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relaxed-arm-for-a-whipping-effect

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Sweetiele asked 5 years ago

Hi,
Can you please tell me why a relaxed arm is essential to create that whipping effect? I feel that I can strike the ball with more power and spin with a slightly tense arm. I know that I may be wrong but can you please explain why?
Thanks!

1 Answers
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Dan Academy Coach answered 5 years ago

Hey Sweetiele,

I know exactly what you mean. It is about finding the balance between being relaxed enough to get enough acceleration and speed through the ball whilst at the same time having enough tension to play strong and strike the ball firmly. Different shots require different amounts of tension, however overall we would emphasize that being to tense can make the recovery harder and the shots more effort and hard work.

I myself play with some tension in my forehand I find it allows me to generate more spin. I think Timo Boll is similar to this whereas Ma Long is a lot more relaxed. So it goes back to finding out what works for you and getting that balance 🙂

Sweetiele
replied 5 years ago

Thanks for the reply Dan!

First of all, I am loving your videos, specially the fact that you are making an effort to explain the “why” aspect of the game. Please don’t mind my questions, I know they can can be stupid at times!
Can you please elaborate a bit on the different tensions required by different shots?
Also how do you know that Timo Boll plays with some tension in his forehand whereas MA long is a lot more relaxed?

Thanks!

Dan
Academy Coach replied 5 years ago

Hi Sweetiele,

That’s a great question. To me it seems Boll makes a lot of use from his legs and body to generate power but his arm is a little tensed to generate the spin to. Whereas Ma Long he is using more body and a greater swing motion (a typical Chinese technique) which allows for more weight transfer. This means Ma long’s arm can be more relaxed as the power is coming from his legs and body. Ma Long also has a straighter arm as he plays his topspin whereas Boll’s is a little more bent at the elbow. This means Ma Long’s lever is greater getting more inertia on the ball.

Thanks for the kind comments about our videos, we really appreciate your feedback as this helps us improve our videos.
Thanks 🙂

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