This month some tips from Stiga followed by some video links of the backhand loop from the Buttefly Online site.
Stiga Training Tips
Stiga recently ran a training tips contest and below are the top five tips selected.
FH = Forehand
BH = Backhand
Mark Bush, Australia:
FH Flick: Forehand flick is a very effective stroke that can put your opponent under pressure. You can use it when you return a serve (very effective), or when you want to attack a short ball. When I practice flick I normally do it like this: I make a short backspin serve, get a short ball back in the middle of the table or on my forehand, then I try to flick this ball. When flicking the ball, it is very important to get under the ball properly.
Dennis Stephens, Canada:
Straight FH topspin: Many players play across the diagonal. I have found it much more effective to win a point by playing straight strokes instead (line balls), especially straight FH topspins. I practice FH topspins both from my BH corner and from my FH side. I guarantee you that you will win many extra points.
Constantini Vigano, Italy:
Serve: Very simple tips, when you want to improve your service variations, consider the following: Where to place the serve, what kind of spin and how much speed. By thinking of this, you will very easily get hundreds of different variations of serves.
Jeroen Beck, Netherlands:
Blocking topspin`s: Most of players use two different ways of blocking. They use one block during training and one during matches. During training most players stand very near to the table since they know where the ball is coming, but during a match they are often ½ - 1 meter more behind the table. I can often see that many players block well during practice but not during matches. I recommend all players to think about this during practice and then try to use the same blocking technique in matches.
Dimitri Smirnov, Russia:
Footwork: Not so easy to practice but necessary in order to be a good player. I often practice footwork from the middle of the table. My opponent can block approximately 70% free of the table (30% up the middle of the table) and I try to play FH on all the balls. This tip is good since it’s very similar to a match situation and you must be very flexible in your footwork.
Backhand Loop
Here are some links to the Butterfly Online site which includes some excellent video footage of Kong Linghui executing a range of backhand loops.
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Holding your ground - notice the excellent balance of Kong, upper body level and knees bent, on his toes to ensure weight is going forward. Persson also displays very good balance in this sequence. Spend time studying the movement and recovery of both players.
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Making a winning shot - It is worth replaying these videos a number of times concentrating on different aspects: where the bat starts and finishes during a shot, where the player moves to after a serve, recovery position after playing a shot, adapting shots during a rally, upper body position during a sequence of shots, footwork……….
I would be interested to know if visitors to the site find the training tips section useful or not (use the feedback section or email wosttl@ntlworld.com). If I knew it was used then I will update it more regularly.
For previous tips, please visit the Documents section.