OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Then they also don't believe in serve training with a bucket of balls? This is certainly a form of multiball.

I am a multiball skeptic although I use it a lot. I believe that multiball (and bucket of balls serving) MUST be part of an overall training strategy at all levels. I'm a huge fan of semi multiball which often includes 2 players and a coach. An example is the coach pushes long, one player spins a loop and the second player counters, repeat.

The Chinese probably use basic multiball in 50% of their training. I think this is a bit too much and it shows in the level of pro players throughout the Chinese provinces. Many of these multiball players fail to understand what is happening in a real match and struggle to adapt to variations of spin and speed. I see the Chinese National Team using more semi multiball these days. I see it in Europe too.

Original multiball should be used to improve one's technique, spin, power and accuracy. Hopefully it starts to show up in exercise and matches after 100 years of hard work.

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Interestingly, they do believe in training service with a bucket of balls. Their argument against basic multiball is the one you made --- that players get used to the same kind of balls too much and fail to adapt to different variations. I can't say anything from my experience because multiball has (sadly) never been a part of my training on any consistent basis.

I also like semi-multiball like DTT29, mostly because I can do it with an almost complete beginner and get good training. Do you know any other similar drills?

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This reminds me about dating. One dating expert told me to ask 200 women out on a date. Do it on the street, shops etc. After being rejected 200 times you will gain the mindset to be completely OK with rejection. Once you are non needy the women will start to respond. Women can pick up a needy man a mile away.

I had a coach that would ask me how I went in a comp game. I told him I has happy with my game and played well but lost to a better player. He told me that is the wrong mindset and you should be upset with any loss. The coach was extremely super competitive and I assumed you needed this to rise to the top of any sport.

I realized that to put Brett's concept of correct body mechanics to give the power and spin you need a relaxed wrist, arm and shoulder. Lower level club players start the stroke by tightening up their arm muscles. For years I feel I was not that relaxed and the videos looked robotic. Coaches would tell me I am hitting too hard. Very few told me just relax more.

Looking at a video of yourself will show if you look stiff and robotic compared to any pro. Most players hate looking at their videos.

My question is how do you teach adult learners this concept of relaxation? I am trying slower shadow swings with the correct body movement for them to feel the body moves first and then the relaxed arm follows.

I notice some pros shake the bat in the start of the serve ritual to feel a relaxed wrist.

I have mixed feelings about relaxation, especially with the serve. If I tighten myself up, the service is likely to pop up high, which is a no-no. If I relax too much, I have greater control over the length and the height, but then the spin goes away. I am constantly searching for a perfect point in between, especially against stronger opposition when it is crucial to serve low. Unfortunately, I am more likely to miss it than not.

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Your Russian colleagues are very close to understanding tt, though they have got the solution wrong imo. I could write an article on the negatives of serving with a bucket of balls, multiball, single ball, practice matches, set routines, playing tournaments etc etc. All of these are bad for progress in many ways.

The key isn't to stop doing all of the above to improve your tt...it's to understand the negatives and to do it all anyway. The fact that there is a long list of negatives for every single way of training is the reason why tt progress is so slow.

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The solution is to serve properly. A player needs to get the technique right and then start aiming for targets/results.

Do you tense up or relax when you run? Or do you just run? Do you tense up when typing on your keyboard?

We tense up when we lack confidence in what we are doing. Then the coach tells us to relax and we lose power and spin etc. Waldner look relaxed because he was so competent and confident at what he was doing.

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You teach them to relax by teaching them correctly. Often this involves teaching them how to use their legs correctly. Tightness is often the result of using your arm without proper momentum from the body.

Imagine yourself riding a bike at 15mph. The balance is easy because of the momentum. Now imagine trying to balance on a bike moving at 0mph. You'd be tense, right? The arm also needs to be supported by additional body momentum to remain "relaxed".

Everyone starts out awkward and it's okay. Once they start moving in the "correct" way then the tension should slowly disappear. Telling someone to relax (or tense up) is kind of missing the entire point.

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It depends. If I am in a low-intensity training/recovery run, I can just run and relax to the point that I can think about other life stuff. If I am running a race with a goal of running as fast as I possibly can on this given day it is completely different. In that case, I experience body tension comparable to playing multiple forehands in a row during a long point in a competitive TT match, except that it lasts much longer.

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I also really like the still facial expressions of the top players when they make their shots. They are often just hilarious. Do these guys look relaxed to you?

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Epic facial expression at the moment of impact during a serve

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That is a very interesting concept. One may argue that playing too much competition will be bad for technique, and doing too much of set drills is bad for match toughness and anticipation. So you have to do everything in the right proportions to reap all the benefits and negate the downsides... Maybe next time I will try to talk to them about it.

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Student: Master, I am not relaxed when I serve against my opponents...

Master Snake: To relax when you serve, you must do it properly. When you do it properly and only then shall you experience true relaxation...

Student: So I have to go to the dungeon and train for 3 years and serve properly... then I will experience true relaxation?

Master Snake: That is the path, yes.

3 years later...

Student: Master, I have learned how to serve properly. I am not relaxed when I serve against opponents...

Master Snake: Then you need to learn how to control your emotions...

Student: You told me that I needed to learn to serve properly!

Master Snake: I am a coach, I help you get better, are you not serving better and winning more matches now?

Student: Yes, but I am not relaxed when I serve against opponents....

Master Snake: So what do you want? To serve better or to relax when you serve against opponents?

Student: To relax when you serve against opponents...

Master Snake: Give up trying to win points, it is the only way...

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

They are not relaxed because they are under enormous pressure in match situations. This does not mean that you should deliberately train with tension in your face and neck. You should train correctly and realize that sometimes it won't be perfect in matches when you are being pushed beyond your limits.

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It's funny how Master Snake works, isn't it? He's just full of Zen riddles. It's also funny how students think as well. They don't know if they want to be more relaxed or tense. No wonder Master Snake is full of contradictions.

Have I ever told you about the book "Zen in the art of archery"? I'm guessing I have. It reminds me of your post.

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