Loop or Drive ???

I am concerned that I am teaching looping vs topspin improperly.  I think I may be trying to get my students to brush the ball too much.   How should a coach judge whether a player is making too solid contact and thus driving the ball vs getting enough brushing to be considered looping and getting the benefits that type of stroke is supposed to give him?

Mark

LUCKYLOOP wrote: A close up video tape of contact in slow motion

But what exactly am I looking for in that slow motion tape?

Mark

Before, my club have at-least 2 Chinese coach, now we have one. My child had been trained from them for several years before and I had learned from them too.

Those coach always want their student loop with speed first, of-course their student has to do with right stroke and right timing as the coach teach. With the beginning student, the coaches will feed the topspin ball for easy loop then coach will correct student's stroke and timing. Then they start do backspin ball for students loop with the same stroke. Coach will increase backspin time by time, year by year depend student level. The Chinese style is loop on the top of the bounce and go forward.

Depend the level, coach will let the students move harder but main thing is move to the ball and using leg (transfer leg to other leg), hip and forearm to loop. Transfer leg to leg and forearm will gain more speed, using more hip will gain more spin.

Right stroke always make the ball go fast and spiny.

This is just my opinion. :)

Note: Depend the rubber and blade can increase speed or spin a little bit more.

Mark, If he can loop 3 different quality spin then use them all. Keep practice and practice up to third ball, fourth and fifth ball. Loop different location and consistent is a key in the game, more spin and more speed will come after they practice year and year, it can not come right away.

My coach always yell students...too late...too late....Coach want students move to the ball and contact on the top of the bounce. Coach never complain too slow or more spin at all because they know it will come later.

Coach always want student consistent move the leg before loop and rally the ball with location. If your student can rally consistent 5th to 6th ball on the table, he will be 2000 easy.

Like I said, Do not worry too much on spin and speed now, it will come after he practice few years.

note: Concentrate on move the leg and bend the knee, those will help consistent looping.

I'm continually trying to move in the direction of 50/50 spin/speed ball from the 80/20 spin/speed ball I perfected over 20 years ago with the 38mm ball. High spin balls aren't as effective (equivalently, not as spinny) with the recent ball change as I'm finding that mere mortals can return my heavy spin loops.

To achieve more speed less spin, I've adjusted my contact from the extreme closed angle to a more open angled solid contact and I think you should observe their racket angles as well. A closed angle racket has a small margin for error - more likely to make racket edge contact.