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Some tips from Sharad Pandit
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Author:  haggisv [ 14 Oct 2009, 14:45 ]
Post subject:  Some tips from Sharad Pandit
Sharad Pandit is one of the top players in our league, and a very skillful short pip player, so I asked him if he was willing to share some tips with us, on things that are important to his game.

He is sponsored by Aussie Table-tennis and uses:
Blade : Stiga Ultralight
Forehand: Xiom pips out 2.0mm (I assume Styx?)
Backhand: Stiga Royal 2.0 mm

His tips were:
Quote:
Two or three things I try to pay attention to are :
1. Hitting during the ascending phase of the ball rise.
2. Making sure that my head says steady and my neck is not hyper-extended ! This for me is an important issue because it really controls the tension in the shoulder and the arm. Then when you make mistakes slowly the body becomes tense and then everything falls apart. I would have to show this in person if I am not explaining well on paper. It is something I have stumbled upon and seems to make a big difference for me. 3. Making sure my breathing is right between points.
4. Not having a big backswing and waiting for the ball to come to the bat and not being in a rush to get rid of it. As Stellan Bengston says, ' You need to cherish it and not be in a hurry to get rid of it' I hope some of it helps some.


If you have questions for him, please post them here, and I might be able to convince to answer if he has the time :wink:
Author:  bvautier [ 14 Oct 2009, 15:02 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
haggisv wrote:
Sharad Pandit is one of the top players in our league, and a very skillful short pip player, so I asked him if he was willing to share some tips with us, on things that are important to his game.

He is sponsored by Aussie Table-tennis and uses:
Blade : Stiga Ultralight
Forehand: Xiom pips out 2.0mm (I assume Styx?)
Backhand: Stiga Royal 2.0 mm

His tips were:
Quote:
Two or three things I try to pay attention to are : 1. Hitting during the ascending phase of the ball rise. 2. Making sure that my head says steady and my neck is not hyper-extended ! This for me is an important issue because it really controls the tension in the shoulder and the arm. Then when you make mistakes slowly the body becomes tense and then everything falls apart. I would have to show this in person if I am not explaining well on paper. It is something I have stumbled upon and seems to make a big difference for me. 3.Making sure my breathing is right between points. 4. Not having a big backswing and waiting for the ball to come to the bat and not being in a rush to get rid of it. As Stellan Bengston says, ' You need to cherish it and not be in a hurry to get rid of it' I hope some of it helps some.


If you have questions for him, please post them here, and I might be able to convince to answer if he has the time :wink:


Great stuff Haggisv!

I find point 4 to make a big difference to my game as well, but it some times contradicts point 1. (i.e. depending on the situation if you are a step away from the table you will be hitting the ball on the descending. But if this is the case I have found it is crucial not to rush the shot but wait for the ball to come close to my side. You won't be able to get a power slam in, but it will still be plenty fast enough.)

I will pay attention to point 2 and 3 during training.
Author:  mynamenotbob [ 14 Oct 2009, 15:23 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit


Hi Haggisv, that's great. He must be one of the world's highest rated active players who uses short pips on both sides. I think Aussie over 30 men's champion.

I guess everyone in this section would be interested to know what advantages he gets from using a double SP setup instead of using an inverted rubber on one side.
Author:  mynamenotbob [ 15 Oct 2009, 09:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
Is the Stiga Ultralight blade similar to the Donic Cayman? Sharad's setup seems quite fast.
Author:  amateur101 [ 16 Oct 2009, 07:48 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
mynamenotbob wrote:
Hi Haggisv, that's great. He must be one of the world's highest rated active players who uses short pips on both sides. I think Aussie over 30 men's champion.

I guess everyone in this section would be interested to know what advantages he gets from using a double SP setup instead of using an inverted rubber on one side.


As an all-SP player, the advantages are:

1. Service return
2. Ability to hit through spins
3. Simpler style of play to practice and execute (counter driving and smashing oriented)
4. Less stress and strain on the body (no need for those full swings for killer loops)
5. Cheaper replacement cost of short pips vs. inverted
6. Not many players are used to playing vs. all-SP setups (i.e. getting away with some victories :lol: )
7. Less fuss with respect to cleaning the pips vs. inverted
8. All-SP players, in my experience, tend to get underestimated by inverted users most of the time
9. The all out hitting and smashing style of an all-SP player makes a very entertaining match and grabs a lot of attention (and much laughs and ribbing)
Author:  mynamenotbob [ 16 Oct 2009, 09:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
Interesting. Why don't more players go with double SP?
Author:  amateur101 [ 16 Oct 2009, 10:25 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
mynamenotbob wrote:
Interesting. Why don't more players go with double SP?


The answer is because a spin based style offers much more offensive potential and is inherently more reliable than SP play.

I also read somewhere that it takes longer to train to a competitive level an SP player than an inverted player ( 7 years vs. 5 years).

The SP style with its core of flat hitting does not have the benefit of topspin to pull the ball down to the table or add stability to ball flight, thus it is a risky style to play and there is very little room for error. One's hits must be exact and calculated. There is a very high reliance on speed (vs. spin) and this strategy is inherently error-prone.

Canada's Johnny Huang, probably the best all-SP shakehand player in recent times, rose to as high as no. 10 in the world in 1996. Huang defeated a number of great players such as Waldner but he could not sustain reliable consistency with his all out hitting style.

The remarkable thing with Huang and He Zhi Wen (a pips penholder now in his mid forties--and still playing) is that the less strenuous pips style allowed them to play in their middle age. Huang could still give Timo Boll, Samsonov, and Liu Guozheng fits despite being in his early 40s.
Author:  haggisv [ 16 Oct 2009, 18:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
mynamenotbob wrote:
Is the Stiga Ultralight blade similar to the Donic Cayman? Sharad's setup seems quite fast.


Yes it does seem quite fast to me too... but he has really great touch with that bat though...you can't see that in the video but if you saw him play you'd know... That's why I was also very surprised by the speed of his equipment...
Author:  mynamenotbob [ 20 Oct 2009, 10:09 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
I also think it's interesting that Sharad uses a feather light balsa blade. Generally SP players like these heavy 7-ply blades, don't they?
Author:  amateur101 [ 24 Oct 2009, 02:57 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
mynamenotbob wrote:
I also think it's interesting that Sharad uses a feather light balsa blade. Generally SP players like these heavy 7-ply blades, don't they?


Earlier on, I have tried the Butterfly Balsa Carbo X5 with short pips and did not like it. It was better with 7-ply blades such as Avalox and Clipper.

At any rate, to each his own..
Author:  Geoff [ 07 Dec 2009, 22:23 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
We are the only ones in the world who sell the Stiga Ultra Light. It's a slower/medium balsa blade not dissimilar to the Yasaka Balsa in the way it plays except its a bit lighter.
Author:  kuk [ 18 Mar 2014, 05:31 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
I can't believe Sharad uses such a light blade of around 60-70g. I play two-winged sp style too and when i moved from avalox 700 (85g) to dhs pf4-032 clone (100g) i felt much more confidence and solidness in all kind of strokes. I refer it to the blade weight to a great extent.
I found some info on russian forum (according to a distinguished ussr coach), that optimal weight of the racket lies in the range of 165-175g. And it's no wonder i liked the heavier blade, as 2 sp rubbers are lighter than inverted ones and go to 30-35g each.
So the guess that he uses 100+g bty Mazunov blade (i read it somewhere on ooak) seems more viable to me. And i would certainly give a try to Mazunov with 2 sp if i have a chance.
Author:  haggisv [ 18 Mar 2014, 07:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
I'll ask him next time I see him. ;)
Author:  foam [ 18 Mar 2014, 12:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
I actually thought balsa blades would work well with short pips but I haven't actually tried it.

If you read what he's saying about short swings etc you can see how he likes them. Light blades make big swings get a bit inconsistent. I find a heavier blades helps keep each swing more similar to the average and makes you miss less. Sure it's harder work and it slows the accelerating a bit but the gain in consistency more than makes up for it, that being a 95-100 gram blade compared to a 60-70 gram blade. Interesting about he not breathing while hitting, didn't imagine any kind of table tennis needed that degree of fine aim. Sniper like :up:
Author:  haggisv [ 18 Mar 2014, 16:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: Some tips from Sharad Pandit
When I comes to breathing, I'm sure he knows what he's talking about, as he's a fully qualified doctor working in a hospital.
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