First Match vs Cody: Welcoming a New Club Member 🏓

[@Gruntle-i8w]

Adding a post to this for the algorithm since I didn't post for a while: Glad to see you smiling so much, especially after match! Awesome that you managed to, at 3:00, reproduce the forehand you managed before in the match against Viorel! (kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6CrnIqil9GYpaM) Since during my absence, you were aptly reminded by knotwilg of keeping your racket high (Now I'm back at haunting you with that, ha!), I'd like to re-iterate on something kettch wrote you a week ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5mwhnWPlNt2fZI&lc=UgziY_uJP8mLfum0QCZ4AaABAg Hitting through the ball, excercising more force forward instead of up, spin-to-speed ratio of a strike, it's all the same fundamental concept: 100% spin 0% speed is bad (slow loop harmless, can be counterspinned), 100% speed 0% spin is bad (pure smashing without any spin makes for very inaccurate shots, like firing a smoothbore musket without rifling to spin the bullet). Just 4 days ago, this video was uploaded, which I think is fate, because it's like this was made for you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGiZdKKVeNKna9k Filmed at Seattle Pacific Table tennis Club (with beautiful dark painted walls), maybe you can relate to it because it's team USA (Despite the players speaking Mandarin...). Whole video is very recommended especially because the coach is very good and emphasizes that everyone has a different forehand form because humans are built different and you need to find your own, and that only the fundamentals are the same and matter. However, the most relevant part for you starts at 11 minutes in: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGiZdKKVeNKna9k&t=660s When they start talking about hitting vs brushing (spin/speed ratio kettch mentioned) and the coach demonstrates the different sounds a racket makes when hitting solidly vs purely brushing. This hitting vs spinning ratio is a fundamental aspect of table tennis and can be used consciously on every stroke, not just countering high spinny balls, but also during your regular loops. There's a nice example in this video as to how different a racket sounds when hitting solidly but with spin versus just smashing. At 1:34, Cody's racket makes the 'click' sound of a solidly hit loop and curves onto the table, directly after, at 1:40, Cody's racket makes the dull sound of a pure smash and the ball flies out. At 1:22, your racket makes the dull smash sound (with no grimace and only underarm force behind it) and the ball inevitably flies out. At 1:46, your racket makes the klick of a solidly hit loop, and the ball is fast enough and kicks enough to win against Cody, depite you not doing a huge swing, not grimacing, and being relaxed. It was the right ratio of speed and spin for this shot. At 3:16, your racket makes the almost silent woosh of a pure brush. Even Cody attempts to attack on the weak ball that is the result. On many of your forehands in the past, you take a huge swing, make a grimace and clench your teeth during stroke, but your racket makes no sound at all. That's waaay too much power used for producing very weak forehands. Less power, but more of the power invested into speed, and less into spin (counterintuitively, you will get more effective spin if you invest less power into it and more into speed, because the investment in speed engages the sponge of your rubber, and only an engaged sponge produces the maximum amount of spin. You can't spin well with just the topsheet.). Also, against slow loops, exactly as kettch seid, same as when blocking, the movement is forward and down, not up: Zhang Jike demonstrates the principles kettch had mentioned in this video, demonstrating counterlooping at 4m11s onward: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqfTnKKvbNasna8 The more topspin you are countering, the higher your stroke needs to start, and the more downward you need to press the ball. That's why keeping your racket up as default is so important for so many strokes. It needs to start high and press down both for blocks and counterloops, meaning your defenses or counterattacks against the opponent's most dangerous balls. You can still lower it for your own openings against weak returns, but it's not the weak stuff we prepare to counter at any time.

[@BenSucksAtPingPong]

GAH! What an awesome video. Makes so much sense. It just seemed to click. Also, I noticed it during the club night on Saturday where I did tend to keep my paddle up (like your last paragraph mentioned) I'm almost FORCED into a downward stroke on a block when it's #1 - above the table and #2 - when my STANCE is low - that's where the downward press comes from. That guy's forehands looked so effortless on that video. I'm actually a little jealous that he can brush so well that it's almost 'too much' sometimes I feel like when I do that it's on accident - Thank you again -