All about pushing or is it

Table Tennis Mental Preparation

Last updated 8 years ago

D K

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

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.


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Dieter Verhofstadt

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

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)


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago

It is hard to tell what your stroke looks like without seeing it.  Maybe send me a video and I can take a look.


D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

Very good idea,but it would require some programs that can blur or cover faces and I do not expect that you know any program like this


D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

or do you?


Dieter Verhofstadt

Dieter Verhofstadt Posted 9 years ago

Hi DK,

Probably I misinterpreted your report. Sure you can feel devastated after losing. Your report read like you were expecting it and your expectation was met. Maybe you didn't mean it that way.

Still, from your answer, I'm sensing a self demeaning attitude which you must get rid of. When you say "40 months and my level has not changed" that is impossible. The truth is probably more like "40 months and I'm still not meeting my expectations". Please look back on where you were 40 months ago and make a list of what has improved. Perhaps not the results, but surely some confidence in some strokes, some fitness, some competitiveness ... You have been exposed to competitive table tennis, that alone is already an improvement (*).

But let's assume for now that the past 40 months have been a waste of time and that you have merely been solidifying bad habits. Then this is your starting point for the next few months: set yourself some goals which are not necessarily related to results in games and measure your improvement. Follow the advice in Pingskills' amazing videos. Film yourself and watch whether you're doing what you think you are doing and if you're doing what the pingskillers are doing. Give yourself points while watching your strokes. Try to see what goes wrong. Focus on that when training. It WILL improve.

Cheers

Dieter

(*) I'm in the process of buying a house. I went to a public auction. Even if I didn't get the house, I got experience with bidding. The result is still the same: no house. But I have improved in the process of acquiring one.

 

 

 


D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

Hi Dieter
You think I was expecting it?
Well,in the case of the strong opponents I think it is normal,isn't it?
In the case of the weak opponents I expected more equal results.
I did not expect any big winning,but I expected 11:7-11:9 lose,but in fact it was 11:3 or less.

Self demeaning?
I am not sure what do you mean,I am sorry.
Confidence in my strokes.....I am not sure if it is correct but...can you be confident in your strokes when they are nearly always succesfully killed/powerlooped,or,in the case of a clash with a potbelly pusher who learned table tennis somewhere in the middle of the second world war,the strokes are pushed or stabbed back.
Fitness...I had some fitness before I started to train,but I am still equally fast as I was at the beginning.
Competitiveness...I am not sure what do you mean. (I am not so good at speaking english)

List of improvement...OK,I will try it....
FH loop: high,no spin,little shaking in the air,but at least in 40% of cases it fell onto the table => a little spinnier,but not much lower,but the number of the balls that fall onto the table has slightly decreased
BH loop: the same as FH loop,but higher,I could not add power,unable to close the bat=>getting longpips,loop-like stroke has improved in the number of the balls that fall on the table,but still about 50cm high.
FH counterhit:it was quite high,many times behind the table=>faster,equally high,but less on the table
BH counterhit:the same as FH counterhit,but more behind the table=>lower,but still behind the table
FH push:was high,spinless,many times into the net=>a little lower,more spin,but more behind the table.
BH push:lower than FH push,many times into the net,a little more spin than FH=>many times behind the table or into the net,against a backspin the ball pops out of my longpips.
FH smash:inconsistent,powerful,but many times behind the table=>less power,not more consistency,more into the net or next to the table.
BH smash:never trained,I just use it accidentally when I have to.
FH chop: no spin,nearly vertical,shooting into the ceiling,but at least it fell onto the table if it did not reach the ceiling=>much more spin,less vertical,but falls from 90% behind the table.
BH chop: the same as FH chop=>with longpips much lower,much more onto the table,but no spin even against the strongest loops.
FH lob:very high,no spin,falling behind the table,never changed
BH lob:very high,no spin=>falling on the edge of my table much more
FH serve:was low,but behind the table,no spin=>little higher,more on the table,still no spin
BH serve: high,but on the table,no spin=>much lower,much into the net or next to the table,still nospin.

About being exposed to table tennis leagues (if I understand well) :it was not because of any improvement.
The reasons were the lack of players and the fact that the trainer believes that the league matches are the best training.

I am also trying to follow the Pingskills videos' advices and I do not agree that they're amazing..they're much more.
But too many of them are Premium :((( it means forever unavailable for me.
I have already filmed myself,but my eyes are too bad so it is useless,I cannot see my own movements well.
And even if I would be capable of doing it,I cannot compare because I cannot see the premium videos.

Because of this,I have a question to one of the best coaches,maybe the absolutely best:Alois:Can you tell me how can I create a slowmotion of my videos?
You are doing it quite often when teaching a new stroke.

And one missing information:Any idea what could my teammates mean by "agressive pushing" or "agressive defense" ?

Regards
DK


Dieter Verhofstadt

Dieter Verhofstadt Posted 9 years ago

Hi DK,

Good, so you've made improvements already!

I'll stop here because I'm trying to solve something that doesn't seem to be a problem.

As for Pingskills' premium offering, you know, the effort experts put into a knowledge base has to be sustained somehow. I'm sure that if you can study and imitate their free material already, you will beat many players "who learned table tennis somewhere in the middle of the second world war"

Cheers


D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

Eh...is "improvement" when I increase one aspect and decrease another aspect?

For example,in the case of my FH serve: the number of balls that fall onto the table is higher (60%=> 70%)

But much more of them are an offer to a smash,their height increased. (15cm=>35cm,average).


D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

I will try to compare the available videos of Pingskills with my own videos,but firstly I need to slow them down.

So I look forward to Alois' answer :3
Regards
DK


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago

Look at the positive of the improvement in the consistency.  Now work on the next aspect of keeping the ball lower.


D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

Thank you Alois.

And..can you answer my two questions at the end of my long comment about videos and agressive defense?

Please

Regards

DK


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago

Aggressive pushing is probably pushing faster and with more spin.


D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

And about slowing down the video,and covering face?
I would like to send that video as you said,but I want not to show myself too much


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago

Send it to me directly and then you won’t have to worry about all that.  Through the Contact Us page.


D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

I am used to always covering my face when sending someone a photo or a video,no matter who I am sendong it to.

In the case of a photo I can cover my face,but I have never been sending a video.

Ok,I will try it...

And-what view is the best for such videos?


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago

Front on is best.


D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

So..that is..at the endline,little above the net?


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago

Yes


D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

Ok,I will try,but first of all I have to learn how to cover my face.

I know you would not publish it,but I would cover my face in every case,even when sending a video to my own parents


D K

D K Posted 8 years ago

Should I involve all strokes or just the push?


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 8 years ago

All strokes


D K

D K Posted 8 years ago

Ok,I will prepare it...I hope I did not forget any stroke:

FH loop+BH longpips attack+BH loop

FH+BH push

FH+BH counterhit (or a block...my robot is unable to generate no spin)

FH+BH chop
And also somewhere I tried to flick or chopblocks.

Is it all?


D K

D K Posted 8 years ago

I am ready with my videos,how can I send it?


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 8 years ago

Upload it to YouTube and then send me the link.


D K

D K Posted 8 years ago

B-but...I do not want it to be public :O :(


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 8 years ago

Mark it as not public.


D K

D K Posted 8 years ago

Eeh....Is there any more simple way how to do it,please?

I am very untalented in the case of using computers so I really do not know even how to put the video on the youtube


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 8 years ago

Sorry,don't know a better way.


D K

D K Posted 8 years ago

May I try to send it as an answer to one of your "private answers" ?


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 8 years ago

You can try but it will probably be too big.


D K

D K Posted 8 years ago

It really is.....this looks like impasse

The only one option is uploading it on some of my country's downloading server but I do not know if you'll be able to manipulate it,because it is not in english


D K

D K Posted 8 years ago

Or do you know any english webpages that allow free uploading and downloading?


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 8 years ago

No sorry I don’t.


Ilia Minkin

Ilia Minkin Posted 8 years ago

D K you can use Dropbox, Google Drive, Yandex Drive, ...


D K

D K Posted 8 years ago

Oh I am stupid....Dropbox.....does it require registration or somthing like it?

 

And-can a Microsoft OneDrive work?


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 8 years ago

Dropbox is good.  Give that a go.  It is free to use.


D K

D K Posted 8 years ago

Ok

Now I just have to learn how to manipulate it



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