One has to always return to basics : stance/footwork /focus , without you cant gain precision and power. Studying the better players give hints to follow . Never get discouraged is a must to progress , dont denigrate yourself , plenty are there to do it ! Thanks Tom.
I tend to play too safe because I always assume everyone is better than me. However, when I take the aggressive route I tend to win a lot more. Actually, I remember a day where I focused on a solid form and followed through with each stroke (not holding back), it gave enough power to stress out the opponent. It doesn’t take much to be aggressive.
You should be more aggressive against some players who are better than you anyway. If you just play consistently, they'll eventually hit a winner, so it's best to make the most of any chances you get.
Very interesting topic! I might add, that in the last year, I tried to develop power and precision at the same time by making heavier and heavier rackets. One year ago, my "comfort zone" racket weight was around 175g for practicing, now it is about 194g - and this helps me getting better control on my shots by making possible to add more speed and spin at the same time. Hard work, but it pays in the long run. Otherwise it is not only the added weight, which is important, but selecting different combinations with lesser error margin - this means increased power requirement for a shot with given quality to be performed (which also rewards better body power usage and better footwork). The best thing is that I don't care if I lose practice games, if I can see and try to overcome the reasons of my failures, when I lift the bar higher.
Your last sentence about not caring if you win or lose practice games is really important. I always tell the players I coach the same thing. It's an opportunity to develop your game, try out new things and learn. Often our egos get in the way and we can't bear the thought of losing, which prevents us from trying new skills in matches. If we can overcome our own egos, and not care, it is much easier to make improvements.
How did you get used to heavier blade? Did it just happen with time or did you do any specific training? Weightroom? My comfort zone is currently at about 183g, tried a good blade recently which ended up at 197g and I could really feel the difference. I was struggling.
@@mihai8555 The key point is the struggling. Once you get accustomed to a heavier racket, the struggling will diminish. However, 14g upwards is maybe a bit high step up to do without intermediary steps. I would try 8g up first and keep playing with that for several weeks. But this only applies to rackets, which play mostly similarly. A different racket with only 2g increase could result also in struggling, if it needs to be controlled with higher physical efforts e.g. because the rubber choices.
I guess for me it depend on who i'm playing against, or even depending on the set... sometimes i will play too safe and wait for the opponent to make a mistake, or playing too aggressively and do the mistake, so i guess i should practice the two exercice 😅 to find a good balance between safe/and power
One of the best 6mins odd that you've done. This is very relevant to players of my standard and something which would be of benefit but not really technical and easy enough to introduce into our training evenings. Cheers from Glasgow
Both in training and in the game I play aggressively but my consistency is bad because usually on the fourth or more shots the ball goes out more often. Thanks Tom for the video, it turns out that i need to practice more consistently!
I am the same, even when I focus it usually is inconsistent after a couple of balls. I once had the chance to get advice from a high level German coach. He told me that I literally cannot breathe during a rally. He said I would more or less stop breathing and as a consequence desperately trying to make the point no matter what risks it takes after the fourth one. He told me I probably wouldn’t know or recognise this myself. I was told to learn how to breathe and stay calm and fore sure I would step up several levels. But I was also told that this is nothing easy to get rid off. I could not, played for two more years and stopped playing for 15 years, I just re-entered the game.
I think I'm pretty good at tailoring my aggression level to my opponent. I don't try to be too aggressive against a consistent player with not much power because I know I'll probably get a second chance. But I'm quite comfortable making mistakes on the way to hitting winners against aggressive players, because if I let the point go on too long, they'll blast it past me .
I couldn't even say where I am on this scale. I very much depends on how I feel. Sometimes I get too cocky, or I get aggressive because I am frustrated. Sometimes I feel like I lack the self confidence to push harder. I feel like I do better, when I try to get into the rhythm of the rally more rather than trying to get the quick point.
Interesting video. I tend to play "safe" if my goal is a large number of good returns without a miss. I often do that when using a robot. When I'm playing someone else especially if they are as good or better than me, I play more aggressively to win the point. In a tournament setting I tend to play aggressively unless I'm missing a lot of shots, and then I back off (often too much) for more consistency and then pick shots that I know I have a higher chance of being aggressive with to win the point.
I can definitely say that I've been too safe in the past with my play style but in recent years I've become more aggressive definitely need to work on my consistency more just to be ale to get a higher percentage on the table before I try and win the point, that can also be down to my shot selection also
Hy Tom, What i notice in improving power is the excessive use of force to the detriment of muscle elasticity and lowering of technical quality. To get to increase the force of the blow it is not enough to do these exercises, we should work on the quality of the technique at a slower pace, only when the blow is optimal will I switch to an increase in strength. I should also increase muscle strength for optimal acceleration, even with the use of rubber bands. Thanks
Very good subject. Aggression, or violence are such interesting concepts in any human interaction and development, if we are to think about it in a more abstract/philosophical sense. Is it needed for development? I think so.
I have a few training exercises here: www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/video-category/training-drills/ Or you could download the TTFit app, which has loads of drills: ttfit.app/
Avid ping pong player here! I think you should always start with hitting hard and fast as this makes you focus on the angle of the ball since when you play too passively you often start learning a semi lob accounting and almost relying for gravity to pull the ball down which becomes problematic as when you go faster and faster or have to block faster and faster balls the ball travels faster off the racket and simply will hit over the table or hit the net rather than dropping at the middle as you would expect because you used a higher angle or low angle then you should have when playing aggressive . Learning how to be in the same position and same set up before playing a passive and aggressive ball will allow you to quickly choose on the fly and more reliably switch between the two options rather than having to remember to be in this super pivot super hard smash position all the time which is not really good for footwork and makes it hard for reaching the well placed balls to the far backhand or forehand in other words consistency shouldn't be disregarded when you choose to practice aggressive plays and inverse not have your grip too hard and arm too tense as not loose forearm and grip is bad while loose is good as you can turn your arm into a whip quickly accelerating the body to play aggressively while giving yourself the option of a positive or passive play against a defender for example while keeping your bodys focus on footwork thus helping you get in range to actually hit well placed balls this giving you the best of both worlds)and avoid putting your racket too infront of you as if you are planning on pushing and blocking and drop shotting only instead of having racket close to your body allowing you to have the option to consistency land more positive pushes, blocks and chop blocks and this unlocks the choice to wind up for a loop, slapshot or full backspin chop within a short amount of time also.
One has to always return to basics : stance/footwork /focus , without you cant gain precision and power. Studying the better players give hints to follow . Never get discouraged is a must to progress , dont denigrate yourself , plenty are there to do it ! Thanks Tom.
I tend to play too safe because I always assume everyone is better than me. However, when I take the aggressive route I tend to win a lot more. Actually, I remember a day where I focused on a solid form and followed through with each stroke (not holding back), it gave enough power to stress out the opponent. It doesn’t take much to be aggressive.
You should be more aggressive against some players who are better than you anyway. If you just play consistently, they'll eventually hit a winner, so it's best to make the most of any chances you get.
Very interesting topic! I might add, that in the last year, I tried to develop power and precision at the same time by making heavier and heavier rackets. One year ago, my "comfort zone" racket weight was around 175g for practicing, now it is about 194g - and this helps me getting better control on my shots by making possible to add more speed and spin at the same time. Hard work, but it pays in the long run. Otherwise it is not only the added weight, which is important, but selecting different combinations with lesser error margin - this means increased power requirement for a shot with given quality to be performed (which also rewards better body power usage and better footwork). The best thing is that I don't care if I lose practice games, if I can see and try to overcome the reasons of my failures, when I lift the bar higher.
Your last sentence about not caring if you win or lose practice games is really important. I always tell the players I coach the same thing. It's an opportunity to develop your game, try out new things and learn. Often our egos get in the way and we can't bear the thought of losing, which prevents us from trying new skills in matches. If we can overcome our own egos, and not care, it is much easier to make improvements.
How did you get used to heavier blade? Did it just happen with time or did you do any specific training? Weightroom? My comfort zone is currently at about 183g, tried a good blade recently which ended up at 197g and I could really feel the difference. I was struggling.
@@mihai8555 The key point is the struggling. Once you get accustomed to a heavier racket, the struggling will diminish. However, 14g upwards is maybe a bit high step up to do without intermediary steps. I would try 8g up first and keep playing with that for several weeks. But this only applies to rackets, which play mostly similarly. A different racket with only 2g increase could result also in struggling, if it needs to be controlled with higher physical efforts e.g. because the rubber choices.
I guess for me it depend on who i'm playing against, or even depending on the set... sometimes i will play too safe and wait for the opponent to make a mistake, or playing too aggressively and do the mistake, so i guess i should practice the two exercice 😅 to find a good balance between safe/and power
One of the best 6mins odd that you've done. This is very relevant to players of my standard and something which would be of benefit but not really technical and easy enough to introduce into our training evenings. Cheers from Glasgow
Very interesting video Tom, I guess I am playing it more safe. I always have to remind myself that at times I need to play more aggressively .
Unlike most comments, I tend to play wild and go off the end sometimes - especially under pressure in matches. Good video will make me think.
Really useful, Tom, for me as well as my players. Builds on the work I did on the Level 2 coaching course - I'll be using this a lot in my sessions.
you have a smooth sense of humour
Both in training and in the game I play aggressively but my consistency is bad because usually on the fourth or more shots the ball goes out more often. Thanks Tom for the video, it turns out that i need to practice more consistently!
I am the same, even when I focus it usually is inconsistent after a couple of balls. I once had the chance to get advice from a high level German coach. He told me that I literally cannot breathe during a rally. He said I would more or less stop breathing and as a consequence desperately trying to make the point no matter what risks it takes after the fourth one. He told me I probably wouldn’t know or recognise this myself. I was told to learn how to breathe and stay calm and fore sure I would step up several levels. But I was also told that this is nothing easy to get rid off.
I could not, played for two more years and stopped playing for 15 years, I just re-entered the game.
Thanks, I will try to follow this drill, it's a Great idea.
I think I'm pretty good at tailoring my aggression level to my opponent. I don't try to be too aggressive against a consistent player with not much power because I know I'll probably get a second chance. But I'm quite comfortable making mistakes on the way to hitting winners against aggressive players, because if I let the point go on too long, they'll blast it past me .
great exercise
Great job & video….thank U
I couldn't even say where I am on this scale. I very much depends on how I feel. Sometimes I get too cocky, or I get aggressive because I am frustrated. Sometimes I feel like I lack the self confidence to push harder. I feel like I do better, when I try to get into the rhythm of the rally more rather than trying to get the quick point.
Interesting video. I tend to play "safe" if my goal is a large number of good returns without a miss. I often do that when using a robot. When I'm playing someone else especially if they are as good or better than me, I play more aggressively to win the point. In a tournament setting I tend to play aggressively unless I'm missing a lot of shots, and then I back off (often too much) for more consistency and then pick shots that I know I have a higher chance of being aggressive with to win the point.
I like your approach of starting aggressively in tournaments. This is something I need to do. Start strong and try to find my attacking rhythm.
@@TomLodziak It's always a challenge to be aggressive and not being reckless. That can be my problem.
I can definitely say that I've been too safe in the past with my play style but in recent years I've become more aggressive definitely need to work on my consistency more just to be ale to get a higher percentage on the table before I try and win the point, that can also be down to my shot selection also
Combination of both !
- Safe & consistent.
- risky & powerful poker shots.
🏓💖🌈🎨🎬🎥📷📖🙏🏽💡🕯️
I am kind of being the mix of these two, my backhand is too wild and my forehand is too safe
Hy Tom, What i notice in improving power is the excessive use of force to the detriment of muscle elasticity and lowering of technical quality. To get to increase the force of the blow it is not enough to do these exercises, we should work on the quality of the technique at a slower pace, only when the blow is optimal will I switch to an increase in strength. I should also increase muscle strength for optimal acceleration, even with the use of rubber bands. Thanks
Very good subject. Aggression, or violence are such interesting concepts in any human interaction and development, if we are to think about it in a more abstract/philosophical sense. Is it needed for development? I think so.
I found that my backhand in particular is passive so I need to practice more to hit hard on it.
Great video. Can you suggest where to look for exercise patterns ? (Aka type of exercises)
I have a few training exercises here: www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/video-category/training-drills/ Or you could download the TTFit app, which has loads of drills: ttfit.app/
@@TomLodziak thanks a lot for suggestion
I usually found myself playing too safe against more advanced players than me, especially if they put too much spin on their strokes
Opposite for me , I play too crazy against better player
I play too passive during competition and when I play during training I play more aggressive... don't know why
Same as me!
Because you are scared of losing the match
👍
but you are saying placement and spin are more important for newbies on your website
I think so. For beginners, much better to work on developing consistent and spinny shots. But at Craig and Paul's level, power becomes more important.
I'm really Wild player....REALLY
🏓👍
Avid ping pong player here!
I think you should always start with hitting hard and fast as this makes you focus on the angle of the ball since when you play too passively you often start learning a semi lob accounting and almost relying for gravity to pull the ball down which becomes problematic as when you go faster and faster or have to block faster and faster balls the ball travels faster off the racket and simply will hit over the table or hit the net rather than dropping at the middle as you would expect because you used a higher angle or low angle then you should have when playing aggressive
. Learning how to be in the same position and same set up before playing a passive and aggressive ball will allow you to quickly choose on the fly and more reliably switch between the two options rather than having to remember to be in this super pivot super hard smash position all the time which is not really good for footwork and makes it hard for reaching the well placed balls to the far backhand or forehand in other words consistency shouldn't be disregarded when you choose to practice aggressive plays and inverse not have your grip too hard and arm too tense as not loose forearm and grip is bad while loose is good as you can turn your arm into a whip quickly accelerating the body to play aggressively while giving yourself the option of a positive or passive play against a defender for example while keeping your bodys focus on footwork thus helping you get in range to actually hit well placed balls this giving you the best of both worlds)and avoid putting your racket too infront of you as if you are planning on pushing and blocking and drop shotting only instead of having racket close to your body allowing you to have the option to consistency land more positive pushes, blocks and chop blocks and this unlocks the choice to wind up for a loop, slapshot or full backspin chop within a short amount of time also.
Probably go for winners very early too often.
Second