developing-spin
Sweetiele asked 5 years ago
Hi,
Great new videos! I have two questions for you. The first one is regarding developing a good forehand- why is developing spin so important? If I want to hit with power, then shouldn’t I practice hitting with more speed and spin rather than just spin initially?
The second one is about stretching (specially legs) and why it is important?
Thanks,
Tejeshwar
Tom Academy Coach answered 5 years ago
Hey, glad you like the new videos! Spin is very important because it adds safety to your shots and many players find controlling spin much harder than controlling speed. Going for more power without spin is higher risk, of course it’s good to be able to hit with power and spin but the video we just released is looking at a slightly different type of shot where you are trying to get a slow but very spinny ball 🙂
Stretching is important, in the legs especially, because they are used so much in table tennis to move around the court. The main reason is to prevent injury but also in table tennis you need to be flexible and get into good positions with the legs which means stretching is even more important to be able to do this well.
SweetieleHasn’t the spin decreased quite a bit with the plastic ball. And I also believe that more and more physical effort is required to stroke the ball?
Yes that’s right, there is less spin with the plastic ball but it’s still possible to generate a lot and still a vital part of the game for safety and control. You’re right it can require more effort now to create a lot of spin but of you work with the legs and good body positions you can minimise this effort, also by keeping a relaxed arm with a good acceleration!
Thanks for your reply Tom!
It would be great great if you could tell me some of the other ways the plastic ball is different from the celluloid ball.
