All about pushing or is it
Mental Preparation
D K Asked 9 years ago
Hi coach
I am sorry if I am giving too much questions,I am just the type of person who needs it :(
Today I played many matches against pushers
I was,of course,absolutely devastated,never wining more than three points per set.
My problems were defending against high and/or very long (falling near the endline) pushes.
I tried to attack it,but it was too far from the table and I always missed the table.
I did not have to be afraid of my opponent's attack,they were even worse.
But when I tried to win pushing wars,I also lost them.
So is there any way how can I break the rhytm of the pushing rally without attacking?
My teammates told me that if I want to defend,I should do it agressively.
Does that mean that I should use an agressive backspin stroke?
And also:how can I alter my technique to create the most powerful possible backspin on the short ball with my longpips backhand?
Alois Rosario Answered 9 years ago
Hi DK,
You can vary the speed, spin and placement of the push to get an advantage. However first you need to change two things.
First is your attitude to yourself. ”I was, of course, absolutely devastated" means that you are being negative to your own abilities. Just accept whatever level you are and keep working hard. Not everyone will be World champion… in fact very few people ever are.
Then think about practicing your stroke to be more consistent with it. When you have developed more consistency then you can think about making those variations.
This only comes with many years of practice, not just a few months. The good thing about this game is that you can always keep improving, no matter what level, and you can play it at whatever level you are.
Recommended Video
#11 - Improve Your Pushing
The push is an important part of Table Tennis. It is a defensive stroke which you use to make it hard for your opponent to attack. This week we give you a number of pushing drills and even incorporate some pushing games into the session for a bit of fun. We continue to work on your serve and in this session we concentrate on your placement.
Watch NowThoughts on this question
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Dieter Verhofstadt Posted 9 years ago
Hi
i want to give full Marks to Alois' mentioning attitude here. I've been a coach in the game of Go and there too I've seen people with a self defeating attitude. It is of course a way to protect yourself against the feeling of losing when you try to win. If losing becomes a self fulfilling prophecy then you spare yourself from the disappointment.
The right attitude is to always accept the possibility of a loss but still fight for the win, or at least try to win some points by doing what you think is right.
Then if you still lose you can learn. If losing becomes self fulfilling, you protect your ego but you also disable the learning potential, let alone the winning potential.
this is easier said than done and i often find myself in such defeating mode myself, especially when thinking of all the training yours that go to waste against crappy but effective opponents.
D K Posted 9 years ago
Oh... :(
First: "I was devastated": How else would you call it when I never win more tha three points per a set?
Or am I understanding you badly??
I am confused and sad :(
I am just trying to not overestimate my poor skills.
I am trying to see them reallistically.
Working hard?
I am already working as hard as I can but it is hard.
Especially in the case of defense:my teammates were never taught pushing,they all were always taught to flick/loop it.
In the case of the long distance game-can you tell me how to alter my technique,what technique should I work on to make the differences??
I know I should at first gain consistency,but i want to train consistency for short push,then for long,into dead,into backspin,into long high backspin etc. etc.
Especially I have problems with a very high or very long pushes.
Can you please tell me how exactly to alter my stroke during my training for these strokes?
I feel like I never improved,so I want to really do my best to keep getting better.
(and-few months? few = 40 months. But my level did not change)
It is hard to tell what your stroke looks like without seeing it. Maybe send me a video and I can take a look.
Ilia Minkin Posted 9 years ago
D K you can use Dropbox, Google Drive, Yandex Drive, ...