Against Pro Teams, Always Feel You Cannot "Draw Your Sword"?
This is a brand-new, technique-focused column in a question-and-answer format. The mystery figures answering are two former national team members, both now veteran coaches. So the “Reaching the Summit” column was born.
Against pro teams, I always feel I cannot “draw my sword” — they subdue you with pushes alone. How do I learn their high-level pushing and control?
If your pushing only knows how to add spin, you are still at the first level. The spinnier you push, against pro teams, sometimes you die faster. Because to push spinnier, your stroke is bigger, and contact is still on the descending phase. So the ball over is slow, and the opponent has more prep time. Pushing this way is effective against weaker players — they fear spin and only push back. The high-level, with ample prep time, can directly rip you. You must learn fast short-touch and long chop. First, your body’s center of gravity must follow up. Do not stand still and dead-push. The arm must relax, borrow the incoming ball’s rising phase, and act when the ball is three or four centimeters above the table. The short-touch stroke is small, no wrist, with the bat traveling about 10 centimeters; the long chop has a relatively longer travel, but the stroke is the same. Note: pushing tests level a lot — your body’s center must go up, the bat must not be too far from your head, and you must learn to take the incoming ball’s rising-phase force.
What are the essentials of the active flick?
For the backhand flick, first the body’s center must brace, the bat placed at the body’s center point; when about 10 centimeters from the incoming ball, on the ball’s late rising phase or high point, fire the wrist. Then the bat is slightly upright, about 45 degrees to the table, with the bat angle fine-tuned by the incoming spin.
Could a young Waldner still win the Worlds men’s singles?
Times differ, styles differ. Undeniably Waldner’s genius. But his style then is a bit unworkable now. That era’s ball was small and fast, so it could birth a guerrilla captain like him. His style looked a bit like playing around — also a method born of no other method. Because in pure speed he had no advantage, after all inverted rubber on both sides. So he relied on rhythm, angle variation and some spin maneuvering. Times changed; this style struggles to achieve much now — just steady, with the first three balls not fierce enough. Like Old Sam, European styles mostly win by “one more ball.” Clearly, nowadays, China’s style emphasizing the first three balls while being fiercer suits the times better.