Thanks Kees, you have always written some great pieces, the LP juniors are so fortunate.
Where were you when I was struggling with the pips?
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| trouble-shooting LP problems... https://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=16225 |
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| Author: | Kees [ 06 Jun 2011, 22:34 ] |
| Post subject: | trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Trouble-shooting LP-problems. Suppose you have found an LP you really like most of the times, but sometimes it doesn't do what you want or expect – then what? Changing to some other rubber will mean starting all over getting to know it and possibly running into other kinds of trouble at that. So it is worthwhile to first try and deal with it as it is. Below are some suggestions. Problem #1: not enough backspin is produced when chopping against topspin. If your rubber is incapable of adding substantially to incoming spin, because it doesn't have enough grip on the ball, your only out is forcing the opponent to feed you heavy spin – in order to achieve this, either chop well with your inverted (or SP) before you chop with your pips, or loop slow with heavy topspin before you chop with the LP, or hit a flat (low) hard and deep no-spin ball before you chop. If however your rubber is capable of adding spin, but doesn't, something may be technically wrong with your chopping stroke: most likely your stroke is too eager or too aggressive, therefore too much forward, and as a result the ball is not grazed by the pimples but just flattens them. You must let the pimples brush the ball. To do that, make your chop shorter and lighter, easier, starting from the left shoulder going not quite down to the right knee, taking care to use only the underarm, which should pivot around the elbow, and using the wrist only at the latest possible instance, also lightly. Let the pips do the work, just guide them. This way you have a much better chance of grazing the ball and bringing the pips into play. Of course, being a defender, you will have watched Chen Weixing and Joo Se Hyuk chop away with great magnificent gestures, completely surrendering themselves to the stroke, and of course you consider them to be an example. There is nothing wrong with that at all, as long as you are aware of the fact that, being unsurpassed experts, they are capable of extremely light touch even when performing grand strokes, plus the fact that, having conjured up unsurpassed energy for the stroke, by far the greatest part of their grand gestures is used for relaxation in the follow-through after making contact with the ball. If that is not it either, you possibly are using the right chopping stroke for the wrong rubber. Some rubbers only work well with horizontal chopping, when you go under the ball, and some only work well with diagonal chopping, when you graze the back of the ball. Change and see if it works. Problem #2: when you push or chop against backspin the ball pops up. If your rubber has little grip on the ball, it will not bring the ball down unless you use the correct angle – change the angle of your blade bringing it to a more vertical position so the ball will bounce off more horizontally. If your rubber does have grip, but the ball is still popping up, odds are your stroke is not active enough and you are therefore making too little friction to really grip the ball – make the stroke faster (and shorter) using more hand-speed by cocking and snapping in your wrist on contact. If the ball still pops up, do both. Problem #3: there isn't enough reversal when you push. If your rubber has little friction, it should work fine, so you must be hindering it. Odds are you push too aggressive, bumping into the ball, which tends to flatten the pips and do little else – instead, come more under the ball and lift it, scooping it up in one fluent motion. If your rubber has too much friction to let it do the job by itself, however, you have to help the pips give the ball a good whirr - make the scoop faster and shorter, pulling the bat up with a good jerk while changing its angle from almost horizontal to almost vertical. Problem #4: blocks tend to go high and (too) long. If your rubber has good grip, close it when blocking. If it has not, also close it, but just a bit, and make sure you take more speed off the ball by blocking with a more relaxed wrist and underarm. Problem #5: with attack, the rubber seems to be unable to handle no-spin or topspin. If the rubber has little friction, increase it – make the strokes longer, faster and heavier, not grazing but scraping the ball so the pips will bite it, and do not close the blade. If the rubber does have enough grip, but seems to fail anyhow – do the same, but keep the blade less open. Problem #6: the rubber seems to be inconsistent in producing spin. If the rubber is intact (no broken or nearly broken pips, no dirty spots, no stains betraying oxidation, still glued well to the frame, and so on), there is no reason for it to be inconsistent, so it must be you. Make all your strokes much shorter and see if consistency improves. Check if you are really watching both your bat and the ball on impact; if you do not, start doing it. Problem #7: the rubber seems to be inconsistent in producing speed. This may also be your own doing, for instance when you make contact with the ball sometimes using the centre of the bat and sometimes using its tip, but possibly it can be attributed to the frame you are using the pips on; if it is very flexible or has balsa in it, chances are that this is the case – you can adjust to it by taking into account that returning low speed balls or making soft contact will result in a very much lower speed than returning high speed balls or making solid contact. Problem #8: it just doesn't seem to work... Well, there are circumstances which may compel you to change your rubber. For one thing, this is the case when you use a rubber for something it has not been designed for (e.g. continuous fast attack using a Feint Long III, or a passive blocking game with Curl P1R). For another, and perhaps more importantly, though, it is the case when you are using a rubber which doesn't suit your nature. If you are high-strung, restless, basically uncertain, given to outbursts, and so on, even if you are technically perfect, you should use equipment which is very forgiving, of medium to low speed, and offering the highest control; anything else will enlarge your fundamental inconsistency which you cannot help but displaying in everything you do. Liang Geliang, master of defence and attack, ultimately came to use a Dawei Saviga V long pimples out rubber, without sponge, black – the tamest of the tame, to compensate for the inborn wildness of his heart. If you are reckless, aggressive, suddenly inspired, and at other times nervous, hesitant, struggling for control - as a lot of us are - then you should choose an essentially dull LP, without too much friction and without too much speed, no sponge, on a blade that has little flex and is mostly very reliable, as Liang did. |
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| Author: | DreadRazor [ 06 Jun 2011, 22:47 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Thanks, Seems like sound advice for LP beginners and pros. |
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| Author: | tatlwai [ 06 Jun 2011, 23:42 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Thanks Kees, you have always written some great pieces, the LP juniors are so fortunate. Where were you when I was struggling with the pips?
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| Author: | Kees [ 07 Jun 2011, 00:27 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Tatlwai wrote: Quote: Where were you when I was struggling with the pips? In Kindergarten, with you?  Seriously, Tat, you haven't been struggling for quite some time now, hitting the h*ll out of just about everybody! Just thinking of you makes me consider to change to all-out attack myself! Shouldn't you write a guide to it?
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| Author: | tatlwai [ 07 Jun 2011, 00:53 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Kees, if my English expression is half as good as you, I will try, unfortunately..... BTW, where is the book you were writing?
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| Author: | RebornTTEvnglist [ 07 Jun 2011, 01:29 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
What about problem #9 Kees? The ball hits the Index Finger rather than the LP!  I hope the cure is not "cut the finger off"  Nice little article btw!
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| Author: | Bogeyhunter [ 07 Jun 2011, 03:01 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
"Like"!! |
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| Author: | tatlwai [ 07 Jun 2011, 03:19 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Bogeyhunter wrote: "Like"!! Hey, we are not in facebook; but how can one not like any articles from Kees. |
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| Author: | Kees [ 07 Jun 2011, 15:13 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Reb (who else?) wrote: Quote: What about problem #9 Kees? The ball hits the Index Finger rather than the LP! The cure is, of course, to play with Seemiller grip I hope the cure is not "cut the finger off"  .
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| Author: | haggisv [ 07 Jun 2011, 15:31 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Great post Kees!  I've stickied it
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| Author: | RebornTTEvnglist [ 07 Jun 2011, 16:34 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Kees wrote: Reb (who else?) wrote: Quote: What about problem #9 Kees? The ball hits the Index Finger rather than the LP! The cure is, of course, to play with Seemiller grip I hope the cure is not "cut the finger off" .Oh no! The cure is worse than the cause!! 
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| Author: | Omut [ 07 Jun 2011, 17:50 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
RebornTTEvnglist wrote: What about problem #9 Kees? The ball hits the Index Finger rather than the LP Problem #10. Balls routinely hit the index finger when I play my FH side! Problem #10. (A serious one). What to do if my balls do not pop-up, but instead drop straight to the bottom of the net receiving a strong backspin serve/push? |
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| Author: | Kees [ 03 Jul 2011, 19:08 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Quote: Problem #10. (A serious one). What to do if my balls do not pop-up, but instead drop straight to the bottom of the net receiving a strong backspin serve/push? Your bat may not be open enough; open it a bit more. Or your stroke may be too passive, in which case the strong backspin on the ball is reversed into strong topspin so the ball quickly drops - on your side of the net; you should be able to see whether or not this is the case (look at the ball when it hits the net - if it stays there or tries to climb it, there is strong topspin on it), and if it is, make your stroke more active: much quicker but not much more forward, a little bit more up (scooping). |
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| Author: | lover_moon [ 23 Jul 2011, 23:40 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
thanks for posting (OOps, got caught) |
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| Author: | dwruck [ 24 Jul 2011, 03:47 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: trouble-shooting LP problems... |
Yes, very good stuff! And I had problem #9 a couple of times last night. But I'm definitely not cutting it off.
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