OOAK Table Tennis Forum

That's the plan!

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Weapon 1: Andro Kinetic Supreme Hinoki/Zylon OFF-; Andro Hexer HDs (FH 2.1/BH 1.9)
Weapon 2: Ross Leidy 'Smokey'; Friendship 729-5s
Club1: Daylesford - since 2010
Club2: Ballarat - since 2011
Blog: A Naked Bear

Recovering from a low.

Bit of a self indulgent diary type post here.

Had a practise/drill session a few days ago where I aimed primarily to teach my team-mates about long pips. I don't know if it was the hot weather, a mild infection, my altruistic kindly attitude (killer instinct to CRUSH your enemies is best for games) or just tired but at the end of the practice session #2 team mate requested a series of games and I lost most of them. He wasn't too keen on drilling against the long pips. (His loss) He tends to be "lets play a game" oriented while Oskar and I love to spend the majority of a practise session drilling.

I feel I should consistently beat him but I didn't. Part of me knows I can be better than him now, and I have been recently, but another part of me reverts to adopting the loser paradigm.

With less than 2 weeks before competition starts I feel I should continue my leg strength/side to side jumping exercises (with a few days rest before the actual comp) but otherwise just pull back my game from the off season experimental and tighten it up to more consistency. I think I should try and have a series of games against him a few days before competition with a killer attitude and win, to boost my confidence in the comp. I have one more thing I really need to practise more in a drill session, and that's the smashing of a weak return from my LP; I anticipate it will be a major winner of points, so a high efficiency drill, and it cannot be simulated on the robot.

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Blade: Andro Kinetic Supreme Zylon/Kiso Hinoki OFF-
FH: Hexer HD 1.7 mm sponge
BH: CTT National Pogo OX
Style: FH counterhitter, BH disruptor

Hasegawa, the great Japanese World Champion, wrote that you should always aim high and this will help you be patient when you experience short-term set-backs along the way. These are words that could be worth considering for you in your situation. You are very keen, appear to be training diligently, and have already made steady progress in the short period you have been playing. There is thus every reason to believe that the 'you' of tomorrow will be a much better player than the 'you' of today. With this in mind it is probably worth focusing a little further down the road rather than worrying too much about your immediate results. The players you currently have close matches with should be a walk in the park for you in 6 to 12 months time.

Any videos of your play in the pipeline?

Thanks, Carbonman. Good advice. Aiming beyond the present target. I actually went over today to have a practice session with him today and, for a change, he was quite receptive to a bit of drilling. We will be on a team in the comp in 10 days. We played some games as well and came out roughly even.

I hope to set the video up either next week or the week after. I hope not to be too embarrassed! But exposing oneself allows critique for speedier development so it is a must.

_________________
Blade: Andro Kinetic Supreme Zylon/Kiso Hinoki OFF-
FH: Hexer HD 1.7 mm sponge
BH: CTT National Pogo OX
Style: FH counterhitter, BH disruptor

Great post... definitely something to pass onto developing players!

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Should is the operative word. I'll do my best to prevent that happening!

Regardless of day-by-day results, we're having loads of fun and getting better with every stroke.

_________________

Weapon 1: Andro Kinetic Supreme Hinoki/Zylon OFF-; Andro Hexer HDs (FH 2.1/BH 1.9)
Weapon 2: Ross Leidy 'Smokey'; Friendship 729-5s
Club1: Daylesford - since 2010
Club2: Ballarat - since 2011
Blog: A Naked Bear

lol - yes 'should' indeed!

I guess I should have said '...the players you currently have close matches with who don't train systematically and diligently'...

keep up the good work guys.

Thanks, carbonman. If you love something you put in the effort. Right?

_________________

Weapon 1: Andro Kinetic Supreme Hinoki/Zylon OFF-; Andro Hexer HDs (FH 2.1/BH 1.9)
Weapon 2: Ross Leidy 'Smokey'; Friendship 729-5s
Club1: Daylesford - since 2010
Club2: Ballarat - since 2011
Blog: A Naked Bear

Strategy for the pennant competition

Only 2 more sleeps to go! I'm very excited about my first foray into real competition against a wide variety of players.

From what I can see there are quite a few strong players in what is now the A4 draw. One of the strongest B players has gone up to A4, some of the weaker A3 players have gone to B for this season and there are some fairly strong A3 players in A4. (There was no A4 draw last season, they have split the A's into 4 as there was so many teams entered.)

The first team we face has a rapidly developing 14 year old who was near the top of the previous A3 draw last season and he may very well be the best player I will face. He has been extensively coached by an ex Olympic coach and seems very serious about his table tennis. If he has been doing serious training over the summer break I may be looking at a severe thrashing! Then again, I KNOW I have been doing serious training.

It will be a good opportunity to aim to win regardless, to play every shot on it's merits, and I hope he will be unfamiliar with LP's enough to force some points. I will not talk myself into a loss.

During each comp, I will make notes about where I lost points and then in the next few days try to recreate those shots on the robot that I had most difficulty with and drill them. Then will have a hopefully 4-5 hour Thursday session with Oskar to further drill those shots and get feedback from Oskar as well as do any drills Oskar wants to develop. Then a relative rest for the next few days, with perhaps another short session with human only before the comp on Monday again.

Oskar and I had a good discussion about mental game recently and discussed the principle "Respect the shot, attack the pop" , not trying to play too offensively against more difficult shots, but to never shy from attacking any shots that are ripe for attack.

_________________
Blade: Andro Kinetic Supreme Zylon/Kiso Hinoki OFF-
FH: Hexer HD 1.7 mm sponge
BH: CTT National Pogo OX
Style: FH counterhitter, BH disruptor

We certainly had a good, short session recently. More to come, just a little longer and more focused. I've really enjoyed getting to grips with Malleus' LPs, and it's always enlightening to discover one's own prejudices. I still don't like playing against pips, but I reckon that feeling will soon dissipate. Thanks to Malleus!

Ballarat's Autumn draw for Monday nights is certainly interesting. Although I'm not competing on the Monday night, it's great to see such enthusiasm in the area. Apparently there are actually five separate divisions in the A-group: PR, A1, A2, A3 and A4. Is that right? I wonder what PR stands for. Or have I got that mixed up?

It's a short season that I'm planning on using as a springboard to the main event: the three-man winter season.

_________________

Weapon 1: Andro Kinetic Supreme Hinoki/Zylon OFF-; Andro Hexer HDs (FH 2.1/BH 1.9)
Weapon 2: Ross Leidy 'Smokey'; Friendship 729-5s
Club1: Daylesford - since 2010
Club2: Ballarat - since 2011
Blog: A Naked Bear

I don't know what PR stands for, is it for "Pros"? You are correct on the 5 upper divisions. PR is definitely the top with Mark Smith in it.

_________________
Blade: Andro Kinetic Supreme Zylon/Kiso Hinoki OFF-
FH: Hexer HD 1.7 mm sponge
BH: CTT National Pogo OX
Style: FH counterhitter, BH disruptor

It can't be 'PRos', because I don't think any of them make a living from the game. I might be wrong ...

_________________

Weapon 1: Andro Kinetic Supreme Hinoki/Zylon OFF-; Andro Hexer HDs (FH 2.1/BH 1.9)
Weapon 2: Ross Leidy 'Smokey'; Friendship 729-5s
Club1: Daylesford - since 2010
Club2: Ballarat - since 2011
Blog: A Naked Bear

My first competition

(Gulp) Here I go, posting my first match in the A4 competition. My opponent didn't like the pips and I managed to win 2 games out of 7 with my serve and my pips mainly. I know I am not a great player, but I aim to improve, and constructive criticism is welcomed. My first thought on watching it is that I need to improve my footwork and get into position more. I know I state I am a "BH chopper and FH looper" and when you watch this you will think, nah, just a blocker/hitter and you would be right, my style is a statement of intent more than a reality!

Video! I am the guy in the green.

_________________
Blade: Andro Kinetic Supreme Zylon/Kiso Hinoki OFF-
FH: Hexer HD 1.7 mm sponge
BH: CTT National Pogo OX
Style: FH counterhitter, BH disruptor

Good on you, Malleus, for posting a video of your first official game. It's going to represent the start of a great journey into the world of competitive table tennis for you.

As I've always said, having video like this will not only allow you to watch yourself play, but also allow others to see the same. It is one of the best tools for improving your game.

My constructive criticism

First off, your long pips did give you plenty of 'free' points! It may have served you well if you'd served more with them.

1) Watch the position of your feet. Make sure your right foot is slightly behind your left foot. At the moment, you tend to stand with your right foot in front and, therefore, it makes your forehand shots weaker and this compromises your forehand shots: blocks and loops. And because your feet are positioned this way, you tend to get caught out and have to reach more than you should. You can't establish good footwork without a solid foundation of 'left foot forward'.

2) Be careful with your ready-position when receiving serve. You tend to hold your bat below the level of the table with your left hand cupping it. This 'bat holding' position tends to over-emphasise your backhand shots, so that you have to work that little bit harder if the ball is served to your forehand.

3) We'll have to really work on your forehand technique - there is just too much reaching out as if you're caught by surprise. If you watch your forehand shots you'll notice that your follow-through is stunted.

Now, I've got to get organised and post videos of my games.

_________________

Weapon 1: Andro Kinetic Supreme Hinoki/Zylon OFF-; Andro Hexer HDs (FH 2.1/BH 1.9)
Weapon 2: Ross Leidy 'Smokey'; Friendship 729-5s
Club1: Daylesford - since 2010
Club2: Ballarat - since 2011
Blog: A Naked Bear

Thank you Oskar! I was wondering if anyone was going to comment, or if they just saw the opening shots and considered this game an atrocity only worthy of reporting to the United Nations! You have given me some stuff to work on, concrete feasible and drillable ideas, which is the main thing. I will get to work on the robot, then hopefully a session with you? I do think I'm at the right level, where I forsee I will be challenged, but not to the point of total despair.

_________________
Blade: Andro Kinetic Supreme Zylon/Kiso Hinoki OFF-
FH: Hexer HD 1.7 mm sponge
BH: CTT National Pogo OX
Style: FH counterhitter, BH disruptor