get some feedback on it. Before attending the competition, I was really excited and watched many TT videos the day before. But I feel the nerve might have affected my play, causing me to not play like how I would normally, particularly making hard contact with the ball and taking risky shots. Would like to hear how you guys deal with your nerves too on a competition day.

 

[Boogar]

Hi guys, I participated in a GCCFI table tennis competition, which is a charity to raise money to improve the living conditions of children in rural parts of China.
Below is the full video of the my last game in the competition. I would really appreciate if I can get some feedback on it. Before attending the competition, I was really excited and watched many TT videos the day before. But I feel the nerve might have affected my play, causing me to not play like how I would normally, particularly making hard contact with the ball and taking risky shots. Would like to hear how you guys deal with your nerves too on a competition day.

Nice video! What did you use to record it?

What i noticed:
1.You seemed a bit flat footed to me. Try to do footwork drills with shuffle steps and ministeps, while balancing your weight on your footballs.

2. Sometimes your forehand topspin lacked "fluidity". It seemed that your starting position was too high and so on you could not get enough momentum.
Try straingthening your under arm more and then pivot around the elbow to get speed.

 

[JeffM]

Nice video! What did you use to record it?

What i noticed:
1.You seemed a bit flat footed to me. Try to do footwork drills with shuffle steps and ministeps, while balancing your weight on your footballs.

2. Sometimes your forehand topspin lacked "fluidity". It seemed that your starting position was too high and so on you could not get enough momentum.
Try straingthening your under arm more and then pivot around the elbow to get speed.

Thanks Boogar!!
I used a Nexus 6P to record

Wow, how did you tell I have flat foot! Can you explain a bit more about the footwork drills with shuffle steps and minsteps, and what do you mean by balancing my weight on my footballs?

I agree with your point about my forehand topspin. I will keep that in mind next time I play. I think usually it is better but the anxiety may have contributed to it this time. Do you have any strategy to minimize or calm down during a match?

 

[Boogar]

Okay i will try

1. You seemed to have your weight more on your heels. That makes you alot slower and also causes lots of topspins to go over the table as you cant lean forward enough.
Try to always stay very low with your legs flexed. Also lean forward and focus your weight onto your footballs and toes. This will give you a much more stable centre of gravity.
A low and stable centre of gravity helps you big time to move faster.

Hmm i think you can find lots of good videos on footwork. To sum it up: shuffle steps are steps that initiate from one leg. If you want to move to your left you first give an impulse with your right leg and then move your left leg next. This way you are always rdy to transfer your weight into a stroke.
Move to left side > weight on the left foot rdy to transfer to the right one for a backhand for example if you are right hander. The same goes for the forehand.

Ministeps are shorter shuffle steps, as they need to be very fast you dont rly give the impulse from one leg first rather from both legs. Its almost a small jump.
Ministeps are used to adjust your stance for example if you get a ball into your pocket.

2.I think the best instrument against nervousity is experience.
What might help are little rituals you always do while playing to get you in your usual mindset, like bouncing the ball on your racket before serving or whiping your hand on the table it can be anything.

I myself try to get myself fired up or calmed down with breathing techniques.

 

[ttmonster]

Very nice post Boogar !!

Yes , breathing is essential , have something like a breathing ritual . I am going to take three deep breaths before I serve. I am going to think about my arm position before I serve , lets say if I serve topspin , my arm should be higher because unless I am playing a long pips its not going to come back underspin etc. ... something on those lines ...

shuffle steps are very important for good footwork , you have to do the shuffle exercise or some light jump roping on a nice gym floor ( not on concrete ) to make your feet move faster . , some people do a few shuffle steps before they serve or when they are getting ready to return , it helps in keeping the feet loose ....

Also another thing is very helpful , that is focusing on the current scenario and not thinking too much about the match score, its easier said than done and it takes a lot of mental training to play "one point at a time" ....

But it goes hand in hand with confidence in your abilities and knowing your limitations .. its like this you have to focus on small improvements , don't think you are going to go from losing to a guy to beating him next day and that is improvement. This kind of expectation puts a lot of pressure . You have find happiness in things like oh I am able to put more balls in the table , I was able to do my third ball / my fifth ball attacks more consistently. I was able to handle the serve better than last times , I had the bad habit of dropping my paddle below the table after each shot and I am able to keep it above more often now ... the overall outcome of a match is a very misleading measure of improvement ...

I hope this helps ... I think NL or somebody used to have a signature along these lines some time back , focus on the process , not on the outcome ... outcomes will come when they are supposed to come ... a lot of your nervousness will go if you go into the a match thinking this instead of trying to win every time ..

Okay i will try

1. You seemed to have your weight more on your heels. That makes you alot slower and also causes lots of topspins to go over the table as you cant lean forward enough.
Try to always stay very low with your legs flexed. Also lean forward and focus your weight onto your footballs and toes. This will give you a much more stable centre of gravity.
A low and stable centre of gravity helps you big time to move faster.

Hmm i think you can find lots of good videos on footwork. To sum it up: shuffle steps are steps that initiate from one leg. If you want to move to your left you first give an impulse with your right leg and then move your left leg next. This way you are always rdy to transfer your weight into a stroke.
Move to left side > weight on the left foot rdy to transfer to the right one for a backhand for example if you are right hander. The same goes for the forehand.

Ministeps are shorter shuffle steps, as they need to be very fast you dont rly give the impulse from one leg first rather from bith legs. Its almost a small jump.
Ministeps are used to adjust your stance for example if you get a ball into your pocket.

2.I think the best instrument against nervousity is experience.
What might help are little rituals you always do while playing to get you in your usual mindset, like bouncing the ball on your racket before serving or whiping your hand on the table it can be anything.

I myself try to get myself fired up or calmed down with breathing techniques.

 

[ajtatosmano2]

Boogar is right, you should stop before every serve. Listen to your heartbeat, then think about what will your next serve, what are your opponent's weak spots. When you earn a point, say CHO! (not at unforced errors)

 

[Boogar]

@ JeffM here is me doing the falkenberg. My effort could be seen as ministeps, however they are far from perfect Just a general idea.

 

[Der_Echte]

Nerves are bad on you when you think too much on stuff or worry about results. The "I don't care" attitude of not caring IF you lose, but still caring about how you play is a good balance. You are ahead of time trying to have fun and enjoy. If I make a final, I tell my opponent that TT is an entertainment business, that I don't care if I fail to win, and that I am here to have a fun time guaranteed.

 

[JeffM]

Okay i will try

1. You seemed to have your weight more on your heels. That makes you alot slower and also causes lots of topspins to go over the table as you cant lean forward enough.
Try to always stay very low with your legs flexed. Also lean forward and focus your weight onto your footballs and toes. This will give you a much more stable centre of gravity.
A low and stable centre of gravity helps you big time to move faster.

Hmm i think you can find lots of good videos on footwork. To sum it up: shuffle steps are steps that initiate from one leg. If you want to move to your left you first give an impulse with your right leg and then move your left leg next. This way you are always rdy to transfer your weight into a stroke.
Move to left side > weight on the left foot rdy to transfer to the right one for a backhand for example if you are right hander. The same goes for the forehand.

Ministeps are shorter shuffle steps, as they need to be very fast you dont rly give the impulse from one leg first rather from both legs. Its almost a small jump.
Ministeps are used to adjust your stance for example if you get a ball into your pocket.

2.I think the best instrument against nervousity is experience.
What might help are little rituals you always do while playing to get you in your usual mindset, like bouncing the ball on your racket before serving or whiping your hand on the table it can be anything.

I myself try to get myself fired up or calmed down with breathing techniques.

Thanks for the explanation and the demonstration video Boogar! Now I understand what you mean by shuffle steps. I think I do practice it but when I am in a match, I just forget about it This will be another thing I need to remember next time when I play a match, as well as lengthening my underarm before a stroke for generating more spin/speed, and also some breathing exercise before serving.

Very nice post Boogar !!

Yes , breathing is essential , have something like a breathing ritual . I am going to take three deep breaths before I serve. I am going to think about my arm position before I serve , lets say if I serve topspin , my arm should be higher because unless I am playing a long pips its not going to come back underspin etc. ... something on those lines ...

shuffle steps are very important for good footwork , you have to do the shuffle exercise or some light jump roping on a nice gym floor ( not on concrete ) to make your feet move faster . , some people do a few shuffle steps before they serve or when they are getting ready to return , it helps in keeping the feet loose ....

Also another thing is very helpful , that is focusing on the current scenario and not thinking too much about the match score, its easier said than done and it takes a lot of mental training to play "one point at a time" ....

But it goes hand in hand with confidence in your abilities and knowing your limitations .. its like this you have to focus on small improvements , don't think you are going to go from losing to a guy to beating him next day and that is improvement. This kind of expectation puts a lot of pressure . You have find happiness in things like oh I am able to put more balls in the table , I was able to do my third ball / my fifth ball attacks more consistently. I was able to handle the serve better than last times , I had the bad habit of dropping my paddle below the table after each shot and I am able to keep it above more often now ... the overall outcome of a match is a very misleading measure of improvement ...

I hope this helps ... I think NL or somebody used to have a signature along these lines some time back , focus on the process , not on the outcome ... outcomes will come when they are supposed to come ... a lot of your nervousness will go if you go into the a match thinking this instead of trying to win every time ..

Thanks ttmonster! I agree. I will focus on the process rather than the outcome

Boogar is right, you should stop before every serve. Listen to your heartbeat, then think about what will your next serve, what are your opponent's weak spots. When you earn a point, say CHO! (not at unforced errors)

Thanks ajtatosmano2! I will try to stop before each serve next time. I do say CHO sometimes But at the same time, I am a bit self conscious so I do not sound too arrogant or annoying haha.

Nerves are bad on you when you think too much on stuff or worry about results. The "I don't care" attitude of not caring IF you lose, but still caring about how you play is a good balance. You are ahead of time trying to have fun and enjoy. If I make a final, I tell my opponent that TT is an entertainment business, that I don't care if I fail to win, and that I am here to have a fun time guaranteed.

Thanks Der_Echte, I will adopt the thinking and play to enjoy and have fun.