Drop down vs straight back backswing

When watching a group of players do Fh to Fh counters during warm-up I have noticed 2 distinct styles of backswing.  In one style the first movement has the racket drop almost straight down by straightening the arm and letting the elbow move slightly back so the arm hangs almost vertically.  Then the body turns (rotates).  And finally the racket is lifted up by bending the arm at the elbow until the forearm is about horizontal.   The forward swing is completed by rotating the body forward and lifting (with the upper arm) the elbow slightly.  These movements overlap slightly so that there is a certain circular quality to the swing.  In the other style the first movement is the racket moving out (to right handed players right) and back.  This is done mainly by rotating the body, but the upper arm can also be moved back a little as well.  There is very little vertical movement of the racket.  Although the racket moves in a quarter-circle motion, from the opposite end of the table it appears to be moving almost in a straight line.  The forward swing is done by rotating the body forward.  Effectively the backswing and the forward swing travel on the same path but in opposite directions.

The first style, drop down, really looks awkward.  It seems to have a lot of extra movement, racket down then up and straighten arm then  bend arm, in the backswing.  The straight back swing looks much more efficient.  However, when watching better players counter back and forth at high speeds, the drop down method seems to keep up perfectly well with the straight back method.

When the players start to loop the relative efficiency of the two backswings seems to switch.  The drop down method seems much more fluid and natural.  The straight back method now has to add a down component and an upward adjustment motion to get into position.  Additionally, if the player is trying to get the arm whip action he has to time the straightening of the arm with the incoming ball so he can then have a good "elbow snap" action.  From the little experimentation I have done it also seems that in the drop down method the blade angle naturally adjusts to a more closed looping position while with the straight back method I have to consciously rotate the wrist/forearm to set the angle.

For those of you have taken any of the coaching certification courses, I was wondering if they suggested teaching one method over the other, taught both methods, or if I am completely imagining that 2 methods exist?  If they discussed the 2 methods what are advantages/disadvantages of both?

Mark 

Dropping the arm more creates loops with more spin and less speed, straight back backswing creates loops with a more direct nature, and less spin in general. Need I say more?

There are world class players that do it both ways. Wang Liqin used the drop down method when hitting counters:    

So what does that suggest to you and me as sub-2000 level amateurs? That this topic is  way down on the Importance List and you should do whatever is comfortable for you.

The question is not about what I am going to do.  It is about how I should be coaching beginning students.  I was wondering if the ITTF coaching courses favored one method over the other or even if they addressed the issue at all.

Right now I tend to favor teaching the straight back method since it is what I learned and what I do.  I think it is a little simpler to get people (especially adult beginners) to execute.  However, I have run across a player or two who have great difficultly in looping the ball when I try to change them from counters to loops.  They seem to always make too solid of contact.  I was wondering if maybe I was creating problems for them by starting with the straight back approach to their counters.

Mark

Next Level wrote "Your student issues are related to other things.  You have to do things to convince them about how the inverted surface works.  I like to force them to take the ball on the fall or show them myself that I can loop balls below table height with brushing contact.  Beginners tend to think line of sight force, not spin arc and dip."

NextLevel wrote "If it didn't help, how did they get the ball to arc onto the table without making proper contact".

They don't get the ball to arc or land on the table.  They hit line drives that either hit the net, clear the net about 1/2 ball height and are devastating winners, or clear the net by more than 1/2 ball height and continue to sail harmlessly off the end of the table.  The winners are about 1 in 5 in practice and about 1 in 10 in match play.

Again, the fact that they just can not seem to figure it out despite my extensive efforts makes me wonder if I am really doing something wrong in my coaching.

Mark

Then get them to do it until the mind adapts.  You overestimate the role of the coach.  You keep on looking for things.  There are many brushing exercises.  You can also make them break their rackets on a spinning wheel until they figure it out.  But you have to get it into their head that until they figure it out, they will never get better beyond a certain point.  Getting beginners to appreciate the value of spin is the second hardest thing I have to teach.  The hardest thing is getting adult beginners to stop being so focused on putting the ball on the table.

Mark, you've taken training from Stellan, can't you adapt that?

Assuming you're working with beginners and recreational players under 1000, then here is what I do:

1) I emphasize going from front to back and not dropping the paddle at all.  The goal is consistency and dropping the paddle adds a lot of complications to timing your hit on the ball.  In point of fact, you don't need to drop the balls to generate decent spin; just close your paddle more and increase your racket speed. People who hit very flat shots (no arc) usually have their paddle too open.

2) To me, the hardest thing to teach is the body rotation instead of using the shoulder, something I think you also struggle with.  And once you get them thinking about body rotation, then people tend to lose their backswing (cut it short) and then overswing their follow-through (swing around to the other side of their head or body).  So I try to correct that while working on the body rotation.

3) If I can get them to make good body rotation at a moderate pace of hitting, then I working on brushing the ball.  The emphasis is on a small snap of the forearm. I tend to put less emphasis on the exact mechanics for adding spin and more on getting them to visualize brushing the ball.

4) To expand upon he idea of increasing spin, we can do drills where people move away from and closer to the table, to spin balls off the bounce, on the top of the bounce, and after the top of the bounce.

5) Once the student gets to work on these steps, then I work on footwork, moving the ball around.

Keep the mechanics as simple as possible for the beginners.  If someone wants to learn more complicated motions later, they should have a professional coach to guide them.