Chris

John invited me to the Div2 end of the season gathering last week and although I haven’t played the past season, not much has changed so I can still relate to their experience quite well. The venue is at the Twisted Hop, a famous local microbrewery/bar/restaurant. Their in house beer on tap is quite refreshing although I’ve only tried one variant before trading all my legal alcohol limit to a bottle of Epic on John’s recommendations. There was only John and Michael when I showed up around half seven and Tim showed up soon after.

Much of the night was centred around player experiences in Div2. It is nice to know that the level in Div2 isn’t dropping further (it was much stronger couple of seasons back) and the boys have all been improving and getting opportunities to play reserve in Div1 (The premier grade in CHCH). We had some fierce debate over techniques as usual, particularly between me and Michael, who suggested a way to force a mid distance smash against top spin drives by opening the face of the blade first then closing without significant support from legs. I can’t agree more with the open face blade as it is difficult to hit the ball with a close face from mid distance but attempting to power in from behind but not under the ball sparks questions on how effective this technique can be. For most people, the only time when they are not hitting the ball from below and behind the ball is when defending (chopping, blocking, etc.) or smashing a high lob. In modern table tennis it is much better (and easier IMHO) to topspin against topspin. The “Spin Theory” once told by Lark if the oncoming ball is spinning at 60rpm, you will only need to spin it at more than 60rpm (brushing the ball against the spin) to effectively control the spin ( your can add to it by brushing more). Don’t be troubled by my last statement thinking that you and your opponent will have to spin harder and harder to stay in rallies. When the ball bounce on the table it will lose a part of its spin so you don’t have to try even half as hard as your opponent to get the ball back, but then you might be disadvantaged by your weak spin for which the opponent now have less pressure getting your shot back. It is also way harder to get your rhythm back after smashing without a soft one. What tend to happen if a winner is not produced is find yourself disadvantaged in the rally as your opponent’s return is unpredictable. I would rather hitting it hard when I can see openings but keeping pressure on with medium power loop/drives. Ultimately, if match point is at stake, looping is statistically the better way to go.

I’m fortunate over the years of playing table tennis have seen many talented juniors coming through and had the privilege of passing on some experience. Particularly the talented, they often are very eager to improve. It is kind of a dangerous situation because without proper guidance they ended up building up their game on loose foundation.

Table tennis being one of the fastest, most dynamic game on earth. asks for super fast reflection, which from a player’s point of view, can only be achieved through repetitive drills that condition the body to coordinate without actively instructed by the brain. Too often I see juniors practicing advanced shots and ignoring the foundation needed and ended up ‘look good’ but don’t convert in games. I know because I’ve been there before. There is no harm on trying stuff out. In fact, it is wrong not to. But appropriate foundation building and conditioning is very important. After just shy of 10 years in the game, I can more or less say I did not play to my full potential because of this.

While I cannot comment for other styles, a shakehand inverted rubber player should be able to ‘roll’ the ball before progress into a loop or drive on both wings. It is not that looping is prohibited before you can roll like a master but the emphasis is on sound foundation.  I hope someone who is a beginner or a junior player looking to improve their game get to read what I wrote above and appreciate that boring and repetitive drills is very much an essential part of every shot in table tennis. Patience is the key here.