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One of the problems in learning (and teaching) table tennis is that there are a rather complex combination of movements done in specific order. Many coaches prefer to isolate some of those movements so students can focus on them better.
Another problem in table tennis is that there are multiple techniques which can be effective at lower levels but break down as the ball speed and spin increase. You can play and be hitting the ball well against lower level players, but actually be developing habits which will limit your ability to get to higher levels. Playing with less complex movements means you have to execute those properly even at lower levels to just get the ball back.
On the Fh side, flat hitting is a way to focus on using hip turn to supply forward power. When trying to spin the ball, students often get arm focused and end up with no leg or hip action. So if your coach is emphasizing hip turn as the way to flat hit I would think you were dealing with a very capable coach.
On the Bh side, flat hitting is a way to focus on generating power with just the lower arm. Trying to spin can cause a student to use the wrong wrist motions to generate their power resulting in an inconsistent slapping motion which can work well against slow balls but breaks down against faster balls.
A third point concerns the difference between teaching a student who is doing serious daily training versus the student who takes1hr lesson once a week and just plays the rest of the time for their 2 days a week devoted to TT. Certain techniques that are vital to reaching a very high level are just too difficult to learn without serious training time. If you have limited training time, you can often play better by getting really good with simple techniques rather than using "professional" technique that you execute inconsistently.
A good read on some of these ideas is the book "Breaking 2000" that describes a club player trying to make serious improvement in his game through the same kind of help and coaching you are describing.
Good luck and enjoy the game.
Mark - Who is not a TT coach but does play one on the internet.
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