Relaxed hand?
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Category: Coaching & Tips
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Topic: Relaxed hand?
Posted By: ppgear
Subject: Relaxed hand?
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 11:42am
I just performed horribly at the US Open this year and am probably going to drop from 2097 USATT to likely under 2000  So I'm getting some coaching sessions to patch things up, and one of the first things this new coach told me was to relax my hand. I always gripped the racket really tightly. What's the rationale for that? ------------- Arthur Lui Revspin.net - Table Tennis Equipment Reviews Top USATT Rating: 2131 |
Replies:
Posted By: NextLevel
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 11:52am
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Here is an article that discusses some of the related issues. http://blog.paddlepalace.com/2011/12/why-is-your-grip-pressure-so-important/ ------------- https://youtu.be/jhO4K_yFhh8?t=115" rel="nofollow - I like putting heavy topspin on the ball... Cybershape Carbon FH/BH: H3P 41D. Lumberjack TT, not for lovers of beautiful strokes. No time to train... |
Posted By: Machine_Head
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 12:05pm
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Thank you for sharing the article, NextLevel. I saw a video on youtube teaching that you should learn to grip the paddle with the thumb and index finger and the rest of the fingers relaxed. Is this good advise? |
Posted By: NextLevel
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 12:45pm
IMO, it is very important advice. It's one of the best ways of relieving tension in your arm, which should generally be low. Also, it allows you to vary and relax grip pressure more easily and you only have two fingers to control for the most part. Right now, I am trying to practice pushing short and since I am using a robot, it is very easy for me to see what happens when I hold the paddle too tight. ------------- https://youtu.be/jhO4K_yFhh8?t=115" rel="nofollow - I like putting heavy topspin on the ball... Cybershape Carbon FH/BH: H3P 41D. Lumberjack TT, not for lovers of beautiful strokes. No time to train... |
Machine_Head wrote:Posted By: Vince64
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 12:58pm
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Posted By: BH-Man
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 1:01pm
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I think it is excellent advice for the basic ready before making the shot. What is also even more evil is the ability of some seasoned players to vary their grip pressure at impact and REALLY mess with your ability to pick up the ball. This is golden when blocking, whether it is a fast block or a soft one. ------------- Korea Foreign Table Tennis Club Search for us on Facebook: koreaforeignttc |
Posted By: Clarence247
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 6:46pm
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That is a common problem which damages a lot of players. A relaxed arm increases control, better contact with the ball, more spin produced... overall consistency shoots up the roof, because you are able to apply the correct technique - if you are tensed technique, contact with the ball, feel and spin production break down... the BEST way to train this is to loop consistently vs a REAL chopper ...... with the aim of making at least 10 loops before even trying to win the point.... if you are tense you will fail after 2/3 loops...
------------- OSP Virtuoso (Off-) MX-P (Max) Mantra M (Max) Backup: Yasaka Extra Offensive, Nittaku H3 Prov 729-802 SP |
Posted By: illinichamps
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 7:37pm
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I think one way of doing this (if you have the time) is by practicing looping with a chopper (as clarence mentions) but if you do it a lot (i practiced yesterday for 40 minutes straight after 3 hrs of play) and your arm and hand gets tired then you naturally lose the tension. I found myself just twisting more of my torso, lowering my shoulder even more and not even thinking about my arm and hand as they felt so rubbery, but my partner seemed to have a harder time receiving my loops. I thought that I already had a pretty loose grip and i never tried to go really loose as my coach told me that that can lead to bad habits. But i realized that you can go more loose than you are used to and you will still be alright. and 40 minutes of just hitting fh loops helps as well ^^ ------------- H3 Prov. |MJ SZLC | 05 FX |
Posted By: Machine_Head
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 8:28pm
| Does a relaxed grip also mean relaxed wrist? |
Posted By: NextLevel
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 9:05pm
Yes. Relaxation comes in degrees. The next level of relaxation for me is to be able to keep a loose grip while moving my arm to block or push under a fast serve I am late to. ------------- https://youtu.be/jhO4K_yFhh8?t=115" rel="nofollow - I like putting heavy topspin on the ball... Cybershape Carbon FH/BH: H3P 41D. Lumberjack TT, not for lovers of beautiful strokes. No time to train... |
Posted By: zeio
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 10:21pm
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As you grip tighter and tighter, you start to lose fine motor control. It's like going for a big loopkill and blow it when a simple flick kill is more than enough. ------------- Viscaria FL - 91g + Neo H3 2.15 Blk - 44.5g(55.3g uncut bare) + Hexer HD 2.1 Red - 49.3g(68.5g 〃 〃) = 184.8g |
Posted By: wanhao
Date Posted: 07/21/2015 at 10:54pm
| "relax but not loose... firm but not tight" |
Posted By: kenneyy88
Date Posted: 07/22/2015 at 12:43am
| A coach told me to hold the racket with just some pressure by pinching the racket with your index and thumb. Try not to use too much of the other fingers. |
Posted By: Tk5
Date Posted: 07/22/2015 at 2:07am
Yes, add pressure during contact with the ball. Add pressure with index finger on fh and pressure with thumb on bh.
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Posted By: NextLevel
Date Posted: 07/22/2015 at 6:24am
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A couple of videos - they aren't on grip, but they are from two hihg-level coaches who show how being able to keep the hand relaxed and in the right location for doing strokes helps with touch. Connecting the two videos helped me better understand what I should be trying to do with my over the table strokes so I hope it does the same for you too. ------------- https://youtu.be/jhO4K_yFhh8?t=115" rel="nofollow - I like putting heavy topspin on the ball... Cybershape Carbon FH/BH: H3P 41D. Lumberjack TT, not for lovers of beautiful strokes. No time to train... |
Posted By: APW46
Date Posted: 07/22/2015 at 11:57am
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Use the 'toothpaste tube' method, imaging you are holding a tube without the lid on when holding your bat, if the toothpaste would squeeze out, you are holding too tight ! ------------- The Older I get, The better I was. |
Posted By: GeneralSpecific
Date Posted: 07/22/2015 at 10:10pm
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http://www.experttabletennis.com%2Fplay-relaxed-table-tennis%2F&h=KAQHaDeNd&s=1" rel="nofollow - http://www.experttabletennis.com%2Fplay-relaxed-table-tennis%2F&h=KAQHaDeNd&s=1
------------- Blade - Xiom 36.5 ALX FL Forehand - Xiom Omega V Asia 2.0mm Backhand - Victas Curl P5V with Der Materialspezialist Firestorm Soft/Outkill 1.8mm sponge |
Posted By: chop4ever
Date Posted: 07/23/2015 at 8:45am
This way is very good for chopping or pushing on the table, even for returning a service. But if you have to do heavy counter topspin, you should hold the blade tight by the rest three fingers to the lower handle, esp if you are playing Ch. rubber ------------- There is no real "pro", "prov" or "NT" H3 in the market. Falco is not a booster |
Posted By: APW46
Date Posted: 07/24/2015 at 10:10am
I personally tighten just before contact when needed to stabilise the bat. ------------- The Older I get, The better I was. |