OOAK Table Tennis Forum

BRS suggestion is good, to not run away from the table much. I'd say just work on your loop finish position. I think you are going a little too far and this little change alone will help recovery time.

I have trouble if a loop is blocked well. My default is to just make a counter-hit to a different spot on the table. Not ideal but it can be powerful if I have a little more time than I expected.

Not been able to practice much lately due to other commitments and committee meetings on practice nights but it appears all my efforts over summer have helped. Last night i beat the current top player in the comp in 3 sets, First time I've beaten him though not played for a couple of years. As it stands now, I'm currently the top player in this season though it's very close. The are also a few sitting out the summer but everyone sound be back in Autumn so that's when I'll really know.

I'm thinking more about placement, moving slightly better and recovering a bit better. All these things are due to reading various forums of other members ie brs, ringer, wilkuru etc and the feedback Ive been getting on my own vids. Still a lot of improvement left but nice to get a good result every now and then, hence the small brag:lol:

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

Here's a vid of me playing Steve from tonight. He's the guy I've referred to thats a good blocker and has my measure despite up being about the same level and him seeming to lose to more lower level players than i do. Poor camera angle but all I could do.

I'm interested in feedback as to what I need to improve to beat this type of player or why I'm losing these matches. To be fair to Steve in letting me post the video, I'm not looking at trying to exploit his weaknesses, unless they are general weaknesses of this type of player, just improve areas of my game whether it simply be consistancy, placement, footwork etc. To go with it, would be handy to know HOW to improve an area whether it a certain drill to try.

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

I thought you were moving back but the one problem is that you seem to be staying back and keep your paddle low for the reloop even when his balls come high. You should be really trying to punish the 5th ball. Relooping lets the blocker staying the point when he has made a bad 3rd ball block.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

Watched your vid a couple of times Cobalt. A few things come to mind.

1. Your serve. Its not terribly strategic. Just puts the ball in play. Needs to be varied in length and direction and spin much more. Especially you need to develop a good short serve.

2. You completely miss the loop too much. You take your eyes off the ball too soon and assume it will continue along YOUR calculated path, and when it drops short or slows, your bat has already gone past meeting point. Could be also to do with your glasses focus on near objects. But you need to fix this if you're going to improve.

3. You play the ball to his hitting zones way too much. If you want to develop your own blocking game, fine. If you want to win...you need to either play shorter or wider to him and move him around more, keep him off balance.

4. He controls the points for the most part and has you stretching a lot. This invariably leads to over or underplaying shots...long balls or balls in the net then result. You can take some of his control away by addressing points 1-3. You can also move to the ball a little better at times.

I'm sure there is more, but for now rewatch the vid with these things critically in mind and see if I am right. When you miss the ball, stop the vid and watch it over and over to see your eye direction, head, arm and body movement and what the ball does. One occurence I looked at like this was at 4:36...but there are quite a few.

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Your game has quite a few issues that are going to keep you where you are for a while.

I think if there was one thing that you should learn, since listing too many things would waste your time, I think you should work on emulating your favorite point more often and take the ball earlier. Your upward loop is a bad habit. Your favorite point is a cure for it. Take the ball earlier and with a more forward loop.

The other thing to do is to work on your choice of serves. Serving long to the middle of the table to a blocker is a way of inviting them to rally with blocks as it leaves them in position to play the point without moving. Making players move is the easiest way to test their technique and footwork at all levels. You often serve with more sidespin than you know how to handle on the return. I recommend that you learn to serve with lighter spin as a variation to learn to serve shorter or to wider angles so that the blocker has to make the return while moving so that you can then make your attack to where he is not.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

I see Reb made many of the same points I made and I could easily have made 20 more. You aren't going to get much further with your current movement and backhand either. You either have to accept the movement demands of forehand play or develop a backhand that keeps everything level. Your grip is not doing you any favors, and it almost means that you keep that grip, you would need a pips rubber on your backhand. Players who play with a severe disparity between their two sides often need to find ways to set up their stronger side consistently. Your serves are not good enough right now and your movement needs to improve to play behind even improved serves as well.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

Thankyou for both taking the time to reply and some great help there. I'll respond to each of Reb's points as they pretty much summarise the replies.


Prior to the standard I am now, many of my serves would win points outright, still do, except against Steve and won't at the next level I'm aiming for. This in the past however has developed laziness about not thinking about placement and strategy. Will work on that more. In this practice match I was holding back a bit as I know there are a few serves that often get some free points against him so didn't bring them out and so was actually consciously at times just doing some little no spin serves to experiment, not that often though, so your point is correct.


Definitely, so much that I started this post a while back and nothing has changed. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26506
Good pickup and something work on.


I used to very much just hit my forehand to the middle right of the table, I've started doing the down the line more often but will work on even wider, and shorter. Variety is the spice of life.


Yep, slow recovery I think is part of it. Once again, up to this level, often a spinny loop wins the point, still does against many, but not Steve, he said last night he loves them. Problem is I'm used to doing one, then watching the result rather than recover.

Also a good point by Next Level (and BRS in another post) about taking the ball a bit late. It drops on me then I often get caught and go for a chop, the result is often that it will pop up and be put away.

Thanks again for your input.

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

I've done some analysis of my game and came up with interesting stats. This is as much for me as anything.

Game 1: Lost 11-5 Lost 3 points due to serve return, 5 forehand misses.
Game 2: Won 11-9 Had 6 forehand misses, 5 forehand winners. Note that this was actually our 4th game however I changed it with editing to look like the 2nd otherwise I would have been 3-0 down before this one. I consciously tried to throw my loops a bit higher with less effort in this game and it created more errors.
Game 3: Lost 11-7. Lost 4 points to forehand misses and 5 to Steve's attacks ie lack of block
Game 4: Lost 11-2. Had 6 forehand misses.

A couple other observations about the game. A glaring stat that came out of my last match I analysed was that when my opening loop was returned, I would go on to lose the point 77% of the time (and that was a winning match), this time I only won 4 out of 18 points when my loop was returned ie I lost 78% of the points.

I hit 8 forehand winners and 21 losers. Backhand topspin however was 3 winners, 2 losers. Maybe its the surprise factor or maybe I just don't use it enough. Next Level keeps saying I need a better backhand which is true but perhaps I should at least use it more first.

Can also see that more often than not, my contact with the ball is about an inch below its high point.

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

Very useful stats there Cobalt!

The missing of loops will reduce over time, so that's not a big issue. The blocking off your loops is obvious an issue. How much thought do you put into where you place that loop? Do you aim for the table, to either forehand or backhand, or have the ability to place in an inconvenient spot?

On another note, some players are just good blockers, and continuing to loop against them may not be helpful if you're trying to win a game (although it's obviously great for practice). His blocking may well be as the best in the top grade, but there's probably a weakness to find and exploit... or else he'd beat everyone.

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Thanks Haggisv. My understanding is that an opening loop should put you to advantage. Just had a look at the game again. If I was winning 78% of points on opening loop rather than losing 78%, I would have won this match.

Also just prior to reading your post I noticed how often I put the open up within 15cm of the centre line. Thats his bread an butter. Not that this is an exercise in beating this one player, I'm sure hitting the corners is important against any opponent.

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

Now you're thinking Cobalt. Placement in TT is paramount, even for a looper. The best loopers I play put the ball in the most awkward positions to block (or even reach).

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Where are these positions I should be aiming for Reb. Elbow and corners?

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

Yes, some players will push to a spot to ensure that the opening loop is weak and to their preferred place on the table...in which case it will put them at an advantage. I don't know if this player was that clever, but I know a few player that love to block opening loops unless you place it really well. I'm always slow to recover too, so these players give me trouble, and make me work extra hard to ensure the loop is hard to return.

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

I think you need to find the spot they don't like... it could be as simple as working out the weaker of forehand & backhand.

_________________
OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide