Ask The Coach Show | Table Tennis

In this week's show we discuss the importance of the serve, and how to practice it. We also talk about the recent Australian Open, plus we answer some interesting questions that have been submitted recently. And don't forget to tell the joke of the week to all your friends. :) On This Day - 0:35 12th of July Liam Pitchford's Birthday 7th of July Hina Hayata's Birthday Joke of the Week - 2:35 Why didn't the dinosaur cross the road? Tip of the Week - 3:29 Focus on your serve! Drill of the Week - 4:20 Serving practice. How to practice and then moving after your service action. Tournament Wrap - 8:22 We discuss the recent results from the Australian Open How To See Through Fake Service Movements - 16:00 Ken: Yesterday, I encountered a person who served a ball with a lot of fake movements. How do you see through their fake movements? How to Adjust to Different Venues - 18:03 Pasquale: I've noticed that when i play in tournaments that are in other places, the speed of the bounce of the ball changes due to the density of the air and the atmospheric pressure. For example: when i play where i live which is hot, the ball bounces fast and the brushing contact feels very normal. Probably due because i'm used to it, however whenever i travel to San Jose and play there which is cold, the bounce of the ball is slower and the brushing contact feels different.. Many people tell me this is normal and it is a matter to just get used to it. What is your advice to keep the same level of consistency for the same performance of game? What are the Disadvantages of Playing Close to the Table? - 21:30 Marcin: What are the disadvantages of playing close to the Table? When I think of one, it might be that the elbow region is getting quite vulnerable and the ball is rarely hit in the optimal highest point of the arc (mostly while rising). Is that the main reason why attacking players go back? Also it's easier to go really low a step back from the Table. But the argument of having more time, is more of the defensive nature. Please give some more explanation why attacking players frequently step back. Calling a Fault - 24:20 Roy: In a table tennis game with no umpire, if your opponent serves an illegal ball, say out of the hand, should you call a fault before giving the love one score? Links in this Episode itTV Table Tennis Rules Overview Service Rules Video        

Today in the show we're going to be talking about the importance of linking your strokes together. We'll have our regular segments and of course answer your table tennis questions. On This Day - 1:05 18th June - Father’s Day in U.S. 20th June - Ding Ning's Birthday Joke of the Week - 3:10 Why can't you trust an atom? Tip of the Week - 3:52 Linking strokes in set patterns Drill of the Week -  6:45 The PingSkills Drill Tournament Wrap - 9:07 Japan Open results and upcoming tournaments Do We Need to Practice Strong Shots? - 17:55 Chandrachur: Hello Aloi. My partner is asking me to not hit the ball very hard in training. He says that if we can hit the ball slowly with the basic movement correct then we will face no trouble in tournaments attacking the ball fast. All we need to do is make the stroke bigger and faster. Do you feel he is correct, or we must practice attacking separately too. I think that we should practice attacking or else it may create problems in serious matches. Backhand Flick Against Heavy Chop - 20:03 Umesh: I am thankful to your advice to keep practicing only SERVE with full focus and I have been doing it religiously for the last five months & owing to it my game as well as confidence level is improved. Now I request you to guide me for the backhand flick against heavy chop. Hitting the Table When Serving - 22:58 What happens when the person serving hits the table with his bat making a loud noise? I find this happens quite a bit and it is off putting. Rakza 7 vs Tenergy - 24:26 I have use Rakza7 1,8mm FH and Yasaka x soft 1,8 BH. Now I'm thinking to try something else. How are Tenergy rubbers for not pro player? I mean what is the best choice? Is Tenergy 05 faster than Rakza 7? Links in this Episode Japan Open Backhand Sidespin Flick

In today's show we talk about the importance of developing the basic strokes and gaining consistency with them. The more times you hit the ball on the table the more confident you will be in a match situation. We also answer some very interesting questions. On This Day - 0:50 Patrick Franziska and Danny Seemiller have birthdays this week! Joke of the Week - 3:40 Q: Why did the angry Jedi cross the road? Tip of the Week - 4:36 Make sure you cover off on the basic strokes. Drill of the Week - 7:30 Consistency - use a consistency chart Tournament Wrap - 9:52 Para Table Tennis Open Championships Competition Winner - 12:20 Dean Gochev from Bulgaria was our winner and chose the PingSkills Touch with Rakza 7 as his prize! Playing Against Aggressive Players - 13:43 Krystian: Hi, Thanks for the great site with so much valuable knowledge you share. I am intermediate player with all around offensive style. I use Korbel with Donic Baracuda on FH and Donic M3 max on BH. I like this set up as it give me a reasonable control. What I am struggling with is playing aggressive, fast players that tend to smash or loop very fast. I have problem blocking their attack. I feel like I need to back off the table significantly to have more control returning their attack. But when I do that I feel more vulnerable, and I cannot cover the sides of the table properly.  Do you recommend to stay mid distance to the table and just practice blocking? High Toss Serve Impacts - 17:32 DK: Hello PingSkills Team. Recently I trained high toss serves and found out that although my serves are spinny, they are often high and spinny,or low and dead. When I practised further, I found that I do not know a)how far from the body should my bat contact the ball? b)where the initial bounce should be (if it is the same for all types of serves)? c)how to disguise my serves without actually hiding them? d) is because many players keep telling me that they can predict what serve I am going to use before I perform the serve, which was proven correct in 70% of cases. Can You Over Clean Rubbers? - 21:28 Ryan: I play in my basement and my rubbers become really dirty after about fifteen minutes. I clean my rubbers probably 3-5 times a day (with water and sponge), will this shorten the life of the rubbers? If so, how often should I replace them? Forehand Topspin to the Opponent's Backhand - 24:10 Zohair: Assume that the opponent uses the same hand as me and I try to hit the ball with a topspin stroke/loop, it always lands across the table to the opponent's forehand to which he can loop back with a stronger strike. No matter how I try to angle the racquet, the ball always seems to cross the table from right side (my side) to the left side of the table (from my view). How do you loop the ball to the opponent's backhand, which would be harder for the opponent to counter unless he is really good with a backhand topspin which is tougher than the forehand loop?  For example, the ball is arriving at my side in the right, I want to loop the ball such that it lands on the opponent's backhand...What changes do we have to incorporate to my stroke in order to change the trajectory of the ball to make it go right instead of left? Links in this Episode Patrick Franziska Serve Danny Seemiller in Action

In today's show we'll talk about the amazing World Championships, we'll have our regular segments, On This Day, Tip of the Week, Drill of the Week, and of course answer your table tennis questions. And, back by popular demand is the joke of the week. On This Day - 1:10 Jun Mizutani's Birthday Joke of the Week - 2:10 Did you hear about the guy who invented the knock knock joke? Tip of the Week - 2:47 Watch the best players in the World. Drill of the Week - 6:15 Serve short with backspin, push short, and then push long, make sure you jump back into position to play the long ball after the short ball. Tournament Wrap - 7:40 We discuss all the results from the World Championships in 2017. Win a PingSkills Table Tennis Bat - 27:00 We announce the winner of our World's competition. Defense - 30:53 Ryan: Hi Alois. I am new to table tennis. I have just started playing at October, last year. One thing I have noticed is that I fail at making kill shots like smashes nearly 50% of the time, but have an innate skill at blocking by reflex the forehand topspins and smashes. The problem I am facing is that at smashes with very high speed, the ball flies over the other side at times, and it is sometimes a really hard thing to predict the success rate of my block. what should I do to maximise the success rate? I am trying to improve this skill to build an absolute defensive play style. Your expert tips are required. Doubles Serve - 33:14 Euguene: I've recently been training doubles in preparation for the national private school table tennis championship. I can get there thanks to your guidance :) My doubles partner is not as good as me. He makes a lot of mistakes. Even on high balls. And he isn't very good in topspinning backspin balls. However, both good forehand and backhand topspin is very powerful. Only lacking of consistency. So my question is, what serve should I use to incorporate him? I've tried backspin serves and he can't topspin backspin balls well. I've tried topspin balls and it went high. But he kept using his backhand and miss the ball. Doubles Position - 35:56 Kelvin: In a doubles match, should the non-serving partner stand beside or behind the server to maximize the chance for an effective return? At what distance? Awkward Grip - 38:15 Ali: I want to ask a question about holding/gripping a bat. I Holds a table tennis bat in very awkward way. Seriously, i keep my thumb on face of bat and rest of four fingers on the back of racket (by this I couldn't play shot from back of bat). The thing I want to ask that is this type of holding/gripping allowed In Table Tennis?  Links in this Episode Doubles Strategy How to Hold the Bat I Can't Return That Smash World Championships 2017 Our Competition  

In today's show we'll talk about the World Championships, we'll have our regular segments on this day, tip of the week, drill of the week, and of course answer your table tennis questions. Plus we have a special joke of the week! On This Day - 1:39 Alois has absolutely nothing for us! Joke of the Week - 2:23 A man walks into a bookshop... Tip of the Week - 3:41 How you plan your week of training Drill of the Week - 5:50 We discuss the previous drill of the week where you were to try not moving during a rally, and what this was meant to teach you. This week the drill of the week revolves around your service practice. Tournament Wrap - 9:37 The 2017 World Table Tennis Championships Win a PingSkills Table Tennis Bat - 12:20 Learn how you can win a table tennis bat by picking the winners of the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships   Backhand Dominant Player - 17:35 Purvez: I have a backhand dominant game with a decent push and a devastating backhand wristy flick/smash. Although I have a fairly good forehand I don't have confidence in using it often in competition or even training. Consequently, I tend to stand more on the forehand side and try to play most shots with my backhand. This worked when I was in a lower division. However, now in a higher division the opponents are smart so they give me deep backspin serves on my forehand which most times I return with my backhand and its easy for them to loop deep into my open backhand and win the point. Can you suggest what all I should do to play a more all round game and use my forehand more often? Shakehand Grip Weakness - 20:29 Tim: What’s the weakness with shakehand grip is it FH or BH? Staying Low - 22:35 Heejoon: Hello, I've been playing table tennis for about two years. I'm having this problem when doing forehand loop drive that my body becomes upright after impact with the ball. Others have advised me to try to stay low and keep my upper body bent forward throughout my swing, but I can't seem to fix this bad habit.

In today's show we'll talk about whether you should change your bat depending on your opponent, discuss how many faults are acceptable during a match, playing against a sibling, space needed for a table, and how to prepare for a tournament. We'll also have the tip of the week and drill of the week, tournament wrap and everyone's favourite segment, on this day. On This Day - 1:05 International Women's Day Jian Fang Lay, Kalinikos Kreanga, Timo Boll, and Steve Dainton's Birthdays Tip of the Week - 8:30 Andrew Clark - Fitness Coach Sydney FC "The best thing we can do is listen, listen to what they feel helps them best and then as the relationship grows we begin to see ways we can improve a player. For a player like Filip [Holosko], in some areas we may need to back-off a bit and then increase other training he does. Then it's just a case of making small adjustments,"  Drill of the Week - 11:30 Play a game where you aren’t allowed to move your feet during a rally.  See what lessons you can learn... Tournament Wrap - 13:16 ITTF World Tour Changing Racket Depending on Opponent - 18:18 Phil:  Does anyone change their bat depending on the opponent, or is it a bad idea because you have to learn different styles of play? Are Faults Acceptable - 20:56 Steve:  In tennis, a small number of double faults is acceptable and a player who rarely double faults is probably not being aggressive enough with power or placement.  I am wondering if there is any parallel thinking in table tennis?  If so, should I push my serve to the point where I miss occasionally, or should the server be more conservative since to miss is loss a point? Playing a Sibling - 23:01 Michael: This coming weekend is the NYC individuals championships, and I'm coming in as the no.7 seed, and my brother is coming in at the no.4 seed.  This means that we are slated to play each other in the quarterfinals, but I can't find it in myself to play him, since either way, it hurts one of us, are there any methods to getting over this mindset. Space for a Table - 26:28 Daniele: In the place where I work, we are talking about freeing a room for use in our spare time, and we are discussing the possibility of installing a table tennis table. how much room is really needed 1) What do the official rules say? How much space is needed to play an official tournament match? 2) Forgetting about the official rules, how much space do you think it is needed for two good players to play a serious match? 3) If I am willing to sacrifice the lobbing game, but I still wish to play decently at a short and mid-distance from the table, how much space do I need? Preparing for a Tournament - 29:45 Dima: Tomorrow I have a tournament and I wonder what and how table tennis players do to keep their good work. When should you come and what to eat for breakfast. How should I warm up? These questions and what to prepare for. Links in this Episode ITTF World Tour Desmond Douglas  

In today's show we'll talk about practicing without a partner, learning how to topspin, changing fortunes in matches, and the incredible Tomokazu Harimoto. We'll also have the tip of the week and drill of the week. On This Day - 1:39 Cedrik Cabestany's Birthday - 18 February Tip of the Week - 3:48 Don't give up too early Drill of the Week - 8:15 Varying placement with forehand topspin Tournament Wrap - 12:18 The Indian Open and Tomokazu Harimoto Practicing Strokes Without a Partner - 18:12 Subhan: Coach, what is the best way to perfect basic strokes as nowadays I'm often without a partner so any way i could practice basic strokes alone? Difficulty Doing Topspin - 21:34 Baseer: I am a beginner player in table tennis using Butterfly Wakaba 3000, when i play with one my friend having a style of chopper, I can't return his chop by doing topspin stroke. Every time i do topspin the ball hit directly on the net. I can't understand what is the problem, even how hard i try I can't do that. Please give some suggestion. Topspin Strength - 24:32 Lukas: Every coach says to me that i do not need to play every topspin that strong because that means a lot of easy mistakes. I always try to avoid these easy balls but i think the quality in my slower loops is not that good even when i try to play the ball long and with spin. I got many counter attacks when i have good opponents. What can i do? Changing Fortunes in Matches - 28:14 Frank: My friends and I play fairly casually and our sessions consist mostly of best of 3 games. One of us has a strange habit where he plays well while we warm up, stumbles in the first game but is completely in the zone in the second. But by the time the third game comes around, he's shaky again. Links in this Episode Recognise Your Feelings itTV Is It Too Late? - We interview the legendary Brian Berry Key Quotes from my Richard Lee Interview Topspin Against Backspin Practicing Alone

On This Day - 2:20 Fan Zhendong 22/1 Zhang Jike 16/2 Tip of the Week - 4:34 Find one more training session per week. Drill of the Week - 6:46 Rather than bouncing and then hitting the ball when feeding multiball, try serving each ball to simulate a serve so the person doing the drill can practice returning more match like balls. Tournament Wrap - 8:40 The Indian Open and the European Top 16 When to take a Timeout - 15:00 Andrew: Is it best to save your time out for later in a match or take it earlier if you are losing?  For example if I am down 0-2 games and say it is tied 8-8 would a time out help me or maybe if I win the game and then the next game so it is 2-2 I would have a time out for the last game of the match.  Of course you cannot predict the future but it sure would be nice to have a timeout for your last game. Choppers and Penholders - 18:23 Viet: Hi PingSkills, Nowaday, I saw that defenders and penholders are getting fewer and fewer. Most of top players now play shakehand style and attack. So do you think that one day, penholders and defenders will completely disappear in top 100? Playing weaker players - 22:11 David: I have been introducing family members and friends to the game just casually asking them to join me and go play outside for fun. Maybe it’s a bit odd to ask but how do you guys play games against new players do you let them have the point and fake missing. I just want them to experience how fun table tennis is and playing against someone who is much better might. Using More Than 1 Ball in a Match - 24:55 Arnab: I was wondering 1. Since when did the rule start that for every serve, a ball will be provided from the umpire's chair so that the players don't have to fetch the old one.  2. What tournaments have enforced this rule? Links in this Episode PingSkills Multiball Course itTV - Watch live streams of ITTF matches European Top 16 Tournament

On This Day - 2:35 Lots of interesting birthdays. Tip of the Week - 4:42 Plan for the year ahead! Drill of the Week - 9:17 Introducing placing the ball to more than one position when you are doing a drill. Tournament Wrap - 13:03 ITTF Star Awards Playing Unfit - 19:36 Ernst: Yesterday, I played table tennis in not a perfect shape. I got a fever but I was still insist to play. Usually, I can land the ball perfectly on the table, but yesterday almost all of my ball went straight to the net or went out of the table. Does it mean I'm still lacking consistency in playing table tennis? Mind Games - 22:08 Nigel: Do you have advice about mind games. I recently played in a match in my local league. I was just about to start serving in the 3rd game of a match. The score was 1 - 1in games. An opponent who i had just lost to in a close match was sat watching but called me over and said i needed to throw the ball higher on my serve. This has never been said to me before and as far as i can tell i am usually very close to the required 6 inches height if not higher. It being a local league most people don't complain as long as you are obviously not gaining an advantage. The umpire who was also one of the visiting team said nothing. Nor had my opponent who i was actually playing said anything. My own team afterwards have told me that my serves are on par with most players who play in our league .i.e not always perfect but not played in a way that gains an advantage...e.g serving out of a hand or spinning the ball or throw the ball away from vertical. I asked the opponent who was sat down to leave the decisions to the umpire. But i was put off by his comments and lost that game 2 - 11 and ended up losing that match. The opponent who had made the comment went on to play another match and served using a throw of about 2 inches. In fact the rest of my team said that is how he had served in every match that evening. In hindsight i think the comments were mind games to put me off. I do tend to be a bit of obviously nervous player. So how to keep concentration and how to deal with mind games from the opposition. Timeouts - 29:06 Temitope: When are the very best moments, period and time to call for time out in a Tournaments? Re-Tossing - 35:08 Bryan: My question for you is am I allowed to catch the ball and toss it again during service? I've played tennis for 6 years and I know I'm allowed to do it. I was wondering if that was the same for table tennis. Warming Up - 36:13 Mehmet: I wanna ask How many minutes we have to work on the table? Links in this Episode The Goonies PingSkills YouTube Channel The Relative Age Effect ITTF Star Awards The Star Table Tennis Points of 2016 PingSkills Show on the Paralympic Games  

On This Day - 1:07 Patrick Chila (born 27 November 1969 in Ris-Orangis, Essonne) is a French table tennis player who has competed at five Olympics from 1992 to 2008. Ariel Yenhua Hsing (born November 29, 1995)[2] is an American table tennis player who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Hsing became the youngest U.S. table tennis national champion in history in 2010 at age 15. Tip of the Week - 6:50 Using your wrist Drill of the Week - 11:11 Practicing the Flick - Use short serves or multiball Tournament Wrap - 14:45 Swedish Open The Katana Grip - 19:07 We discuss a grade 2 player using a new style of grip called the Katana Grip. Will this become popular? Long Pimples for RPB - 22:08 Icon: Is it okay to use long pips when playing rpb the back side specifically. Anger Under Pressure - 24:02 Nathan: I have never been able to beat my Dad at table tennis, he is nothing special but whenever i am doing really well, he always makes me choke and i mess up. Also no whenever i play, if i mess up simple shots, i start getting very angry which makes me miss even more. My Dad ends up quitting on me whenever we are playing because i get so mad. How do i keep myself from missing those easy shots, and keeping my temper cool. Please help, i really need to beat him. So please help. Strategy Against a Fast Server - 28:01 Ardak: I played with a guy who plays really fast. When he does his very fast topspin serves, I can't react to loop or to use topspin it. Because I can’t topspin against very fast balls, also,  he serves sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right side. Tried to topspin it or loop, but without success. I can always block it, or counter by flat bat contact. But he continues to topspin, I continue to block. Tried to counter by flat contact to different sides of the table, but after 3-4 blocks I fail. What must I do? Ma Lin's Fake Serve Action - 31:05 Jason: Hi. I already know about how to do the Ghost serve, and I don't wanna ask about that. I just amazed when I see he hiding his serve (a little) with his left hand and if I watch his serve in his matches I just can see that he brush the ball to the other side (It looks like he is doing a reverse pendulum serve, but actually he is doing a normal pendulum serve). My question is, how to do that? (I really want to learn it) Links in this Episode Patrick Chila Ariel Hsing Topspin Documentary 2016 Swedish Open Results Advanced Forehand Topspin Introduction to Multiball Forehand Flick Sports Psychology Course How To Execute the Ma Lin Serve The Katana Grip Video

On This Day - 1:28 Teddy Bears and Jean Michel Saive Tip of the Week - 5:02 Using your thumb for the forehand push Drill of the Week - 7:05 Short pushing with the first person to make a topspin winning the point Tournament Wrap - 9:19 We discuss the results from the 2016 Austrian Open Bad in Tournaments - 15:45 Carl: I've been playing table tennis fairly consistently for about a year and I'm in love with the sport. I seem to play fairly well against friends however when I get in a tournament setting I seem to fall to pieces. Is there something I can do to conquer this problem? Weak Players Winning - 21:16 Eugene:  I want to ask you about a player who is seemingly weak but able to beat or even challenge a state level player. A player who has no real strokes, slow and clumsy can beat a state level player with fast footwork, good attacks and good serves. How can you explain this? Flooring - 23:48 Joseph: My question is what type of floor is suited for table tennis? Preparing for Matches - 26:30 Filippo: On analysing the results of the past years, except for the ones that I have won or lost in 3 straight games, I have noticed that I have on average always lost the first game. It is only when I lose the first game that I wake up and start playing to my best. I seem to need the first game to study my opponent and devise an appropriate tactic or it may be due to my age (I am 70) and need a game to warm up properly. I cannot improve on the latter as there is unfortunately, at local League level,  no possibility of a proper warm up. Can you give me some advice please? Bubble in Rubber - 29:49 Patrick: How can you fix a rubber with bubbles on the middle of the rubber, I mean like the top sheet and the sponge is like separated but only one portion of the rubber, and that's the middle, is it still fixable or its just dead gone? Links in this Episode 2016 Austrian Open The Ping Pong Zone Jean Michel Saive

Tournament Round Up - 1:23 European Teams Championships Qualification On This Day - 06:10 Ai Fukuhara and the Melbourne Cup Tip of the Week - 11:30 Working on your short game by making your practice more like a match Drill of the Week - 13:42 Practicing your backhand opener Playing Someone Weaker - 18:20 David: recently I have been introducing family members and friends to the game just casually asking them to join me and go play outside for fun. Maybe its a bit odd to ask but how do you guys play games against new players do you let them have the point and fake missing. I just want them to experience how fun table tennis is and playing against someone who is much better might. Chopping Fast Topspin With Smooth Rubber - 21:14 Brandon: I felt it quite impossible to chop back (hard to catch the ball and if I manage to chop, it will fly high or out of the table) when the opponent give a super topspin returning my backspin.(not normal topspin, it is kinda like super super fast with a lot of topspin in it). I can chop back if the opponent gives a normal or slightly a bit more topspin than normal low and safe on both side. Both of my rubber are smooth. Any suggestion on handling that super topspin type of ball with chops? Carrying the Ball - 24:18 Phillip: Hello coaches, Phillip again with another question.  I can't find any rule that covers a "carry" during a return or stroke. The "carry" I am asking about is similar to the "carry" in tennis where the ball is carried on the racket for a moment rather than a rebound off the racket.  I saw one today for the first time.  So is it legal? Backhand Serve for Defenders - 26:59 Daniel: Seems like choppers and modern defenders use the backhand serve disproportionately more than attackers. Do you agree and if so, why do you think that is? Also, why are there almost zero left handed defenders? Obviously there are generally fewer lefties and fewer defenders in general, so it makes sense that there would be very few cases where a player is both. Are Pro Veterans Still Improving - 29:27 Leopoldo: Are pro veterans like Samsonov still improving? Or are their skills diminishing faster than they can improve? Links in this Episode European Teams Championships Qualification Ai Fukuhara  

Welcome to Ask the Coach Show #274 where we discuss Pressure. Prologue - 0:00 Alois talks about how pressure can affect everyone The Greatest Comeback - 2:30 We take a look at the Quarter Final match of the 2005 World Championship in China between Michael Maze and Hao Shuai. Jeff Talks About Pressure - 13:08 Jeff gives a quick recall about how pressure affected him differently when he was an Adult compared to when he was a Junior. Tip of the Week - 15:30 We discuss what a pre-point routine is and how you can develop one. Drill of the Week - 20:43 Third Ball Under Pressure Remember When - 23:19 We're going all the way back to the start of August. :) This is when the ITTF released a new form of Table Tennis called TTX. Tournament Wrap - 32:57 With the Olympics well under way we discuss the format of the Singles events in Rio. Thoughts as You Approach a Victory - 37:39 Grenville: In a particular match when I was up 2-0 and on match point (10 -7), I actually lost the match 2-3 and I wanted to know what should be a players thoughts should be when they are approaching the win. Keeping The Feeling Alive - 41:32 Marcin: After a long rally I lost the good feeling I had been having till that point and from being up in the match I ended up losing. How can I keep the good feeling alive? Showing Excitement - 43:11 Tushar: Do you think that showing our excitement after every point increases our chances of winning? Attacking a Long Pimple Push - 44:45 Yap: I have a problem when attacking a long pimple push because it is very low. Should I play a topspin against backspin stroke to attack the ball? Playing Against a Chopper With Long Pimples - 45:53 Sumit: How can I lift a heavy backspin ball that a defender with long pimples has hit to me? The ball comes back with so much backspin that it is very difficult to return. Recovering From Backhand Loop - 48:51 Daniel: When I do a backhand loop, I find it hard to recover from the finish position. If I try to automatically transition from it my stroke doesn't turn out as efficient. How do I effectively transition? PingSkiller Mail - 50:22 We discuss some of the mail we received regarding Show #273 - Table Tennis at the Olympic Games.   Links in this Episode Michael Maze vs Hao Shuai - Best Table Tennis Comeback EVER The ITTF YouTube Channel TTX World PingSkills Sports Psychology Course Live Results from Rio 2016 Men's Singles Draw at the Rio Olympics 2016 Women's Singles Draw at the Rio Olympics 2016  

Prologue - 0:00 Jeff talks about his experiences from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He shows us some of the original team uniform and other memorabilia. Tip of the Week - 13:16 How to get off to a good start in matches. Drill of the Week - 17:50 Forehand anywhere in honour of Ryu Seung Min and his incredible footwork. Remember When - 19:43 We go back to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens where Ryu Seung Min shocked the World and won the Olympic Gold Medal in the Men's Singles. Tournament Wrap - 25:18 Forehand in a Match - 34:17 Praanesh: I am able to play the forehand rally separately when practicing but I cannot play it in a match. How can I rectify this? Applying Backhand Success to the Forehand - 35:52 Linh: I have a really good backhand and can utilise my wrist effectively on that side. How can I apply this to my forehand stroke? Using the Waist When Serving - 37:23 Eugene: Is it necessary to rotate the waist when serving or is it enough to just use the arm and wrist? Competition Mindset - 38:54 Ryan: I have an amateur tournament tomorrow, and this is my first. I have done much practice but I am still nervous about tomorrow's results. May I know any tips to boost my mindset or maintain a sense of Zen and sanity before and during the competition. Thanks in advance! Repositioning After Hitting the Ball - 41:04 Eugene: After hitting the ball where should I move so that I can position myself for the next ball? Ma Long at the London Olympics - 42:14 Nasco: Is Ma Long participating in the London Olympics? I found that Xu Xin and Ma Lin are also not in those Olympic Games. PingSkiller Mail - 43:06 We discuss some of the mail we received regarding our last show Table Tennis for All #272. Links in this Episode Jeff Plumb's Olympic Results Table Tennis at the Summer Olympics Ryu Seung Min Reminiscing Winning 2004 Olympic Gold  

Prologue - 0:36 Alois tells the story of World Champion Dot DeLow. He also talks about his experiences working in remote Pacific islands and working with the Paralympic team. Tip of the Week - 6:01 How to get the most out of your practice when training with players who are weaker than you. Drill of the week - 9:16 The PingSkills drill with multiball Remember When - 11:43 We take a look back a the first World Table Tennis Day where there were 158 registered events in 70 countries. Tournament Wrap - 13:09 We discuss the Paralympics. We talk about the different events and classes, and how athletes are graded. Wheelchair Doubles and Mixed Pair Doubles - 20:52 DK: What rules are applied to a mixed doubles pair when one player is in a wheelchair and the second one is a highly mobile player? What To Do At 10-0 - 23:27 Tevia: I recently played a very easy match in the mixed doubles senior inter regionals. In the final game we were up 10-0 and 2-0 in games. I was receiving serve. The serves were quite high and had very little spin so if I wanted to I could kill the ball anywhere on the table, especially since they were serving to my forehand. My partner asked if we should give them 1 point just to be nice and not make them feel bad by losing 11-0 or not stuff about and take the match immediately. What would you guys do in this situation. In my family there are a lot of VERY competitive sportsmen and they would definitely not give them that point. Embarrassing and Funny Moments - 26:55 Joshua: Hi Alois and Jeff, what is/are your most embarrassing moment(s) in Table Tennis?  And what is/are your funniest moment(s) in table tennis? Getting Angry When Losing to a 'Bad' Player - 28:13 Johnny: Hello. I've had this problem for quite while now, where I get very angry/frustrated when I'm losing to a player who I think of lowly. This cause me to play very badly and lose a lot of points. For example, I played a player who only started playing a month ago, had no proper coaching, and lost to him because of this issue. I am a beginner, but have done about 6 months of coaching. I felt like my work and money was being wasted as I'm losing to players who's done much less training than me. Any tips on this mental issue? Beating Better Players - 30:51 Magic: Is there like some easy move that can beat an experienced player? I'm 15, been playing for around a year and regularly play with players much better than myself. I get on the table, score a few points, but generally get beaten and then have to wait in line again -.-. Got any tips for me? I want to at least beat ONE of them now and again LOL.  When To Play An Around The Net Shot - 32:43 How far exactly does the ball need to be from the table in order to perform an around the net shot and what kind of spin do you need to focus more on when doing it? Sidespin or topspin? PingSkiller Mail - 34:10 We discuss some of the mail we received regarding our last show Spin in Table Tennis #271. Links in this Episode Dot DeLow playing at 101 years of age Paralympic Games ITTF Para Table Tennis