Zhang Jike Scores by "Ball Quality," Ma Long by "Calculating the Ball"
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.
I serve underspin, the opponent chops long, and I assume it is also underspin. But my bat is already very upright, yet the return is always too high.
The opponent may not be chopping but “bumping” it over. The variation is small, and you did not see clearly. A light bump — if you do not look carefully, you think it is a push, but the ball over is actually no-spin. You push, and it pops up.
My ball-calculating is fairly poor. I score by ball quality, with few patterns. If I tighten up, raising every ball’s quality, I can give a certain opponent three points. But if I do not raise the quality to a certain height, even playing even with the opponent, I do not surely win. But playing this way is very tiring, hard to do against every opponent.
Yes, some score by ball quality, some more by “calculating the ball.” Those scoring by ball quality, like Zhang Jike, Wang Manyu. Relatively, their ball-calculating is weaker; Ma Lin and Ma Long calculate well, scoring more easily. Wang Manyu wins every ball fairly strenuously, weaker in skill and ball-calculating. Zhang Jike, though his loop contact point is fairly back, feeling less powerful than close-table, actually has much more power than Ma Long. The more you fire, the more horizontal opening. But scoring mainly by ball quality — for amateurs it is okay, for pros more tiring. Amateurs have few who can defend; pros fire fast on every ball, with more body wear. But in a contest, if you change your style to more calculating, calculating and calculating, sometimes you err more. And if you demand raising ball quality and just play fierce, it conversely comes out more easily. It seems each person’s type really differs. Yes, this is determined by personality. After each person’s level rises, personality and style must match. This is why, at high level, you need a dedicated coach. The coach designs a match style exclusive to you, maximizing the scoring rate.
Choosing the inner 968 or the outer Vis — what is the core point?
For an inner blade, short control needs added force; pure pace-borrowing easily pops up. For flicking, because the motion is small and over the table, the inner 968 cannot quite use force, so Ma Long’s over-the-table game is basically control-first, rarely flicking. Zhang Jike, using the outer Vis, has weaker short control, not reaching super-first-rate level, so Ma Long and Ma Lin often rip-flick him. Zhang Jike likes flicking, not controlling; personally I feel he does not suit inner, and using the 968, a Grand Slam would be hard. The core point: can you highlight your single technique that is higher-level than others, while your other techniques do not lose out?