pbsmick

So it’s being a while since my last blog. August 2012 I had a huge career change and that has impacted on my table tennis a lot. I really don’t to play as much as I would like to and compete at local events. I haven’t posted many videos on YouTube as well but I’m hoping to upload more as I have been given some great footage last December. This year TTA have changed (again) the format of the Australian Open June 6-9, no place selected yet. From what I read it now is called the Australian Open Championship and then there is the Australian National Championships on July 6-13 in NSW. I’m trying to decide which one to attend and film but it will likely be the National as it goes for the longest but who knows really?

One thing I have discovered over the last 6 months is how quickly your game can deteriorate when you play less. My coach Duncan “15” Tu said I have lost my touch. I still have all my great shots but it’s hitting the ball more correctly. Like top spinning from the table, keeping your arm higher and getting more brush on the ball. My return of serve has deteriorated a lot too. Getting right under the ball and right off the bounce when returning a short back spin serve. And footwork, standing still is not a good idea at all. Just a small movement here and there can make the difference between a great winning shot and watching the ball sink into the net. A few good coaching sessions will pick up more issues and hopefully fix these.

William Henzell’s last blog regarding playing against people who use anti-spin and pimples really hit the spot. Me personally I hate both with a passion. Probably more anti-spin. I find it frustrating and totally screws up my game. With anti-spin players if you do a really heavy backspin serve they just hit right through it with their stupid rubber and gives the ball a floating affect. Or when I do a great topspin and they just block it and it comes back with half the power I gave and with some backspin. Then you have pimples. Long, medium and short. Long give similar effects to anti-spin, medium can create some spin and the ball won’t come back as slow as long pimples and anti-spin. Short has almost the same effects as normal rubbers but isn’t as effected by spin as much. That’s why 99% of people who use these types of rubbers (anti and pimples) will have it on there backhand. They will try and return all serves with it. So I try and serve short to their forehand mixing up the spin. With anti, I sometimes do long fast serves to there middle and backhand if the players isn’t one of those people who just try and smash every shot. If it works they hit it back with a floating backspin (no much) and I can hit it for a winner. Because most players will find it hard to keep the return of a long fast serve low over the net.

So my advice is if you really want to be a good player, go and play against as  many different types of players as you can find. A good workout at is against choppers. It’s not just “loop….chop…..loop…..chop”. The amount of spin you loop will come back as backspin. Best to loop…..chop…..push, that way if they return your push with a chop it won’t have much spin and makes its easier to return with a loop. Even the top players in the world do this. Just watch any match with Joo See Hyuk. And you won’t feel like you’ve just gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson! So I will leave my blog with that thought in your head.

May the spin be with you…

pbsmick