Feel Like You Can't Play Your Game Against Professional Players?
This is a brand-new, technique-focused column presented in a Q&A format. The mysterious experts answering questions are: two former national team members (both now veteran coaches) who prefer to remain unnamed. They just want to live quietly and sleep soundly — they have no interest in fame.
I think sharing these technical insights with everyone is genuinely valuable, and a great complement to the regular content here. And so the “Climb to the Peak” column was born.
Why Do You Feel Helpless Against Pro Players — Even Against Their Pushes?
If your push game only goes one direction — adding topspin — you’re still at the first level. Sometimes, the more spin you pile on, the faster you lose against pros. The reason is that generating maximum spin requires a bigger swing and contact during the descending phase. That makes the ball slower and gives your opponent more time to prepare. The more predictably you push, the easier it is for lower-level players to handle — they fear the spin and just push back. But a skilled opponent, given all that extra prep time, will simply blast a loop drive straight at you.
You need to learn to push short quickly and push long aggressively.
First, your bodyweight has to move into the shot. You can’t stand flat-footed and push statically. Keep your arm relaxed and meet the ball on the rise, contacting it when it’s about three or four centimeters above the table surface. For short pushes, keep the motion compact — no wrist, paddle travel of roughly 10 centimeters. For long pushes, the paddle travels a bit further, but the basic mechanics are the same.
Key point: pushing well is a real test of skill. Your bodyweight must go forward, the paddle shouldn’t drift far from your head, and you need to learn to use the energy of the ball’s rising phase.
What Are the Keys to Active Flicking?
For a backhand flick, start with your bodyweight braced and the paddle positioned at your body’s center. When the ball is about 10 centimeters away, engage at the peak of the ball’s rise or just past it, and snap the wrist. At this moment, the paddle should be slightly upright — roughly 45 degrees to the table surface. Adjust the paddle angle based on the incoming spin.
Could a Young Jan-Ove Waldner Win the Men’s Singles World Championship Today?
The era is different now, and the game has changed. Waldner’s genius is undeniable. But his playing style, suited for that era, would struggle to gain traction today.
Back then, the balls were smaller and faster, which allowed a player like him — the guerrilla tactician — to thrive. His game looked almost playful, but that was making the best of a tough situation. In pure speed contests, he wasn’t at an advantage as a two-sided inverted rubber player. So he relied on rhythm, angle variation, and spin management.
In today’s game, that style would have a hard time achieving great results — it’s consistent but lacks the aggression in the first three balls. Like Samsonov, the European approach of winning with one extra ball is increasingly out of step with the times. The Chinese team’s emphasis on dominating the first three balls while attacking more ferociously is clearly better suited for the modern era.