October 22, 2015

The More Two Players Drill Together the Better They Drill Together

One of the keys to improving is getting a good practice partner. Usually these are two players who are roughly the same level. But it's more important that they both want to improve, are willing to work together, and are regular to train on a regular basis. The more they train together the more used to each other they get, and the better each plays in these drills. This leads to both players' levels escalating up – an upward spiral to excellence! (Here's my article on How to Play and Practice with Weaker Players.)

I want to emphasize how amazingly better you play when you drill with someone regularly – you get used to their shots, and your own shots become more and more natural and consistent, as well as more powerful. Some might think this is artificial, since you are playing against the same player and shots, which isn't what happens in tournaments or leagues. But the key is how much this type of drilling develops your foundation.

Players still need to play others with different styles, especially matches – that's imperative - but drilling with a good partner develops the foundation that's so important to develop your game.

Once you find someone to train with regularly, take turns with the drills. But remember that in any drill, both players are doing the drill. If one player is doing a footwork drill to the other's block, then the other is doing a blocking drill. Players not only need to learn to move and attack, but also to control an opponent's shots.

Don't forget to get a box of balls and do some multiball training! (Here's my article on Multiball Training.) Multiball training makes up about 1/3 of the training of world-class players. (A version of today's blog might end up as a Tip of the Week.)

Polish Open

Here's the ITTF home page for the event, with results, articles, pictures, and video. It started yesterday, and is in Warsaw, POL, Oct. 21-25.

Ask the Coach Show

Note – for much of yesterday there was a bad link for Episode 176, so I'm linking it again today.

• Episode #176 (21:18) – Ding Ning's Reverse Tomahawk Serve (and other segments)
• Episode #177 (23:44) – Confusing Table Tennis (and other segments)

Table Tennis Training China

Here's the video (1hr 13min 13 sec) – that's a lot of TT! It's in Chinese but you can learn by watching.

Interview with Andrew Baggaley

Here's the interview with the English star.

Ma Long and Zhang Jike Training

Here's the video (47 sec, including slow motion replay) as Ma forehand loops to Zhang's backhand.

Ding Ning vs. Liu Shiwen

Here's video (6:14, with time between points removed) of the world's top two women playing each other recently in the Chinese Super League.

Ask a Pro Anything: Fan Zhendong

Here's the video (2:24) as Adam Bobrow interviews the Chinese superstar. We learn about his favorite game – Clash of Clans – and watch him play with Adam doing the play-by-play! We also see his impression of Bruce Lee! Plus he sings! (He speaks decent English.)

Ambidextrous Table Tennis – Watch These Four Three Play!

Here's the video (32 sec) as one player shows how he can be two in a drill!

How to Knock a Ping-Pong Ball Off a Tee

Here's video (8 sec, repeating) of Kevin Korb showing an inefficient way of doing this.

Adam Bobrow Circles the Table with Jorg Rosskopf

Here's the video (25 sec) as the two clown around.

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