Ma Long's technique

LAST PART!

Backhand “flipping flick”

(Yellow box) Backhand “flipping flick” is a threatening technique which is Ma Long's special trick. “Flipping flick” is actually a flick with fake pushing motion. It often surprises the opponent.

It is not a new technique, but it is not common either because it is difficult to hit and brush enough in a short time. Although this technique can surprise opponents, but its lack of power and spin would give opponents chance to counter-attack if they step backward slightly.

Ma Long usually do this flick when opponents push the ball short, because short pushes are not likely to have strong spin, so “flipping flick” can be done consistently. “Flipping flick” requires a lot more forearm and wrist movement than sidespin flick. Amateur players can reference the motion of forehand flick when learning this technique.

Brushing is important when flicking because it is necessary to overcome the backspin on the coming ball.

(Caption in picture 5) Open the bat slightly, aiming the mid-bottom of the ball; lower the body

(Caption in picture 6) Shoulder move forward slightly; close the bat and hit the mid-top of the ball; forearm move forward with elbow as axis

(Caption in picture 7) Wrist turn right and up, more brushing, keep the arc low

(Caption in picture 8) relax arm and recover; right foot stomp the floor to make body moves backwards

(White box)

(Red text) lower the body, upper-body lean forward; wrist turn downwards, aim for mid-bottom of the ball

(Black text) Before Ma Long did the backhand “flipping flick”, his body was very low just like when he's pushing; but his stand was firmer and lower than pushing the ball. Ma Long stepped forward slightly before his hit the ball . It can lower the body and the eye sight, so the contact point can be more precise. Also a firm stand can ensure quick recovery.

In picture 1-4, Ma Long's motion was exactly the same as he was pushing. Most of his body weight was lying on right leg, therefore his right leg was bent, and it made his body steady. On the other hand, his body and his bat kept a fair distance from the coming ball, so he could have enough time to flick. This is distinctive to a push. When pushing, contact with the ball was usually made just after its bounce, so the power of the coming ball can be used.

In picture 4, Ma Long's wrist turned downwards, bat was opened and aimed at mig-bottom of the ball, there built up power. This motion was also different to a push. If it is a push, the wrist will turn upwards for more brushing. Amateur players can use this to determine your opponent's stroke.

Although we can see the differences between push and flick in these pictures, in fact it only happens at an instant, so it is still difficult to determine what Ma Long's gonna do.

(Red text)Close your bat slightly, hit the ball with power from the wrist

(Black text) Picture 5-7 showed when Ma Long hit the ball. In picture 5, his bat was slightly opened. Then it became slightly closed in picture 6. The turning of wrist will naturally brush the ball from bottom to top, create some topspin; at the same time forearm generated a forward force to drive the ball forward. In picture 7, his wrist moved rapidly to up right to lower the arc. Wrist movement was the crucial part in “flipping flick”.

When practicing “flipping flick”, amateur players should focus on: 1. open the bat and aim for mid-bottom of the ball before contact 2. Keep the body low throughout and stomp the floor by right foot 3. Make contact when the ball is at its peak or just after its peak 4. Wrist should turn inside sufficiently before hitting the ball, but follow through shall be kept short 5. Do not close the bat too much, aim for mid-top of the ball 6. Adjust wrist motion according to the spin of the coming ball e.g. if the ball has strong backspin, wrist should move more upward to overcome it 7. Do not open forearm fully to increase consistency.

Backhand “flipping flick” should be done in a sudden for it to be effective. Amateur players should build this technique from backhand looping over the table. In practical, we can combine backhand looping, backhand “flipping flick” and backhand sidespin flick together, make it more difficult for opponents.

As what was mentioned, the abdomen was contract so that there will be more room to guide the racket for the "twisted  loop". See how much he twists his arm? And when he did the swing, the contracted abdomen was relax. So basically as u guide the racket and pull back to the "twisted" position, u contract your abdomen and as you releases your swing, you relax your abdomen to a straighten stage. The use of abdomen is important for amateur. As what was mentioned, for the start, they can stand a bit further and have "feel" of the forearm & wrist movement. After that, includes the use of abdomen ...

Backhand sidespin flick

(Yellow box) Backhand sidespin flick is not a unusual technique, almost every shakehand looper has learned this technique already. It is commonly used in receiving serves, but rarely in consecutive pushes. It is because this backhand sidespin flick relys on power on the coming ball. It is easier to do sidespin flick when the coming ball has side-back spin.

The properties of the spin and placement of this stroke are tricky. But the power of the ball is relatively weak, and placement is limited. If your opponent attack uncompromisingly, you are in trouble. We can see that in the recent Asian game Men single final: Ma Long always used a side-step counterloop against Wang Hao's sidespin flick. But it is still very useful for amateur players, sometime it can score directly even.

When we use backhand sidespin flick we need to be prepared for continuous attack, and we also need to recover quickly for the next stroke.

(Caption in picture 5): Contract abdomen so there will be enough room for back-swing

(Caption in picture 6): Lot of wrist movement for enough power; elbow points to right, so forearm can be flexible

(Caption in picture 7): Forearm moves with elbow as axis; slightly open bat angle, contact mid-left of the ball

(Caption in picture 8): Straighten abdomen to release power from the body; feet should make the body weight stable

(White box)

(Red text) light steps, stable body weight, contract abdomen, enough back-swing

(Black text) Rhythm should be slow and steady when doing backhand sidespin flick. Amateur players flick too rapid, which disrupt the rhythm. In picture 1-3, Ma Long's steps were short, and his upper body was relatively straight, so his body weight was stable. Amateur players miss the rhythm not only because they are too rapid, but also due to their positioning ---- they often side-step when receiving serves, so they need to adjust when they want to do backhand stroke. It will make the body too close to the table, and miss the right contact point.

In picture 4-6, Ma Long was contracting his abdomen really tight, and slightly raised his arm, for enough space for back-swing. His wrist movement was very big especially in picture 6. These motions were all for better brushing. We need to highlight spin in backhand sidespin flick, to make it more difficult for oppoents. We need to keep the bat horizontal in back-swing. Some player would make the bat vertical because they want to brush the side of the ball, but it will limit the release of power from the wrist.

(Red text) Match abdomen movement wih arm movement

(Black text) In picture 7-9, Ma Long's sidespin flick was rather powerful, his abdomen was straight to release power from the body. His forearm was moving forward with the the elbow as the axis when hitting the ball, and his wrist was turning to brush the ball. In picture 7, Ma Long contacted the ball at mid-left, but this was closer to center, because Ma Long was highlighting topspin rather than sidespin, which matched with Ma Long's style.

Amateur players should focus on straightening abdomon. From picture 7-9 we can see that when Ma Long straightened his abdomen he looked like he was crouching. On the other hand, he used his legs to keep the body weight stable. Amateur players should learn this motion to feel how to use power from the body efficiently.

It was obvious that Ma Long generated most forward force from his arm motion. Even his wrist was trying to hit/brush forward. Most amateur player generate sideward force in order to increase sidespin. But it will reduce forward force at the same time, which make the ball slower and easier for opponent. If we want power and spin at the same time, we could adjust wrist and forearm movement: forearm mainly generate forward force, while wrist motion produce the spin. But it takes more time to learn.

In picture 8, Ma Long's wrist sopped after hitting the ball, so the power would be released in a instant. If the wrist is loose and turn too much we will lose control.

In picture 9-10, his stomping helped him to shorten his follow through motion, so he can recover to ready position quickly. That's what we call good tactical mind. We should be ready for topspin rally after doing the flick.

Amateur players can stand a little bit further away from the table and hit the ball at its peak. They should add abdomen motion after mastering wrist and forearm movement. Also they should avoid too much hitting (compare to brushing). Spin is the first priority when doing backhand sidespin flick.

APW46 wrote: ZingyDNA wrote: APW46 wrote: ZingyDNA wrote: APW46 wrote: ZingyDNA wrote: ^ No no thing wrong, but TT fans like to learn from famous top players, as opposed to unknown junior players.    Why? Because they are more of fans than players? If that magazine feature Gu Yuting to demonstrate the same techniques, I bet the sales are gonna drop...  Who mentioned sales? everything does not have to be commercialised, every one of the players that come to the UK from China to play TT show exellent technique, far adequate for most amature players to copy and improve, and often very aproachable for coaching at very reasonable rates. Try booking Ma long for an hours coaching.........get my drift? No one here can afford Ma Long coaching. That's why they look at a magazine to try to learn his technique. It makes them feel like being coached by him. This is what this thread is all about...  But they are not being coached by him are they, that is why they put the emphasis on style rather than substance.

By copying a style and technique often assists in making the substance and quality of shot improve as well. If this type of documentation was readily available in the rest of the world, i would bet the general standard of the game would improve also.

ZingyDNA wrote: APW46 wrote: ZingyDNA wrote: APW46 wrote: ZingyDNA wrote: ^ No no thing wrong, but TT fans like to learn from famous top players, as opposed to unknown junior players.    Why? Because they are more of fans than players? If that magazine feature Gu Yuting to demonstrate the same techniques, I bet the sales are gonna drop...  Who mentioned sales? everything does not have to be commercialised, every one of the players that come to the UK from China to play TT show exellent technique, far adequate for most amature players to copy and improve, and often very aproachable for coaching at very reasonable rates. Try booking Ma long for an hours coaching.........get my drift? No one here can afford Ma Long coaching. That's why they look at a magazine to try to learn his technique. It makes them feel like being coached by him. This is what this thread is all about...

Edited by ejmaster - 01/11/2011 at 6:40pm

APW46 wrote: ZingyDNA wrote: APW46 wrote: ZingyDNA wrote: ^ No no thing wrong, but TT fans like to learn from famous top players, as opposed to unknown junior players.    Why? Because they are more of fans than players? If that magazine feature Gu Yuting to demonstrate the same techniques, I bet the sales are gonna drop...  Who mentioned sales? everything does not have to be commercialised, every one of the players that come to the UK from China to play TT show exellent technique, far adequate for most amature players to copy and improve, and often very aproachable for coaching at very reasonable rates. Try booking Ma long for an hours coaching.........get my drift?

No one here can afford Ma Long coaching. That's why they look at a magazine to try to learn his technique. It makes them feel like being coached by him. This is what this thread is all about...

APW46 wrote: ZingyDNA wrote: ^ No no thing wrong, but TT fans like to learn from famous top players, as opposed to unknown junior players.    Why?

Because they are more of fans than players? If that magazine feature Gu Yuting to demonstrate the same techniques, I bet the sales are gonna drop...

ZingyDNA wrote: ^ No no thing wrong, but TT fans like to learn from famous top players, as opposed to unknown junior players.

 Why?

blahness wrote: APW46 wrote:  I help plenty of forum members through private PM coaching, and If you actually read what I'm saying its useful, if not just ignore it. My response on this was not prompted by the initial thread starter, but by comments made later in the thread, and if you read them it makes more sense.  The world number 1 is not a better player than the world number 50 because he has better stroke play, the stroke play is set in a player far earlier than his peak and is the same stroke play he had as an unranked or low ranked junior, other factors make a top player complete, if you think that is not constructive advice, fine, some might learn from it though. I don't think what you're said is constructive at all. From what you've said, we should not even bother about improving our stroke play? If you think the stroke play of Ma Long, Wang Hao, Zhang Jike, Timo Boll or Samsonov is the same as the stroke play of WR 50-100 players, you're just sadly mistaken. The power, control and stability of their "stroke play" is just on a completely different level. Besides, this article is not just stroke play, it involves delicate skills like the BH sidespin loop, BH flick, and FH loop off half long balls. These are definitely not just "stroke" play. Anyway, this article is definitely not for those who lack basic FH/BH fundamentals.

 So, the players you mention, Ma Long etc......... how good do you think their strokes were before they made the world top 100?  Guess what, they would have been perfected and ingrained long before that. Its one thing having a technically perfect stroke, and something altogether different having the complete package required to make the top in the world.  Anything wrong with the stroke of these two juniors;

Has anyone not noticed that World TT (both the chinese and japanese version) publish stories like these every month? I've seen them with Wang Liqin, Zhang Yining, Kan Yo, Yoshida Kaii, and im sure plenty that more I haven't seen. 

kenneyy88 wrote: APW46 wrote: When are you guys just gonna realise that strokes don't make the player, any world class player in the top 100 has the same firepower,  the looped drive winner is just the hammer that knocks the nail in, the best guy in the world is always than man on top form through other reasons, usually because his total touch/ service, and actually total awareness of top TT play has reached a real peak, its nothing to do with his stroke play. You cannot win on only service or touch. Strokes are very important. If you do not have any strokes, you will surely lose the game. A player with simple service and excellent strokes are much better than a player without any strokes. The player without good strokes will make errors on returning long services and the other player will be free to attack.

Kenneyy88, I think you misread. APW is stating that FOR THE TOP 100, stroke technique is already so refined that it is not the differentiator in matches.

Certainly at lower levels the quality and effectiveness of strokes may distinguish playing ability quite a bit. But the game is complex enough that it is still more about level and understanding of the game than what the mechanics look like.

At one of my clubs the player with some of the best (and most textbook) technique (1 year of drilling FH and BH topspin, ready position) is only about US900. The US1500-1600 players can't say enough good things about how solid his strokes look. And he gives several US1100 players fits. But some of the US1200-1300 players frequently just serve him off the table and prevent him from using his strokes effectively. Level makes more difference than strokes. Similarly, I recently watched a US2300 player serve (and serve return) a US1900 player off the table. No rallies required. It was irrelevant that the US1900 player had better stroke mechanics; the US2300 player simply understood and executed the game at a different level and could execute.

blahness wrote: APW46 wrote:  I help plenty of forum members through private PM coaching, and If you actually read what I'm saying its useful, if not just ignore it. My response on this was not prompted by the initial thread starter, but by comments made later in the thread, and if you read them it makes more sense.  The world number 1 is not a better player than the world number 50 because he has better stroke play, the stroke play is set in a player far earlier than his peak and is the same stroke play he had as an unranked or low ranked junior, other factors make a top player complete, if you think that is not constructive advice, fine, some might learn from it though. I don't think what you're said is constructive at all. From what you've said, we should not even bother about improving our stroke play?

That's not what he said at all. He said the Top 100 don't win by having better stroke play.

ichini wrote: i'm sorry if i offended you blahness,but i'm just correcting you,not criticizing you

The reply above was honest, not sarcastic... :) Thanks for the correction

ichini wrote: blahness,you got the BH sidespin flick and BH flick totally wrong,first,yr BH sidespin flick is not a flick,its actually a over the table loop,and yr BH flick,we don't hit or brush the underneath,just that Ma Long style is different,he does that to confuse his opponent,he is actually hitting/brushing the top of the ball,if you look carefully,you'll notice the difference,if we aim for the lower part of the ball,it'll be pushing.just my 2c

You're completely right...

blahness,you got the BH sidespin flick and BH flick totally wrong,first,yr BH sidespin flick is not a flick,its actually a over the table loop,and yr BH flick,we don't hit or brush the underneath,just that Ma Long style is different,he does that to confuse his opponent,he is actually hitting/brushing the top of the ball,if you look carefully,you'll notice the difference,if we aim for the lower part of the ball,it'll be pushing.just my 2c

Things I've learnt from this article:
FH loop-kill against underspin
Even if it's a loop-kill, the follow-through has to be high. Just hit it like a slow loop, except harder.

FH loop against half-long balls
Contact the ball earlier and over the table! I've never thought of this before, going to try it!

FH counterloop
The basis of the FH counterloop is the active block against topspin(正手快带）. Ma Long contacts the ball at about 45 degrees closed, not 90 degree as i once thought. The force should go mainly forward not upwards. And focus more on brushing not hitting!

BH sidespin flick
The secret to having power in the stroke： The straightening of the back!

BH flick
Aim for the lower part of the ball. By making the follow-through more compact(making a sudden stop to the movement after hitting the ball), you have more control and more power.