OOAK Table Tennis Forum

The type of multiball I'm doing is only one step better than using a robot. It's a deliberate thing because I'm afraid of injury and I need to get through a couple of weeks to toughen up my body. I also want to be very specific with the techniques I'm trying to implement.

Clearly I need the trainer to randomize at some stage and to block some balls back. I'm think I need a couple more weeks just to find my feet.

In response to your question about counterspinning, there is a difference for sure. If you are far from the table (loop v loop), you don't want to fold. LTT95 is only relevant when you are close. If you are a very long way from the table, you'll probably need to turn up and forward to lift the ball. There is a lot less spin in a loop v loop situation than there is when someone loops slow and heavy off a push. The counterspin video I posted above is very specific to that exact situation.

As I said, I'm a long way off playing matches. I'm not going to be able to make that pivot at this stage. In training, I can make about 90%. I know where the ball is going and I know exactly how to use my body to whip my arm. I've had years to work some of this stuff out. But, as you know, there's a huge difference when your time is restricted.

I'm using the Table Tennis Edge app too. I don't want to be 5 seconds behind the play in matches, so it's worth my time.

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Not for the sake of arguing, but some players are getting away with pushing/pulling of the elbow back and forth on the backhand. Or I misunderstand something? However, I do agree that keeping the elbow always in front is more optimal.

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How will you know or decide when it is time to add difficulty? This is a big problem for an uncoached player, how long to spend in each stage of working on a skill? And when to go on to the next skill?

Tactically, suppose I have spent ages developing a super slow spinny loop v backspin, and I run into someone who has perfected the counter you are working on, so he is smoking all my beautiful slow loops right by me. What should I do?

Try to make my loop even slower and spinnier
Try to hit a more powerful, flatter loop v backspin
Accept that I am outgunned in this match
Or something else?

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Yoko Ono

Speaking about boredom: when I play lots of matches, especially against the same people, I get bored af. Unfortunately, I had to travel for like 4-8 hours to get to a tournament to compete with other players, and I often cannot afford that. I also know my game inside out, so I will mostly do the same things over and over: pivot against the serve or serve, then pivot. I may try other things, like using my BH more, win by lobbing or something else, but they usually don't work so it quickly becomes even less fun

The most exciting thing for me in TT is observing how your body and mind at some point become capable of doing things you thought were impossible. It is like conducting an experiment on yourself. That is why I enjoy training: maybe oneday it will all click together and I will play some superman shots

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That is a million dollar question for me. Currently, when people are blocking/punching/counterlooping my spinny loops, I try get a popped-up ball and play faster forehand hooks super-wide. I wish I could play fades as well, but it is not consistent yet. I don't know if it makes any sense, I just like to play wide hooks, it is very satisfying.

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I hereby present you with the greatest backhand of all time, imo, which a ETTS53 https://youtu.be/kyvzVosDvvY?t=168

Ma Long's body is popping his elbow out into position and then causing a chain reaction. That's not what you are doing and something that would be very difficult to teach.

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Yeah, tough questions!

At the moment I'm still sore at the end of sessions and this means that my body is weak and susceptible to injury. It will take 2-3 weeks, I guess, before I pass a threshold. I have been doing general strength for months however there is sports specific type strength which can only be achieved though playing.

I'll add difficulty when I'm hitting the ball well on my backhand. My backhand was really bad before and I can't imagine that it got better through a decade of rest. Although my understanding has improve, I'm going to need some real time to coordinate the shot. I have missed enough backhands in my life to have a negative reaction when the ball comes to my backhand side. Also, I'm in no hurry because I'm just playing for "fun".

If someone is countering all of your slow forehand opens, kudos to them. Your solutions include:
- Spinning your torso down and around more and causing more whip in your arm to increase spin
- Looping to the backhand instead. Normally if someone is ultra strong at something, they are weak somewhere else
- Making some harder balls, probably to the middle, with good foot and body work

The option I clearly hate is pushing to the guy and hoping he misses. There has been enough discussion about this type of thing. If someone is countering all of your loops he/she is presenting your with an opportunity to improve your game.

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I think I found a creative solution to for my backhand. Another issue is that I don't twist my wrist back enough on the backswing. If you look at The Greatest Backhand of All Times, his racket at the back of the backswing is pointing at his stomach. If can do the same thing, it will physically prevent moving my elbow too close to my body.

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I see Timo Boll at work here. You are using your body to move your arm so the shot is more reliable. I'm starting to think we're just garbage at moving our arms but when you use the body and move the arm with it, it becomes considerably easier.

How much are you paying per lesson there btw?

Agreed. I'm seeing much more power when I go back a little bit more. Lots of people can't physically do it without some practice. Some think I can twist my wrist all of the way around...

Again it seems like a shot that's pretty difficult to do close to the table against a faster ball.

My example was bad, but your priorities seem broadly applicable to most TT problems. I got from your post
1. Make more spin
2. Better placement (1 & 2 could be combined I guess)
3. Go for a harder shot (and take more risk)

0. Giving up the first attack is not an option. Better to lose playing active shots.

The situation I need to apply this to is receiving short serves from stronger players. My SP flick is pretty reliable but it lacks quality. 2100+ players eat it up. My short push is a horror movie, high, short, slow, spinless.

So using your process from the example my priorities should be:
1. Make spinnier flicks
2. Flick to places outside his fh range
3. Go for a riskier smash-flick
4. Learn to push short competently to prevent him from attacking
0. Pushing long and praying to make a block should not be an option.

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Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.

Yoko Ono

Bingo! I'm shaping my body to make my arm do exactly what I need it to do. I'm putting momentum through my arm to keep it stable and steady, as per the bike example I gave re blocking. The shoulder joint will still act as a tiny hinge to create microscopic whip when I time the back/forward twist correctly. LTT97 roughly explains the concept of shaping your body to make the arm work. When you put enough momentum through your arm, everyone comments on how smooth and relaxed you look. It's not exactly accurate and trying to relax has zero to do with it. It's like telling this ride that it looks very relaxed https://youtu.be/JWGjUdGjZKk?t=114

Ben Taylor, the dude who produced the DTTS series, used to have a huge bicep on his right arm. The massive bicep was from playing forehand topspin. About 2 years ago, I taught him how to really play a forehand topspin and now his bicep is back to a normal size. He used to play his forehand by doing a bicep curl. It looked like a forehand, but looks can be deceiving.

In relation to the payment question, I told the coach that I have found him 2 potential students and asked him about his hourly rate. Of course he had no idea I was talking about myself. He told me the rate and then I told him I'm one of the students. He was horrified with the idea of taking money from me, but I convinced him that it would be real work and I needed him to take the money. Let's just say it's an solid boost for his income and life. I won't say the amount, but I pay about an average day's wage per hour.

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In your pushing example, pushing long and making a proper block isn't as bad as in my example. In my example, you have a chance to make a loop. When you have a chance to make a loop, you've gotta make a loop.

Pushing long against a short ball and making a legitimate block is a half reasonable thing to do. It shouldn't be your entire game of course, but it's a real thing. I actually want to have it as an option in my own game, hence the training below. I don't want to be freaked out every time an opponent spins the ball. I'm hoping to make them sorry, but that will take a lot of the training below.

I've said before that I'd never give this advice to William at 10-10 in the 7th because it didn't fit in with the context of his game. It was a nice way of saying that he couldn't block. I also said that I wouldn't do it either because my percentage go up when I spin the first ball. No matter how good my block gets, I will always try to make the first attack. But there are always times where you get outplayed over the table and you don't get to make the first attack. Someone may have great serves or better short play capabilities. You need to be able to LTT103 block.

Btw, there are ways to move when you are chop or sidespin blocking too. Imo, there are correct ways to move your body on those shots. Just using your arm muscles is not the correct solution, imo.

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Boredom from playing the same people is a universal TT problem. It happens absolutely everywhere.

I highly recommend just flying around the world and finding new people to play against.

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Here's some footage from my training today. The trainer was pushing randomly and I was opening with topspin from either side. On the wider forehands, I was attempting to use the footwork from LTT76 and the body work from LTT93. For me, LTT76 footwork is often my best option because I don't want too many balls coming back into my backhand. I can get a lot more spin and power using LTT76.

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