OOAK Table Tennis Forum

This was my first time recording myself playing table tennis in any capacity. There was nothing I was specifically looking for, nor was I working on anything specific that night. These were just fun games at the end of the night against a friend playing with inverted (red) and no sponge, long pips (black). Originally I expected to just watch this for my own deconstruction, but after watching many times and adding timestamps of things I noticed I'm now interested in anything others might be willing to share.

Feel free to either watch as a whole or just pick out specific timestamp sections based on interest/time. I'm not specifically looking for tips to beat this player or his style. I'm more interested in ideas that will make me a more competent player overall (be it decision making, movement, technique, strategy, etc.).

I played basement ping pong from age 5-15 with paddles that played more like anti so the vast majority of my experience has been completely devoid of spin. In the last 3 years I've been playing once per week with rackets and players that can actually generate spin (whole new world). I stopped playing for 10 months due to partial tear of bicep and now I'm starting back again. From an elbow health standpoint I feel comfortable hitting most shots (as much as I'm capable) except I'm quite tentative when looping chops endlessly as elbow pain starts to make itself known.

Any observations/suggestions (posted here or on the video) would be appreciated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws81toY ... e=youtu.be

So after watching the video I can say that the things that I found out to be possibly problematic for your game development for the moment are:
1. Your stance is BH oriented. You have a pretty good FH loop but because of you right leg (that is, most of the time, in the front) you can't use it as much as you could in this match.
2. Your blocks and flat punches are mostly with a chopping motion (mostly BH). I mean - they are like chop-blocks or something. This, by itself, is not a bad thing, but you need to be able block with a regular forward-upward motion too. It's easier to work against the opponent's topspin this way, also it returns the ball faster to your opponent. Your motion seems to be more like an old habit from the old paddles.
3. Something about your FH push seems strange to me. It's like the motion is too big. Or more like - the angle of the plane of the FH rubber changes too much during the stroke (I hope what I said is understandable ). I think you should try and make it shorted and straighter, I guess.
These are the things I think are important here. I'm not a coach or anything, just an amateur too, also I can be too direct, so no harsh feelings here please
Some can say that your grip is "wrong" - I wouldn't care about that.
Overall I like the variation you try to bring in the game - . This is not an easy task but it's always nice when it works

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My ooak blog.

1.Thank you for the insight. Getting my left foot forward has been a struggle. I realize it's not the case, but my body feels so closed to the table when I do that. I think perhaps standing more on the backhand side of the table might help reduce that feeling while also allowing me to play more forehands.

2.You're spot on with the chop block comment as well. I've at least stopped doing the "forehand" block where I use a motion from my left shoulder to my right elbow, but I don't have very much forward motion to my blocks. As a result they are floaty and while that gives me time to get back into position I would generally be better served using my opponent's pace to put them off balance redirecting the shot more forward rather than upward. I suspect (with many of my techniques) that better footwork would allow me to get in front of the ball better and give me more control over these shots.

3.I've never thought about it before, but I think my forehand push is (unintentionally) the more aggressive style where I'm waiting for the ball to reach it's peak and trying to hit down on the ball with an open racket...this is more like a forehand slice in tennis. Everything I see about pushing suggests I should be taking the ball much earlier than I typically do. As for the change in racket angle I think that's probably just me not being ready for the shot and trying to make adjustments to the angle while I'm making the stroke.

You've given me some things to add to my list and I really appreciate it. I've always got a notes tab open so I can reference ideas when looking to improve.

Just a couple things from me. You hit some very nice FH shots in the match, and your experience shows in the match.
1. Your FH loop seems to be your best weapon, so most of your game should be geared toward using it. The only situation where you’d be endlessly looping is against a good chopper, and against this you can alternate with push shots. Keep your left foot out front and develop the footwork to use FH from multiple places.
2. Try to keep your racquet angle consistent during your shot, and your shots will be more consistent. With the FH push, you start with the racquet totally facing the opponent, then open it to push, then close it again.
3. Like mentioned, you should develop a basic BH block with a slightly closed angle to use against topspin. The good news is this block is easier to learn than the chop-block which you already have down. Also, should probably develop a BH drive shot. If you’re going to break the habit if chop-blocking on BH, you have to have another bread and butter shot to rely on.