Stop the flat hit bad habit
Training
Benzene Chiral Asked 7 years ago
Hihi Pingskills,
Whenever I teach people how to Topspin on the forehand, I realised that many are already very used to flat hitting, and will still go ahead and flat contact before pretending to end very high such that it looks like Topspin. I recorded and realised that's the problem.
What is the optimal way of kicking that habit?
I thought of making them do "standing parade": means keeping their arm and racket at that fixed closed angle for muscle memory, then make them do the topspin action in slow motion, and slowly speed up. Then I hold the ball and simulate the projectile motion in slow motion as well. Is that a good idea?
Are there better ideas?
Thanks!
Alois Rosario Answered 7 years ago
Hi Benzene,
The slow action can work for some players to get them to really feel the positions of the hand and arm.
Give it a try and see how you get on.
Also feedback for them during the normal stroke can help. Get them to touch something lower and then complete the action to the finish position. You can do this by putting an object at the right height for them to touch before playing the shot.
You can also get them to focus on the trajectory of the ball. By placing a rod high above the net that they need to hit the ball over will force them to hit the ball with topspin to get it up and down in time. This will give them the feel of the contact. Once they have that, you can then remove the rod and get them to focus on the brushing contact.
Recommended Video
#19 - Varying the Pace Part 2
Varying your speed is such a critical part of Table Tennis the focus of this session is again about changing up the pace of your shots. Today we focus more on changing up the pace of your topspin attacks.
Watch NowThoughts on this question
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Benzene Chiral Posted 7 years ago
Thanks coach! Will give it a try.
Will be interested in the outcomes and which approach if any works for you.
Aniketh Danam Posted 7 years ago
Do u both play aggressively.
My friebds suggested not to play aggressive.
John Croes Posted 7 years ago
Benzene, are you letting your students watch the videos you recorded of them? I find that watching a video of them with them and pointing out what they should do differently or what they're doing that is not what you want can help. Several of my students tell me that the video of their errors helps them.
Chandrachur Mukherjee Posted 7 years ago
I used to always try to brush the ball, but now I realized that punching the topspin in a smash type action is much faster and difficult to defend than counter topspinning the ball. Now I only use the brushing topspin action for backspin balls.
Rohan Keogh Posted 7 years ago
Benzene, I had the same problem as your student when first learning to brush the ball. I missed the ball entirely, a lot. I think it happens because 1) the timing is different to what you are used to when flat hitting, 2) the significantly smaller contact area, and 3) with a closed bat you no longer have direct sight of the contact since the bat now effectively 'hides' the ball from view at that moment.
2 things helped me overcome the missing (and frustration):
I build a 'brushing practice' device - basically, a home-made version of this http://www.tabletennis11.com/other_eng/neottec-spin-ball
Because the ball isn't moving, you get to practice the brushing action and can focus on the stroke and contact.
The other thing was a drill where I stood close-in to the table at my BH corner in a FH ready position. I then dropped a ball on the table so it bounced low - no higher than the net. The challenge was to lift the ball from just a few inches above the table. With virtually no back swing available, it requires brushing the ball with a short but rapid movement and also getting the timing right. I don't miss top spins/loops anymore :) Cheers.