Fear of hitting the table
Strokes and Technique
parth limbachia Asked 10 years ago
Hi Alois,
I generally have a problem of hitting the ball which is dipping close to the net (both topspin and backspin) as I feel that if I swing my bat I would hit the table and damage the bat. I am also unable to attack the long serve in doubles too because I fear that if I swing my bat it would hit the table too. My question is how to develop the judgement that if I swing the bat it wont hit the table and how to play these type of shots against backspin,no spin and topspin?
Alois Rosario Answered 10 years ago
Hi Parth,
For the ball that is close to the net use the Forehand Flick or Backhand Flick strokes. This means that your bat is starting over the table already so it will eliminate the chance of it hitting the table.
For the longer serve try to track the ball all the way. You will start to get the feel of the flight of the ball. It is a matter of practicing this ball often. Try to get someone to feed you multi ball where a lot of the balls are landing close to the edge of the table on the second bounce. You can even just watch the ball bounce a few times to learn the flight better. As you get the feel of the flight, you can start swinging through. As you become more confident you will feel yourself seining through faster and more confidently.
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parth limbachia Posted 10 years ago
Alois,
Thanks a lot for the fast reply. I have seen many players like Ma Lin, Wang Liqin who take a big swing and loop the ball which are close to the table using forehand while moving forward (their thighs are almost touching the table after the stroke). How to develop that judgement of when to swing and when not to swing?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 10 years ago
Ah, that is a lot of practice of course. They will do this on the slightly higher ball. They are also swinging through very horizontally but brushing over the top of the ball. To do this you need to have a very fast action to allow the rubber to grip the ball and propel it forward. They do get very close to the table to do this. Get your front foot right under the table and also move your body forward into the ball closer to the net. It is awkward and in need of a lot of practice.
parth limbachia Posted 10 years ago
Hi Alois,
Does this mean that i have to use my right leg as a pivot and swing the bat horizontally forward to hit the ball having any type of spin with the body moving foward?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 10 years ago
Try to get your right leg as close as possible to the table and even the leg right under the table. Then swing forward and over the ball with a fast contact.