How Important is a short touch in modern table tennis?
Short Touch
In today’s modern, (high-level table tennis matches) the short touch is far less seen compared to high-level matches back in the ’90s. This is mainly because of the modern backhand flick which enables a player to impart an offensive stroke on near enough any short ball. Does this mean the short touch has become obsolete in top-flight matches or in table tennis as a whole?
No, it has not!!!
We must still look to implement a short touch when possible and it can aid us, towards winning matches. If you flick every ball the opponent will be ready for an oncoming flick. This gives them the ability to prepare and contract your positive stroke against you. Implementing a good short touch mixes the play and put your opponent into an uncertain situation, giving you the upper hand.
eBaTT – Table Tennis Tutorial – P2 March 2019 (How to execute a quality short touch), Video
To execute high-quality shots it’s important to use good equipment that allows you to develop here are some recommendations which you can purchase from Amazon
*I suggest these bats: Beginner – New to the game BUY NOW on Amazon
Intermediate – Minimum of 6 months of play: BUY NOW on Amazon:
Advanced – Local club level, or 1 year plus of play: BUY NOW on Amazon
The Exercise:
Short touch, is one of the hardest shots to execute under pressure and execute correctly when receiving a short backspin ball. The aim is to get the stroke technically correct and impart a little backspin which elevates the pressure on your opponent. The short touch can be executed on any short ball especially backspin. This Stroke stops your opponent from attacking you in an aggressive manner.
The Aim:
1. Produce backspin, 2. develop the correct technique 3. point of contact on the bat 4. Timing point, when to connect with the ball in flight (after the bounce)
How it’s done:
1. Grip, the grip tightens at the point of contact this increases control. 2. Contact point, aim to hit the ball near the top end of the rubber near your hand and the handle. 3. The technique, stabbing motion via an extension movement through the elbow. 4. Acceleration, making sure the bat acceleration at the point of contact with a thin contact on the ball.
And please don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive our two coaching video tips every month, published on the 1st and 15th. Feel free to share and comment below. Thank you to Bernie for creating and filming the video
Short touch is like an art form, it takes a delicate touch but at the same time, you must possess a positive action to make this shot high quality.
When I first started coaching 19 years ago, I was obsessed with having a good table tennis technique.
I am not 100% as to why but I remember coaching my players and making sure they possessed solid technique on all strokes.
Table tennis tactics alongside technique
Experience:
I got plenty of good results producing many England players and thought I was doing it correctly. As a young man you get ahead of yourself and believe you know it all but then you learn that time and experience is the real superpower.
The more time you spend inside an industry (with an open mind and willingness to learn and expand) the more you realise there’s so much more. Results in sport is a mixture of many factors; location, environment, age, external factors etc. All of this play’s a huge role in players success and I was fortunate witnessed these on many occasions. Both at Barnet TTC and Harefield Academy and now as a freelance coach..
What can be done with experience:
Today I believe if I had the same environments (mentioned above) I would have produced twice as many top players.
I believe in holistic coaching, back then I thought if I develop your strokes technically you will have the weapons to win. Some did but many failed because I was unable to provide: the physical, nutritional, mental and tactical repertoire. When I realised that many of my players had the weapons but lost I began to realise having weapons is one thing if you don’t know how to use them, they are effectively redundant. So began to study every element required in making players the best they can be. I am still constantly learning and that will never stop for both myself and my players.
Why technique is not enough:
I had one player technically the best in the club but he lacked mental toughness and reached no.2 in England. I believe if I was able to tap into other aspects mentioned above he would have been no.1 no doubt. Every time he failed to perform we blamed it on his shots rather than his mental or physical condition.
Like a car:
The technique is like the shell of a car, you can have the most beautiful Ferrari body but the most important tool is the engine. Other elements are important and all make the car a finely tuned machine. When building your game don’t just build the shots, you must focus on building your mindset, your physical conditioning, your tactical awareness and many other elements.
The best in the world have:
Average rating out of 10 (my personal opinion and view)
Mental – 8 plus out of 10
Physical – 8 plus out of 10
Nutritional – 5 plus out of 10 (personally I believe it’s higher but players can get away with poor nutrition)
Technique – 7 plus out of 10
Tactical – 8 plus out of 10
Nutrition
Notice how nutritional and technical score less than the others. This is because your body is special and can forgive you for not putting the best nutrition (up to a certain point). You will reduce efficiency by 10-20%. But due to constant physical activity, you will be able to perform at near peak level when aged between 18 to 20 years of age.
Technique
Technique again slightly lower because you can find world-class players with not the best of technical (textbook) shots. Timo Boll is an example of a world class player that players a technically poorer forehand shot.
Due to other elements mentioned above, you can perform at the top with a lower level of technical ability.
The technique enables you to perform but everything else is essential towards making your technical skills perform.
Written by Eli Baraty eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Instagram: _elibaraty Twitter: @elibaraty FB: Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – W: www.ebatt.co.uk M: 07900401144
The backhand flick has become one of the most used shots in table tennis.
I could be wrong but I believe Dimitrij Ovtcharov, is the main person who took this shot into the masses.
Peter Kobel
Peter Korbel was known for creating the Banana or Chiquita flick but Dima made the backhand flick a shot used a lot more and many cases executed anywhere on the table.
Strawberry flick
Today, we see most top players look to return short serves with their backhands. Whether it be the Chiquita flick or a normal backhand flick. Recently a new flick has come to play, the “strawberry flick”. The is a shot which technically starts in the same position as the Banana/Chiquita flick (high elbow) but is executed in an opposite movement to the Chiquita flick.
Change of name:
I’m unsure as to how the flick got the name “strawberry” but I would like to see a better name given. I think it’s important for our game to look and be portrayed in a professional manner. Banana and Strawberry sounds more like a fruit salad than an Olympic Sport.
I want us to refer to this newly introduced shot as the “Boomerang backhand flick” unless you guys can suggest something better?
How to execute the inside out flick.
1. Step into the table, keep your body facing in the direction of a normal or Chiquita flick. This enhances the effectiveness of the shot by deceiving your opponent via your body language.
2. Have your elbow nice and high to enable good shot execution.
3. Rotate your elbow and wrist in the opposite movement of a Chiquita flick. Wrap your wrist around the ball, injecting plenty of side spin (choice of top or back-side spin) depending on ball contact point.
Personally, I love being creative and finding new concepts inside table tennis. Believe it or not, the Boomerang flick has been around for many years. But now it has been taken to a whole new level due to the versatility and collaboration of the Chiquita flick.
The disguise between both shots is extremely effective and I urge all players to incorporate this magical shot into their games.
Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Don’t be Blind to the Importance of Vision in Table Tennis
See, Respond, React.
Steve Brunskill
Steve Brunskill, is one of England’s best and most respected coaches. Stevie has spotted one element of table tennis often untrained.
Sports eye training
I am personally a stickler for marginal gains and often research into elements where it may give my players the edge over others. I must admit visual training is one that slipped through my net. Luckily for me, Steve caught it and has produced a course and package for all to benefit from.
How important are your eyes?
I was coaching one of my players a few years back and one parent sat next to me. The parent watching my player, said a few words that unleashed the ‘Marvel’ superhero mindset, I’ve always had. They said, “your player is like a fly, his reflexes are amazing and he seems to have more time than anyone else” From that moment on I started to study increased reaction time.
This included:
– Using a reaction ball
– Non-visual cues with on coming table tennis ball/balls
-Strengthening and conditioning muscle speed and reflex
The results were great but I always felt there was something more…
Visual Fascination
I’ve been blessed with perfect vision and its something I’ve acknowledged but at the same time neglected. My eyes were one of my childhood superpowers, seeing further than anyone. I’m blessed with good vision but due to my gift I took it for granted, not training the eyes to even greater abilities.
I’m an observer and often look at my surroundings for gains inside my coaching structure. Seeing how peoples eyes flicker from side to side when looking at moving objects I find/found it fascinating.
Due to my fascination I wanted to know how fast can something travel and at what speed do our eyes lose track of the moving object. I watched and read about some extraordinary people who are able to seemingly do inhuman capabilities through vision. For example, hit a baseball oncoming at them over 100 miles an hour through a machine at less than 15 meters, in distance. A man who can catch an arrow being shot at him. To this day I’m unsure as to how they did or are doing it, but its clear to me that the eyes have the secret ingredient I’ve been searching for.
Vladimir Samsonov
As a young player, I didn’t enjoy watching Vladimir until I saw him in front of my eyes live. I remember being in awe of his canning ability to block and retrieve balls coming at him at super speeds. The players on the other side were faster more explosive and dynamic compared to Vladamir! So how was Samsonov able to make most world class players look amateur?
The Answer
Does Stevie Brunskill have the answer? Samsonov (I believed used his eyes to assess your body language which gave him clues as to where you were/are going). Despite your level, age or ability you can benefit from visual eye training. Below is Steve’s story into how he stumbled onto his new mastermind and you have the opportunity to develop your game or players using his vision training programme.
Written by Steve Brunskill Table Tennis Vision Training
This programme is an eye-opening project that seeks to not only improve the skills and competencies of table tennis players but ultimately seeks to offer a modern and fresh outlook upon the importance of vision training and how it is perhaps neglected within the sporting culture and training of table tennis. Current traditional coaching techniques appear to consequentially ignore the unlimited possibilities that the implementation of visual training as a fundamental practice could bring to not only table tennis but sport in general. I believe that this new but exciting project for table tennis is an opportunity that should not be missed.
How it all began
My fascination and obsession with vision training originated upon the fortunate meeting of Mark Holmes, one of Briton’s top shotgun shooters, who had called into Swerve table tennis club to speak to me after reading an article I had written in regards to fitness. He was interested in receiving 1-to-1 coaching in table tennis as he had been researching vision training and had been training his eyes for the past year. He believed this training was the reason he had progressed from just an average shooter to become the English Open Champion in a record time of two and half years.
Mark also completed this feat with the best-recorded score in the past forty years. I asked, “why table tennis?” He said his research had brought him to table tennis as the eyes needed to track a very fast object in a split second. He believed that playing table tennis would give him an edge over his shooting competitors. Mark achieved this success in less than three years from picking up a shotgun for the first time and he endorses his vision training regime as an essential factor that contributed heavily to his remarkably quick success.
How Important is your Sports Vision?
Sportsmen and women in all sports are often unaware of how much their performance depends upon their sight.
This is none more so than in table tennis.
Table tennis players have to be able to distinguish objects from a distance and from a variety of backgrounds, judge distance, height, bounce, flight, spin and speed.
So I thought I would look to reverse the process and therefore ask Mark what training he did to help his vision and shooting. My reasoning being that if table tennis training can help Mark shoot, then, in theory, the training a shooter undergoes should help a table tennis player.
After conducting research into visual training I discovered that there are vast amounts of research for other sports such as Archery, Shooting, Baseball etc.. but very little in the way of table tennis, yet a table tennis player needs to have incredible visual ability to be able to pick an opponent’s positioning, posture, movement and even expression as well as watch the contact of the ball, watch the balls rotation, speed, flight and bounce and still have time to make a split second decision to choose a correct response move and implement the correct stroke/technique. My research found that studies have shown table tennis players naturally develop very high visual skills over years of training without realising. Other studies showed that people with well-developed visual skills progress fast when taking up sports similar to table tennis (food for thought with ways to train beginners).
Knowledge without practice is useless!
Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice and therefore this is a huge opportunity for the sport of table tennis to not only modernise itself with its sporting competitors but to adapt and overtake them. Table tennis players train for hours working on techniques, movement and drill patterns looking to add that extra point, all of which are totally reliant on their vision but how many players ever think about training or strengthening their vision? The eye is made up of several muscles and just like any other muscle it will strengthen and it will fatigue depending on the demands placed on our site.
Specific table tennis visual training
This got me thinking about using specific eye training methods with skilled and unskilled table tennis players. Using specific visual training methods may give players that extra edge as it did with Mark the shooter whom I had spoken to. Over the past two years, I have invested time studying, reading books, attending lectures and seminars, and I have researched a variety of sports and their use of visual training. I have chosen the methods I believe fit best to table tennis players. The more I have studied and learned about vision training the more excited I am at the prospect of the effect vision training can have on players and how easy this training can be implemented into regular table tennis sessions.
Tested
I have designed a visual training programme which starts with a basic introduction to vision training exercises that progress into dynamic vision training exercises which are specific to table tennis.
I have been trialling this training method with a small group of players at Swerve over the past year. The player’s feedback has been encouragingly very positive which has only added fuel to the fire in terms of my belief that this project has an overwhelming possibility to change the trajectory of fundamental training within table tennis as this possibility offers boundless opportunities.
Would you like to get the edge over your competition?
This programme is offered to clubs, coaches and players.
I am offering to run a 1-day course to clubs, coaches and players, where I will explain and demonstrate each exercise, its benefits and how it relates to table tennis.
I will also show how easily the exercises can be delivered and how the equipment needed can easily and cheaply be purchased or obtained and how the exercises can be advanced and adapted.
The Visual Training Course
The course will demonstrate how the method of training can be implemented by the coach. The Programme can be implemented as a one-off specific training session or as part of a regular training session. It can also be used by a player as part of the player’s pre-match preparation. The exercises learned on the course can be used singularly or collectively and can be done in a few minutes as a warm up or used as a full training session. The programme can benefit complete beginners to elite level players.
The first Vision Training course is being held at Swerve on 21st July 2018 for further info contact
Steve Brunskill (Head coach at Swerve table tennis centre) Email= garret163@aol.com
Written by Eli Baraty and Steve Brunskill
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Instagram: _elibaraty Twitter: @elibaraty FB: Coach Me Table Tennis
How do we develop high-quality table tennis shots?
First, we must understand the difference between perception and what is actually high-quality shots in table tennis!
Perception versus reality:
There was a time when I saw others put topspin or side-spin on the ball and making it bend in the air, it appeared to me as the ultimate shot. As I personally developed spin and high-quality shots, my perception changed.
My early developments included seeing a top England junior training with his coach (regular drills) and that appeared in my mind as a person who was a machine. I developed my level and the past machine became a good player. Then I saw world-class players training and playing matches and felt I could execute shots like them.
My perception changed from when I was a beginner seeing the low-level play but (believing its inhuman) to an elite level and thinking I can do that.
what makes the difference between world-class players and us mere mortals?
Consistency: Top level players can execute high-quality shots consistently and most players are able to execute high-quality shots but on a reduced level of consistency. Footwork: Top players develop dynamic movements that enable them to generate huge power and higher tension shots compared to recreational or good players High-quality shots: When you watch recreational players, you will rarely see high-quality shots and when it does occur they are ecstatic. A good player top 100 level in most countries will produce high-quality shots between 50%-80% of the time. Then you watch world class players (top 50 in the world level). They produce 80-90% high-quality shots and the top 10 players in the world have a percentage of 92-95% HQS.
What’s a high-quality ball?
This is a ball that has high tension; lots of spin, power, placement, width or depth, deception, varying heights and all these balls possess high energy.
If you ever block for a world-class player, you’ll quickly notice the speed power and weight on the ball once it hits your bat. This is all because they have developed their strokes to generate all the qualities mentioned above.
How to develop high-quality shots:
If you want to be a world-class player, I advise you to watch them training live. Notice the; footwork, speed, power, agility, sound when they hit the ball, arm speed, body movements and focus on producing a high-quality ball on every shot. They are not content with a softball and aim to produce as much energy as possible regardless of stroke execution.
If you’re willing and truly want to become a top player, then you require discipline and acceptance that it requires time. Time alongside, good coaching and guidance toward excellence.
When you commit yourself towards self-development, then and only then will you get your desired outcome.
High-Quality table tennis shots displayed in this video click here
Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
FB: Eli Baraty
W: www.coachmetabletennis.com
E: elibaraty@hotmail.com
M: 07900401144
How do we develop high-quality shots in Table Tennis?
First, we must understand the difference between perception and what is actually high quality!
Perception versus reality:
There was a time when I saw others put topspin or side-spin and making the ball bend in the air (it appeared to me as the ultimate shot) back then. As I developed spin and high-quality shots, my perception changed.
My early developments included seeing a top England junior training with his coach (regular drills) and that appeared to my eyes and mind as a person who was a machine. I developed my level and the past machine became a good player in my mind. Then I saw world-class players training and playing matches and felt I could execute shots like them!
My perception changed from that’s inhuman to I can do that, (I Can do it!)
But what makes the difference between world-class players and us mere mortals?
Consistency: Top level players can execute high-quality shots consistently and most players are able to execute high-quality shots but on a reduced level of consistency. Footwork: Top players develop dynamic movements that enable them to generate huge power and higher tension shots compared to recreational or good players High-quality shots: When you watch a recreational player, you will rarely see high-quality shots and when it does occur they are ecstatic. A good player top 100 level in most countries will produce high-quality balls between 50%-80% of the time. Then you watch world class players (top 50 in the world level). They produce 80-90% high-quality shots and the top 10 players in the world have a percentage of 92-95% HQS.
Picture courtesy of Roger Hance
What’s a high-quality ball?
This is a ball that has high tension; lots of spin, power, placement, width or depth, deception, height and all these balls possess high energy.
If you ever block for a world-class player, you’ll quickly notice the speed power and weight on the ball once it hits your bat. This is all because they have developed their strokes to generate all the qualities mentioned above.
How to develop high-quality shots:
If you want to be a world-class player, I advise you to watch them training live. Notice the; footwork, speed, power, agility, sound when they hit the ball, arm speed, body movements and focus on producing a high-quality ball on every shot. They are not content with a softball and aim to produce as much energy as possible regardless of stroke execution.
If you’re willing and truly want to become a top player, then you require discipline and acceptance that it requires time. Time alongside, good coaching and guidance towards excellence.
When you commit yourself towards self-development, then and only then will you get your desired vision.
Please note: any spelling or grammatical errors are due to limited revision time and in due time corrections are made.
Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
FB: Eli Baraty
W: www.coachmetabletennis.com
E: elibaraty@hotmail.com
M: 07900401144
For most, a table tennis forehand topspin is the stronger wing! But why? And how can we make our forehand even better?
Why: Power comes from the ground and with an off square stance we can generate a power motion via force from the ground, given via our back leg to our front leg. The force is used to pushed and generate force in a forward motion which enables us to generate extra power when using our forehand.
We are able to rotate from the hip because we have an off square stance and our ability to twist gives the forehand another movement-motion towards catapulting the stroke.
Visibility
We can clearly see the ball at all times, even when contact is made, unlike the backhand. The contact point (on the backhand) is unseen due to the angle and position of the bat which is in front of our body. Lastly, the forehand has a much higher velocity due to the length of your arm stretched out compared to the backhand having to go across our chest (shorter length) making the velocity less.
Forehand Topspin
How can we make our forehand even better?
Focus on more back-swing than follow through: often players don’t twist their hips causing little back-swing and have a big follow through in an attempt to hit the ball hard. The follow through is almost irrelevant once the ball has left your bat and has and may have a negative effect on your recovery.
Playing a forehand from the backhand corner can be a huge weapon if used correctly. You may have a better backhand than your forehand but I would still recommend turning the corner when possible. The reason being, your body language is far more difficult to read due to your shoulder positioning. On the BH the body generally is facing the line of play. With the Forehand played from the BH side, your timing changes the placement (early will go down the line and late cross court).
You can have far more variation shots; heavy top, through the ball, flat kill, hook, countertop, fade, back-sidespin Loop and you can change direction instantly with the wrist.
Experiment with your forehand and try to learn all the variations. Turn and play a forehand from the backhand side, hook, fade and counter topspin…
Watch the best and try to implement a forehand that suits you.
Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis Instagram: _elibaraty Twitter: @elibaraty FB: Eli Baraty
I was asked by an international player if I could provide my opinion and thoughts regarding table tennis grip and the handle shape? And does the grip or handle shape affect our backhand and forehand strokes?
I’m not going to lie, I’m not an expert in equipment but I am a great believer in having the best tools to maximise your potential.
I’m also a stickler when it comes to marginal gains and constantly look for that one extra Inch in gains…
As a player, I always played with a flared handle. When I started coaching top international table tennis players I noticed a trend in straight handles. So, decided to try it out and quickly adapted, I still play competitively on occasion and must keep up with the trends and changes of the game. The straight handle allowed me to develop my backhand!
How do you hold your bat?
My findings and thoughts:
Personally, I have a slight grip change, a straight handle allowed me to flip from backhand to forehand easily. The only time I’m unable to grip change is if someone has hit the ball at me very fast, with a quick change of direction. This is where I would block or attempt to just get the ball back into play (not ideal or consistent).
Playing with a flared handle my grip was off neutral alignment which enabled my forehand to be the more dominant side. My backhand was punchier and lacked control furthermore it was limited in terms of open-ups and topspin shots. When I changed to a straight handle, my forehand became less hooky and I developed a more solid all-around backhand.
Table tennis has evolved since I began mid to late 90’s. Back then forehands alone were good enough to win you a world title. Today without a backhand you’re effectively handicapped.
So how does, the handle and grip affect your game?
What I do know,
– If you make a tight fist your forearm rotation is reduced by 5-10%
– The Chinese Ma Long, Fan Zhendong etc. use a flared handles
– Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov play with a straight handle, note Timo has a big grip change.
– Your hand size also plays a key factor
– The blade and grip influences your backhand and forehand
What I don’t know,
– The science behind the grip and blade, meaning if you took a group of players and scientifically measured results would their results differ? Us humans are remarkable and we mould, change and adapt to our environment. So, if you did tests and found a slight change in power/speed/spin, would those results change after 6 months of practice with a new blade or grip?
– Does the same blade with a different handle give you more power/speed/spin? Possibly with the grip, yes but does the handle change the above? (Unkown) and if so, will the stats change after a practised time scale?!
– Is there a correct or incorrect grip? Timo Boll was World no.1 and currently no.3 with a technically incorrect grip! Waldner had grip changes and is still regarded as one of the all-time table tennis greats (greatest in my book).
– Should a grip be individualised? Meaning we all have different hand shapes and different styles, should we mould our grips and handles to suit our individual needs? In a perfect world YES
Personal Conclusion:
A grip is important and I often try to implement a traditional grip for all my players. But I have and still pull back at times when I see a player developing their game with resistance to my grip proposal. I’ve seen top players such as Patrick Chila have an extreme grip which saw his hand halfway down the handle. Now some would argue that he was never a world champion but others would argue he was a top 20 in the world player. This can be argued both ways, if his grip was better he may have been a top 10 players or possibly vice versa?! Who knows? The answer is he reached top 20 in the world with a technically incorrect handle grip.
Is the handle that important?
I think it makes a difference, yes and I believe there are pros and cons and arguments for and against. I know we’ve had World and Olympic Champions who used all three different shaped handles; Pen-hold, flare and straight!
Therefore in my humble opinion, your table tennis grip is important in allowing you to execute certain technical strokes and personal execution. But it will not fully determine your capabilities.
The blade handle regardless of shape has had champions and therefore is inconclusive. We mould and shape our future regardless of the surrounding.
If anyone has any scientific data or opinions on this matter it’s welcomed.
Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis
We are often told, that was a high-risk table tennis shot, or we tell ourselves that was a poor shot selection. After one or two high-risk shots our game instantly changes into:
Reduction of power
More spin less power
Directing the ball towards the centre of the table for more safety
Well, I agree with all of the above but…
I also believe we should train at high risk more often.
The more you practice hitting the white line and exposing the ball into the wide angles the safer that particular shot will become
The more you practice and expose yourself against fastballs with positive blocks and counters the more accustomed you will become to it and develop a positive but secure defensive game.
If you implement an increase of harder and faster hitting the balls in your training session with the correct adjustments the risk percentage will decrease in your favour. You will learn how to time the ball correctly and this is exactly what the best in the world do. When you watch them hitting such wonderful shots which seem virtually impossible, you will soon understand that training at high risk becomes a low risk in due course, if done correctly.
Filip Szymanski Heritage Oil Table Tennis Tournament
So, go and hit some high-risk shots and develop it into low risk. To witness this in action I have developed a video that illustrates a high-risk table tennis shot, click here to see it.
Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
FB: Eli Baraty
W: www.coachmetabletennis.com
E: elibaraty@hotmail.com
M: 07900401144
I am constantly asked how do I improve my table tennis consistency?
3x Exercises that can help you develop your consistency
1. Multi-ball or TT Robot:
If you have a sparring partner who can do multi-ball (Multi-ball tutorial click here). This is a system that was introduced by the Chinese to increase consistency by hitting 100’s of balls within a short space of time. The system develops muscle memory and gives you the ability to hit thousands of balls working on footwork, technique and consistency. This system is extremely beneficial and compared to a normal practice of 1 ball per rally, followed by time spent on picking up the ball, its a no-brainerMulti-ball with Zak Abel
Table Tennis Robot
If you don’t have access to a sparring partner or coach and wish to get similar results, you can purchase a table tennis robot. The same principle applies, you are able to hit many balls within a short space of time.
The issue (of which you may or may not agree with), the variety of shots accessible and the spin received can be unrealistic. Furthermore, most people after a given time (shortly after initial use/purchase) you will most likely get bored. This is due to limited sequences and zero interaction, or feedback.
2. Single Ball Training
The polar opposite is a ‘single ball training session’ but with a twist! One of my former coaches had a theory (if you train with one ball in a large hall) it encourages your full focus on a single rally and reduces unforced error’s. When you have lots of balls nearby, your focus is reduced on unforced errors.
I must admit this helped me in two ways; 1) my focus became “match like” and 2) the disappointment of an unforced error (was thought) about while fetching the ball.
Look to implement the suggested training at least once a month and this can be decreased or increased in order to have greater development. I also believe this type of training is better suited for advanced players…
3. Technique,
Having the perfect technique is not vital for consistency but it may harm progression.
The key regardless of a poor or good technique is to find what works for you. Once established you must focus on re-enforcing that movement and make it muscle memory. If a technically varying stroke has been developed and used in match play, you will notice many unforced errors. This is due to technical deficiencies and anything that has poor foundations will ultimately fail in some sort of way. So repetition of a correct movement is vital in maintaining a stable stroke through an exercise into a match. Please note, different strokes are needed for different types of balls received, e.g. a backspin ball requires a different stroke to a topspin ball.
They say 6000 repetitions are required to build muscle memory. Therefore, I would focus on developing a stroke that works and follow it up with 6000 reps.
Equipment:
Equipment plays a big role when it comes to consistency, therefore you must make sure you buy a good bat that will give you the best possible chance of developing your game. A few personal recommendations for developing or advanced players please click here
There’s no real secret to becoming consistent, it’s about correct reps and developing the correct mindset.
