Your Coach(es) Best Tips

Here I am compiling our coach(es) best tips.. what we will do is that we need to copy and paste previous tips to make it available for other people to read. please put a hyphen before each tip.

-in order to read your opponent's next move, focus on the racket angle and body movements. this will help you anticipate the next possible moves your opponent might do. getting clues from your opponent will help you decide on what to do next and not get surprised.
-brushing the ball is important as it will give the ball a forward and curved motion. having a curved ball will help make your shots no to go over the table. brushed balls are safer compared to balls which are being hit through the sponge with no brushing strokes.
-the kind of service you will make determines the next thing you must do and not do. e.g. - doing a no spin serve and then when the ball is returned, you will loop it with an open angle

"Don't go up, go forward." "Don't stand up when you hit the ball." "Don't let the ball shoot out of your racket when you hit it, guide it forward and keep it on the racket as long as you can."

Table Tennis Training Tips & Sayings

http://www.tabletennisandmore.com/lenisms.htm

Aloha,

BMonkey wrote: "Don't let the ball shoot out of your racket when you hit it, guide it forward and keep it on the racket as long as you can." "

not the best tip when it comes to close table play.

ohhgourami wrote: BMonkey wrote: "Don't let the ball shoot out of your racket when you hit it, guide it forward and keep it on the racket as long as you can." " not the best tip when it comes to close table play.

/shrug. You'll have to explain yourself on that one. Keeping the ball on the racket is how I control the ball. I.E. making an active shot and carrying the ball forward rather than "eating the spin" and making a passive shot.

ybok wrote: Can you explain this one:�� � 33. Play the point, not the situation. (Danny Seemiller) � I think I understand the point part, what distinguishes that from the situation?

Focus on the single point, not whether you are down or up in games or losing or winning.

By "play the point, not the situation", he means if you are loseing, do not change your game. Many people when behind get too carefull giving the other an advantage. Stick to your game.

Exactly as another said, he means to play each point as if that's the entire game; this is what's important, focus on THIS point....not your opponents rating, how many rating points you will win or lose, not the players in the table next to you, not the current score of your game and match. Focus ONLY on this point, the present, not the past or future. I believe I recall Danny telling us that he would "doublethink" or "trick" his mind into believing this was ALWAYS the MOST important point in the match, thus never losing focus. Much wisdom from those "isms"...
Aloha,
Len

-in order to read your opponent's next move, focus on the racket angle and body movements. this will help you anticipate the next possible moves your opponent might do. getting clues from your opponent will help you decide on what to do next and not get surprised.
-brushing the ball is important as it will give the ball a forward and curved motion. having a curved ball will help make your shots no to go over the table. brushed balls are safer compared to balls which are being hit through the sponge with no brushing strokes.
-the kind of service you will make determines the next thing you must do and not do. e.g. - doing a no spin serve and then when the ball is returned, you will loop it with an open angle
-If your ball goes long, don't put less power, add more spin.
-Focus on the single point, not whether you are down or up in games or losing or winning.
-"Don't go up, go forward." "Don't stand up when you hit the ball."
-"Don't let the ball shoot out of your racket when you hit it, guide it forward and keep it on the racket as long as you can."

BMonkey wrote: ohhgourami wrote: BMonkey wrote: "Don't let the ball shoot out of your racket when you hit it, guide it forward and keep it on the racket as long as you can." " not the best tip when it comes to close table play. /shrug. You'll have to explain yourself on that one. Keeping the ball on the racket is how I control the ball. I.E. making an active shot and carrying the ball forward rather than "eating the spin" and making a passive shot.

Not to detract from the thread, but I've had higher level players yell at me for "guiding" the ball.

Maybe there's some misunderstanding here. I certainly agree that you should not be stabbing at the ball or just passively approaching each shot, but keeping the ball on the racket (with chinese rubber at any rate, sounds like control-suicide).

The only players I've seen stroking past the ball had very fast handspeed and very good recovery/return to center (US1900 player looping from mid distance, his stroke would go PAST the ball by a few milliseconds and then the ball would shoot out). is this more what you mean?

icontek wrote: Not to detract from the thread, but I've had higher level players yell at me for "guiding" the ball. Maybe there's some misunderstanding here. I certainly agree that you should not be stabbing at the ball or just passively approaching each shot, but keeping the ball on the racket (with chinese rubber at any rate, sounds like control-suicide). The only players I've seen stroking past the ball had very fast handspeed and very good recovery/return to center (US1900 player looping from mid distance, his stroke would go PAST the ball by a few milliseconds and then the ball would shoot out). is this more what you mean?

ohhgourami wrote: Have you ever tried looping from 1-2 feet from the table?  Try to do drills, just fh to fh loop fast and try to keep it low.  Notice which balls go long.  I can almost guarantee that all those shots that go long are because you carried the ball for too long.  At this distance from the table, you want to just drive it through with tons of spin, not guide it forward.  If the ball stays in, it won't have any pace or spin.

Yea, I think this is just an internet communication limitation. I don't even know how to exactly articulate it. "Stroke the ball" "Hit the ball rather than ball hit the racket"...however you want to put it. This is all much easier to demonstrate face to face.

As far as your looping example ohhgourami, I can loop just fine 1-2ft off the table, my problem area is past 6 ft Maybe the chinese rubber behaves differently than japanese rubber or I innately finish correctly, but whenever I do get the ball to go "in" to my racket, it always shoots out with a ton more speed and spin (when I am looping).

Best advice ever?

-Always be prepared to attack the ball! If you can't attack it, it is easier to change to a defensive mode then it is if you are prepared to defend and get a ball that you can attack.

-Move your feet! Don't reach for the ball, move your feet to get in position instead.

-Play your opponent, not the table!

-When serving, do remind your self that this is the only time when you are actually in total control of the ball, so use it wisely and don't rush the serve!

-Listen to APW, a lot of these advices comes from him

i had a coach a long time ago, like 10 yrs. ago, who used to say the following when i was practicing my serves: "move you arm outta the way!!  y'know, one day they're gonna change the rule and you're not gonna be able to hide the serve anymore, and then what are you gonna do??

I am a R handed CPen.
One common mistake when doing the traditional BH push is putting the R leg in front.  The coach corrected that.  The L (not R) leg should be slightly in front.  When your opponent suddenly hit the ball to your FH, you are not stuck but can take a quick side step and attack with the FH.  Some PH players has a weakness on the FH side because they don't know this little "step".  We won't be exactly like a Ma Lin but it will help a lot!

Can't think of just one thing.  So many.  Here are a few for the ages.

"You have more time than you think you do"  Eric Owens.

"You don't need to be quick to have great timing, sometimes it's better not to be"  Eric Owens.  I dedicate this one to APW46, who has great timing.

"Even at your pitiful level, you ought to be able to fake where you are going on returns of serves and pushes and even on loops occasionally -- freeze your opponent in indecision with a little fake, it's not that hard, you just have to think of doing it and practice it a little"  Eric Owens

"Most people think that trickiness in serves comes from spin or lack of spin and placement, but there is a third thing you can do, mess with cadence and trajectory."  Eric Owens (this one may require some elaboration, but it is an amazingly effective idea once you grasp it).

"A good serve isn't necessarily the spinniest serve.  People straining to get lots of spin on their serves usually have serves that are easy to read.  All it has to be is something other than what it appears to be"  Perry Schwartzberg.

"A return of serve is not like any other shot.  Everything has to be smaller, especially when you are attacking one that gets a bit long.  Even when you are not attacking on your return of serve it doesn't mean you push passively, but the stroke is very very small" Perry Schwartzberg

"You are too big.  Make yourself small"  Huijing Wang  (this one is almost like a zen koan.  This coach does not speak much English.  In the context that she first told it to me I think she wanted me to suck in my gut on return of serve.  Sometimes she says it when she wants me to stay in balance off the table.  At least I think that's what she means.

"Wipe off your rubber, how can you expect to get any spin with that filthy thing?"  Perry Schwartzberg

"If you tend to get mad at yourself, make sure to have exactly one and a half beers before a tournament.  Whisky doesn't work".  Viktor Subonj  (I have never actually tried this one).