In previous articles I have explained why it’s not necessary for local league players to have ‘perfect’ technique. To build on this discussion, I want to talk about a concept I use in my coaching sessions called ‘useable technique’. The idea is to develop technique – which might not be world class – but is highly consistent and useable in match situations. Keep reading
Sometimes you hear people call an attacking shot a ‘topspin’. Other times you hear people call an attacking shot a ‘loop’. Are they different? If so, how? Essentially we are talking about this same thing. Almost all attacking shots will have an element of topspin. Some will have lots of topspin, others will have just … Keep reading
Have you ever tried developing a new shot (e.g. a backhand flick), but found it difficult to actually use it in a competitive match? You can play the shot easily in training drills – and even in a practice match – but when it comes to a league or tournament match, you dare not use it. Why can it be so hard to add a new shot to our game? And what can we do about it? Keep reading
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, so the saying goes. But can you teach an adult table tennis player a new technique? As a later developer myself – and having spent the past 10 years coaching a lot of adult players – I know how challenging it can be to change the way you play a shot. When you have spent years (or decades!) playing a shot in a certain way, it can be very difficult to change technique. But it’s not impossible… Keep reading
Some coaches are very strict about the way you hold a table tennis bat. You MUST grip the handle like THIS. If you do not, then DISASTER will happen! I’m a lot more relaxed. Why? Probably, because I don’t have an optimal grip myself. However, there is one important thing you should do, regardless of how you hold your bat … Keep reading
Some players just can’t smash high balls. Or I should say, some players have never learnt to smash high balls. It seems like it should be so easy. The ball is up high. There is a huge margin to hit the ball over the net. How can you possibly miss? Is this you? Can’t smash and won’t smash? Here’s what you should do… Keep reading
Technique is a contentious issue. If you line up 10 coaches and ask them how to do a forehand loop (or any stroke), you will most likely get 10 slightly different answers. How can this be? Surely there is a correct way of playing a shot and everything else is incorrect? Well no, not exactly. If only table tennis were that simple! In this blog post, I give my thoughts about good technique and bad technique and hopefully give some clarity on this confusing issue. Keep reading
A few days ago I had the pleasure of coaching at the Top Edge & Gertsen Training Camp at St Neots Table Tennis Club. Part of my role was to do 1-to-1 sessions with some of the players. In these sessions I asked the players what they wanted to work on. The players were a mixture of ages and standards, but strikingly most of them wanted to work on the same thing – backhand topspin vs backspin. This is consistent with my own coaching sessions in Cambridge. Backhand topspin vs backspin seems to be a shot which is very difficult for a lot of players (myself included) at the amateur level. Why is this? Keep reading
How much should you try and copy professional table tennis players? Their technique is so smooth. The footwork is brilliant. They can generate huge amounts of speed and spin. And they are incredibly accurate and consistent. Pro players make the game look so easy and so effortless. So if we want to improve, then surely it makes sense to just study and copy what the pro players do? Well yes and no. There are instances when copying the pros could make you much worse. Keep reading
I often get asked whether being a coach helps me improve as a player. There is an assumption that when you start to coach, your own improvement stops. You spend too much time feeding, too much time instructing and too much time talking. You don’t have time to work on your own game. So you don’t improve. But is this true? Yes and no. Let me share my experience so far… Keep reading