The use of video analysis is a great tool to improve your table tennis. Recording yourself while playing is a great way to watch your technique and movement patterns, and also to see match patterns.
Recording yourself in training and matches is an fantastic way to develop as a player. It can be very effective to spot things that you may have had no idea about. Table Tennis is a complex sport, by breaking down various parts of your game you can work on small aspects over time. For example when I was training full time I recorded myself doing some backspin serve practice. I realised that the angle of my bat face was aiming too low for me to produce any great deal of backspin. Overtime I tweaked this technique and looked back on the video and noticed the serve had improved a greatly.
Using video analysis can give you a lot of confidence, you will surprise yourself with some areas of your game. By recording yourself, you will able you to see progress in your game over time. You will be surprised with how well your game develops over the course of a year. Recording yourself gives you a better understanding on what your strengths and weaknesses are to develop your game plan. Sometimes however, I have found some players can be too hard on themselves after watching their game on playback. It’s important to not be too hard on yourself and focus on one thing at a time.
How to record yourself?
Modern smart phones have such great cameras nowadays you don’t need anything to fancy. A cheap tripod that connects to your phone will allow you to get a good angle. Investing into a small handy cam with a SD card can be a great way to record your matches and practice. Handy cam battery life lasts a lot longer than a phones and the quality is usually higher. If you want to send the footage to a coach or to the Academy members here, you can upload to youtube and select unlisted so only you and the person with the link can view the video.
Do you record your table tennis sessions? What areas of your game have you spotted that you need to work on? Comment below and let us know.
