In a Short Time, What Improves Your Game Fastest?
This is a technique-focused column in a question-and-answer format. The mystery figure answering is a former national team member, a veteran coach. So the “Reaching the Summit” column was born.
Online it is said that before a forehand drive, when recovering, Ma Long and Fan Zhendong often reach the hand behind the butt, like a “wiping” motion, called the most advanced stroke. What do you think? For amateurs, is it worth learning, or is it injury-prone and slow to recover, hurting the backhand?
The body rotates at a larger angle, and the recovery angle is larger. This way, relatively, the power is greater and the spin stronger. But the striking rhythm is harder to time, demanding more of your judgment. The forearm recovery is also harder. Actually this stroke does suit amateurs. Because amateurs are slow; if your quality is high, few can defend it. Even if defended, the return is slow, and you can still recover.
Does speed restrain spin, or spin restrain speed?
The two can mutually restrain. But by general operation, spin restraining speed is more common.
For some opponent serves, I waver between flicking up with the backhand or long-chopping. With the long chop, sometimes I cannot judge the no-spin clearly; even if it goes over not high, the opponent can rip it, and I still cannot defend.
In principle, it should be: subjectively, get on the offensive first. If the offensive success rate is low, then choose long chop. Actually the long chop is not great either. Best is to choose “slice” — avoid the incoming ball’s forward spin and slice the ball’s side. As long as you slice fast and urgently enough, the opponent can only lob one. When I cannot judge the incoming spin clearly, I use this. The motion goes from up to diagonally down, slicing the ball’s side. Pushing meets the incoming ball, pushing flat. Slicing means the bat-to-ball angle is under 45 degrees, slicing the ball’s side. At the instant of slicing, dare to fire. Because with a “slice,” the opponent cannot judge the second bounce and spin well.
From which angle do amateurs raise their level fastest in a short time?
Surely serve-and-attack. Prepare at least three serve sets for different opponents. Some opponents cannot receive your spin/no-spin, some cannot receive your side-top/side-under, some get dizzy at a hook serve. Each serve set must combine with the next-shot attack. The serve need not be how spinny or good, but first you must have multiple serve sets. The core is still making the opponent uncomfortable. With multiple serve sets, more variation, the opponent has more to consider, indirectly dropping his receive quality. This is like defending your loop. Some defend your drive-loop well, but cannot defend a high hang, because that ball’s spin and rhythm changed. Overall, the high hang is inferior to the drive-loop. But the high hang changes rhythm — power down, spin up — and the opponent may not adapt fast. Serves are the same; the key is: deceive the opponent, change the rhythm.