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Topic: Secrets of CNTPosted By: liulin04
Subject: Secrets of CNT
Date Posted: 08/28/2015 at 2:57am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeJsyKJtQAk
Absolutely amazing, from physical training to statistic analysis to equipment. This is all we've been waiting for. Sorry for the non-speaking Chinese members here, let's see if we can get someone to translate this...
Enjoy!
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Replies: Posted By: GMan4911
Date Posted: 08/28/2015 at 8:19am
------------- OSP Ultimate II, FH/ITC Powercell Ultra 48 Max BH/ITC Powercell Ultra 48 Max ITC Challenge Speed, FH/ITC Powercell Ultra 48 Max BH/Powercell Ultra 48 Max
Posted By: wilkinru
Date Posted: 08/28/2015 at 3:10pm
I lost 3 pounds just watching this.
The CNT secret: extremely hard work. Lateral exercises from hell.
------------- TB ZLF inverted inverted
Posted By: Leftyy
Date Posted: 08/28/2015 at 3:37pm
Posted By: MLfan
Date Posted: 08/28/2015 at 4:26pm
Here's my translation for it. I'm sorry if there are any typos/spelling mistakes - didn't proofread it.
Each coach trains
each player individually. Ma Long has very thin fingers, thin and soft, like a
woman's, a pianist's hands. But TT requires strong fingers and strong wrists.
Ma Long is intent on improving his backhand. If his fingers/wrist aren’t strong
enough, he will get injuries if he insists on changing his backhand technique. Currently,
we are trying to improve Ma Long’s lower body strength and explosiveness, in
addition to finger and wrist strength. When training Ma Long’s physical
ability, emphasis is placed on strength and explosiveness (silences critics who
think Ma Long’s play style revolves around power). For Zhang Jike, however, it
is speed and endurance. Zhang Jike has one of the best bodies in the team, but
his biggest problem is the number of injuries he has, especially his shoulder
injury. During closed training (for those who don’t know, closed training is
when all team members are required to follow an extremely strict regimen with
barely any freedom to do anything not on the schedule) , Zhang Jike will train
his shoulder by doing “X” motions (as seen in video) to improve his shoulder
strength, and thus decrease the possibility of shoulder problems in the future. Physical
training is extremely important in TT (obviously). For most professional TT
players, the forearm of the player’s playing arm is longer than the forearm of
the other arm. Yan An sprained his
ankle during closed training. While doing rehab exercises, the fitness coach told him that both
success and failure can become “habits” and encourages him to succeed on his
balance/foot exercise to recover his foot more quickly. Some of the rehab
treatments include submerging his foot into 0 degrees water for 10-15 minutes, massage therapy,
and balancing on one foot. Quick tip on being a coach/trainer: you must let your
student see/feel changes/improvements. Before the WTTCs, the men’s team always
has their closed trainings in Xiamen. During these closed trainings, there is a
secret. For 3 days, the main players (those who will participate
in the singles) do not do any actual training. Instead, they hold a conference with
Liu Guoliang and their coaches to discuss mental/emotional factors that may affect
their results in the WTTC. All coaches and players give their input on all the
players. So for example, Xu Xin will say what he thinks about Zhang Jike’s
playing, etc. Due to the nature of this type of discussion, which may include the
main players’ technical abilities (ie. Ma Long’s interpretation on how to do a
particular loop in a particular situation) and other special secrets, the details
are never disclosed to the public. In this video, there is a discussion on why
Zhang Jike’s results keep fluctuating after winning the Olympics. Zhang Jike
says that in theory, he should have much less pressure during team
competitions. But somehow he always fails to get into the right state of mind
during matches quickly enough. One key point that he says is that due to the fewer
number of games in a team competition (best of 5 games instead of best of 7),
he often feels that the match is already over before he has even gotten into the
right state of mind. Even when he wins, he says that he is not comfortable. LGL
then talks about how his rebellious nature and over self-centeredness could be
the root of his inability to manage pressure during team competitions. Xu Xin
says that Zhang Jike plays his best when he feels lots of pressure. LGL is also
proud of the fact that the Chinese team can work together as a team during
these conferences to truly help out any main player so that the team gets the
glory. He says that if it were any other country with the world’s top 5 players
in a single room, they would not be able to do what the Chinese team can do –
which is to give truthful and honest insights to maximally help a teammate. The
reason is simple: everybody wants to be the champion.
In the video, Ma
Long went to find Li Xiaodong (who is the most experienced coach on the team)
to ask him about his rhythm control during his matches, specifically on whether
his rhythm is too fast or too slow when he wins/loses matches. The research
team also helps out on this. For example, they will calculate the “ball-picking”
time of Ma Long. The “ball-picking” time is the time Ma Long spends to pick the
ball up between each point during a match. One match, among many that they
calculated, was the one against Timo Boll during the finals of the 2010 WTTTC
(which Ma Long lost). From what they discovered, the average ball-picking time is
26-27 seconds when Ma Long wins, and 22 seconds when he loses. The best matches
he plays are when his ball-picking time is 31 seconds (such as during the Asian
Championships against Zhang Jike). Apparently the ball-picking time is 17
seconds when he plays his worst. Ma Long is stunned when he hears that he takes
up to 30-40 seconds between each point. But what Li Xiaodong says is that his ball-picking
time fluctuates too much, and wishes him to control his rhythm more. He wants
him to use his “winning” rhythm more, and that when he is trailing behind, to
slow the rhythm down so that he has ample time to think and grasp the momentum.
Research team:
Analyzing Boll:
from nerves to overall summary and play style and personality
His match with
Fan Zhendong was used in the video. For the particular point that was shown in
the video, Boll primarily won the point from the down-the-line shot he executed
with his backhand. They make “trajectory graphs” that the Chinese players study
often before playing the match. Comments such as “average short game ability”
are also common. It takes about 7-8 hours to finish analyzing one match. Every shot
is recorded, discussed, and analyzed. Li Xiaodong commends the research team,
saying that they are able to persist and do such a boring job that earns them
no fame or accomplishments.
Equipment:
CNT members are extremely selective about
their equipment. Tens of types of blades are given to the CNT every year to
try. It often takes 2-3 modifications to satisfy them. Hundreds of thousands of
blades are given to the CNT each year (wtf mind-blowing). Each blade in the CNT
is “vastly different” in feel. At the time the video is taken, Zhang Jike uses
40.5 degrees on his Hurricane. Even though the DHS machines already have very
low uncertainty values, Zhang Jike can still feel it when the hardness isn’t
perfectly even or when the hardness isn’t what he wants. CNT main players are
also extremely picky about the shoes. Different shoes can be made for different
footwork characteristics or different shapes. Modifications for grip and even
appearance can also be done. For instance, Zhang Jike wants his left shoe to
have the letter J on the back of his shoe, with 3 stars underneath it to symbolize
Grand Slam winner LOL, and his right shoe to have the letter “K” but with only
one star underneath it, accompanied by 2 question marks that symbolize future
goals. Zhang Jike’s feet is also unique in that size 25.5 is too small for him
while size 26 is too big. So the team buys 25.5 for him, but also buys an
expander in which they put the shoe for 3 days to have it expanded to 25.75.
Li Sun:
He believes that world champions, and
especially Grand Slam winners, are people with such talent and something in
them that cannot be taught. Wang Nan, Zhang Yining, and Li Xiaoxia are all his
students who have gotten Grand Slams. Li Xiaoxia says that Li Sun not only
taught her table tennis, but also taught her how to surmount difficulties, and
the state of mind she should have to do so.
Posted By: Argothman
Date Posted: 08/28/2015 at 4:29pm
Thank you for the hard work MLFan! Every time I see you on this forum you're very helpful, I appreciate it!
Posted By: MLfan
Date Posted: 08/28/2015 at 4:40pm
Thank you for your kind words! Everything for the glory of our sport! :D
Posted By: 42andbackpains
Date Posted: 08/28/2015 at 5:06pm
MLfan wrote:
Thank you for your kind words! Everything for the glory of our sport! :D
Very informative. Very very good work. Thanks for the hard work.
------------- Mind is willing, but the back goes out too often :P OSP Ultimate II 88 grams FH Dianchi D w/ Secret Sauce BH Butterfly T05 Red USATT rating keeps going down
Posted By: rocketman222
Date Posted: 08/28/2015 at 5:10pm
That is very helpful MLfan, i never in my wildest dreams would have thought about finger strengthening exercises, i will go do some finger pushups now :)
Posted By: Giangt
Date Posted: 08/28/2015 at 6:42pm
Interesting how they structure and analyse everything. The physical coach is given YAn An a hard time after his injury. Good he is on track again.
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Posted By: MLfan
Date Posted: 08/29/2015 at 1:18am
What piques my interest is the time spent picking up the ball between each point. Ma Lin was also very famous, or infamous rather, for taking a long time for each point. I heard coaches say that taking a lot of time between each point is a strategy against players who are pumped up and at their "excited" stage. By taking a lot of time, you wear down their excitement lol.
Posted By: MLfan
Date Posted: 08/29/2015 at 1:21am
Btw, if anybody notices any mistakes in my translation, please correct me!
Posted By: liulin04
Date Posted: 08/31/2015 at 4:19am
great job MLF, the translation is spot-on!
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Posted By: Tinykin
Date Posted: 08/31/2015 at 6:19am
MLfan wrote:
Btw, if anybody notices any mistakes in my translation, please correct me!
Are you sure that the meaning, not translation, is correct for "Hundreds of thousands of
blades are given to the CNT each year"
Posted By: Olio
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 10:47am
I was also very surprised at this...
HappySpinner wrote:
Thanks op and thanks mlfan for translating!
Please keep the capital letters (MLfan), as I read is as mifan (= rice)!
Posted By: kevo
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 11:59am
Really interesting, MLFan. Thanks so much for your hard work in translating. Whenever I bemoan how the internet is ruining modern life, something like this video--and your translation--comes along and makes me think, 'Wow, without the internet, I would never have known or enjoyed reading something so interesting.' Again, thanks!
On a side note, I wonder is there a cultural component to the idea of freely critiquing one's teammates as the CNT does. I, for example, cannot imagine it done in my workplace in Ireland even when discussing critical incidents etc. I suppose the idea of CNT players viewing themselves as a 'team/group' must transcend individual desires/resentments etc. (Not to say for one minute that underneath it all, each may be raging at their teammate's assessments!)
Posted By: Bran
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 1:33pm
It's not just cultural. You may benefit from knowing this or that player's weakness, but you get a much bigger advantage from having each member of the group telling you yours, especially when you have a large group.
It's in everybody's advantage to share the findings. So it's a perfectly rational decision, in the economics sense of the word.
Posted By: Tinykin
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 1:51pm
Plus these guys have been through several selection processes over their lives. They probably have learned some humility in that time.
Posted By: notfound123
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 1:54pm
"Hundreds of thousands of blades are given to the CNT each year"
I personally don't think this is 100% true. I understand they have direct access to the DHS facilities. They must be referring to the batches that are set aside for the CNT members. Those batches are then getting tested/weighted/bent etc and best of the best are picked for the players to inspect. They made it sound like DHS mails 100K blades to Ma Long's home address for him to choose from.
Posted By: Victor_the_cleaner
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 2:22pm
What an amazing text! ML should set up an account for donations, and I will donate to you and everyone else who spends the time to do a quality translation. I am not joking, think about it, even if its voluntary you will get a few bucks for a new rubber.
I don't know what is with these chinese texts, but I always find them so deep and abstract and revealing things that nobody else thinks about.
And now, finally, I feel redemption for the time I spend arguing in a couple of threads about Ma Long's strength and him slowing down when he is losing. I was right and you was wrong, whoever you were, so, yeah, in yo face!
Zeio is really helpful in this too. We need a thread with original chinese texts and then the translations, and only an admin, zeio and MLfan (and whoever else translates) should have rights to post there, so we don't get the thread littered with the annoying comments of people.
Posted By: DreiZ
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 2:31pm
What I found useful from this video is that ML wins more points by taking a longer break while picking up the ball. Very useful for myself to slow down the pace of the game as well. I noticed a lot of times when I slow it down and take a breath, I can focus on my serve and 3rd ball attack.
Very very important piece of information IMO.
Posted By: minja
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 3:23pm
DreiZ wrote:
What I found useful from this video is that ML wins more points by taking a longer break while picking up the ball. Very useful for myself to slow down the pace of the game as well. I noticed a lot of times when I slow it down and take a breath, I can focus on my serve and 3rd ball attack.
Very very important piece of information IMO.
There's a guy where I play who does something similar to what ma long does of wiping the hand close to the net before every point. It's annoying and disrupts the general timing.
I think I play around 10 players there and the only one who does this all the time is him. With the others it's like there's a natural rhythm that's the same and everything flows easily. It's almost as if you are doing something together. With him it's like when I try to have this same rhythm and speed I always get from him a stop, a barrier, a "wait until I'm ready and then we proceed". I find myself time and time again thinking "ok let's play the next point" then look at him and he's close to the net cleaning or doing something.
It's like a stoppage to the natural flow and an attempt to be the one who dictates pace.
Ma long does this greatly, I think it's a good part of why he's number one. But it's like a dirty trick, I wouldn't be proud of doing this.
Posted By: igorponger
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 3:45pm
MODERN SLAVERY. ILL DESTINY FOR MA_LONG.
Poor Chinese boys. No family amenities, no sex, no food luxury. Antique Rome's Slavery does look to live a better destiny.
Feel really sorry for the boys. Playing pingpang professionally is a bitter earning, grave losses. . Yes.
Posted By: berndt_mann
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 4:02pm
Should you encounter an opponent who takes his own sweet time picking up balls or wiping his hand close to the net, there is a remedy, but it is somewhat drastic and rather unusual.
In your table tennis bag, bring along an electric cordless toothbrush, some toothpaste, some dental floss, and some mouthwash. While your opponent is busy picking up a ball or wiping off his hand, proceed to floss every one of your thirty-two teeth, brush each of them thoroughly, front, top, and back, hoist your mouthwash, gargle conspicuously, walk over to your opponent's side of the table, and spit out the contents of your dental hygiene next to where he assumes his ready position.
This should solve the problem. If it doesn't, you have probably engaged a bigger table tennis a-hole than you ever bargained for.
------------- bmann1942 Setup: Mark Bellamy Master Craftsman blade, British Leyland hard rubber
Posted By: DreiZ
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 4:08pm
minja wrote:
DreiZ wrote:
What I found useful from this video is that ML wins more points by taking a longer break while picking up the ball. Very useful for myself to slow down the pace of the game as well. I noticed a lot of times when I slow it down and take a breath, I can focus on my serve and 3rd ball attack.
Very very important piece of information IMO.
There's a guy where I play who does something similar to what ma long does of wiping the hand close to the net before every point. It's annoying and disrupts the general timing.
I think I play around 10 players there and the only one who does this all the time is him. With the others it's like there's a natural rhythm that's the same and everything flows easily. It's almost as if you are doing something together. With him it's like when I try to have this same rhythm and speed I always get from him a stop, a barrier, a "wait until I'm ready and then we proceed". I find myself time and time again thinking "ok let's play the next point" then look at him and he's close to the net cleaning or doing something.
It's like a stoppage to the natural flow and an attempt to be the one who dictates pace.
Ma long does this greatly, I think it's a good part of why he's number one. But it's like a dirty trick, I wouldn't be proud of doing this.
Well if my opponent can dictate pace by serving extremely quickly I can slow down pace when its my turn to serve. There is a balance.
There is a reason why pros can take a "Towel Break" every 6 points, which I personally try to follow same way as someone who sweats a lot.
In no way I take 30+ seconds to serve, and I am not one of those players who "raises a hand up for a let" just because I'm not ready. But taking a simple breath and bouncing a ball once or twice before serving is NOT a big deal at all (which most players actually do during tourneys). If you think my actions are outrageous, then you sir are the one with the problem, not me.
Posted By: minja
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 4:22pm
serving too fast is also disrupting pace and not cooperating. but nobody does this because it would look too awkward. the opposite, what ma long does, doesn't look too awkward so nobody says a thing.
I think I saw a match where korbel got angry with him for doing that.
natural pace is, pick up ball, go back to table, look at the other guy make sure everything's ok, serve and play. this is what most people do and is felt as somewhat of a cooperation.
if you pick up ball, go back to table, look at the other guy and he's in the middle of the table doing something and not ready then he is disrupting natural rhythm.
Posted By: DreiZ
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 4:36pm
minja wrote:
serving too fast is also disrupting pace and not cooperating. but nobody does this because it would look too awkward. the opposite, what ma long does, doesn't look too awkward so nobody says a thing.
I think I saw a match where korbel got angry with him for doing that.
natural pace is, pick up ball, go back to table, look at the other guy make sure everything's ok, serve and play. this is what most people do and is felt as somewhat of a cooperation.
if you pick up ball, go back to table, look at the other guy and he's in the middle of the table doing something and not ready then he is disrupting natural rhythm.
I've seen that match. Korbel was way out of line, cursing during the game and then giving a hard time to the umpire in the end. Classless play. Could have asked for the head umpire to come over and watch the match instead.
Here is the match https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtF9g3ANIUc
Posted By: NextLevel
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 4:56pm
Ma Long and Ma Lin both did it and it is clearly a dirty trick.
That said, there are times when you know you are not mentally ready to play a point and this is when I use my point preparation routine. It might seem like I am stalling, but I am really not ready and I am trying to activate myself.
Ma Long could arguably be doing this.
------------- 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: minja
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 5:08pm
Yeah to some it will look out of line but I know from first hand playing a player like ma long is extremely frustrating and will definitely affect your performance.
the repetition of: I'm ready -> look at opponent -> he's near the net doing something -> wait -> look at opponent again -> play point
is extremely exhausting. in the end you find yourself being almost another spectator to what the game delayer is doing. when will he decide we can play this point? I remember the first time I played a tournament I did what ma long does but instead of wiping hand I would step on a towel on the floor. My opponent actually complained abot this.
Posted By: wturber
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 5:09pm
Bran wrote:
It's not just cultural. You may benefit from knowing this or that player's weakness, but you get a much bigger advantage from having each member of the group telling you yours, especially when you have a large group.
It's in everybody's advantage to share the findings. So it's a perfectly rational decision, in the economics sense of the word.
Agreed. I freely tell people honestly what I think are my weaknesses and what I think is the best way to defeat me any time other than during a tournament.
------------- Jay Turberville www.jayandwanda.com Hardbat: Nittaku Resist w/ Dr. Evil or Friendship 802-40 OX
Posted By: minja
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 5:22pm
NextLevel wrote:
Ma Long and Ma Lin both did it and it is clearly a dirty trick.
That said, there are times when you know you are not mentally ready to play a point and this is when I use my point preparation routine. It might seem like I am stalling, but I am really not ready and I am trying to activate myself.
Ma Long could arguably be doing this.
I wouldn't even call it a trick at this point. Ma long has a clear routine that is when everything is pretty much ready for the next point he goes to the middle of the table and wipes his hand. Then goes back, into ready position and play. So in the end he always sets the pace.
What if when ma long went back the other guy did the same ma long did trying to set his own pace? ma long would just go back and do it all over again thus setting the pace to his pace once more.
With the guy at my club it's the same thing. Every time I go back to the table, think "ok time to play the next point" and look at him, he's always near the net cleaning something. So it disrupts the natural flow. With all the other players I go back, look at them and they are ready and we play the point.
I suspect this is what ma long causes in his opponents.
Posted By: DreiZ
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 6:28pm
Can anyone clarify what is the official ITTF rule in terms of how long can you take before serving the ball? I'm curious.
Posted By: Matt Pimple
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 6:43pm
wturber wrote:
I freely tell people honestly what I think are my weaknesses and what I think is the best way to defeat me any time other than during a tournament.
You never told me!
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Posted By: wturber
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 6:47pm
Matt Pimple wrote:
wturber wrote:
I freely tell people honestly what I think are my weaknesses and what I think is the best way to defeat me any time other than during a tournament.
You never told me!
Well yeah. In your case there is no effective strategy ....
ha ha ha ... I crack myself up...
Actually, I'm surprised since I think we've discussed tactics and strategy before.
------------- Jay Turberville www.jayandwanda.com Hardbat: Nittaku Resist w/ Dr. Evil or Friendship 802-40 OX
Posted By: wturber
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 6:52pm
DreiZ wrote:
Can anyone clarify what is the official ITTF rule in terms of how long can you take before serving the ball? I'm curious.
It is vaguely stated as "continuous." There is no specific time limit. So it becomes a judgement call by the umpire whether a player is needlessly wasting time.
------------- Jay Turberville www.jayandwanda.com Hardbat: Nittaku Resist w/ Dr. Evil or Friendship 802-40 OX
Posted By: wanhao
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 8:18pm
Its part of strategy and game plan...when you are winning you should keep up pace to prevent your lossing opponent much time to think or rethink...when ypu are lossing you want to slow down your pace and think your next steps and also to disrupt your opponent rythme and psyhology..
Posted By: minja
Date Posted: 09/02/2015 at 11:15pm
wanhao wrote:
Its part of strategy and game plan...when you are winning you should keep up pace to prevent your lossing opponent much time to think or rethink...when ypu are lossing you want to slow down your pace and think your next steps and also to disrupt your opponent rythme and psyhology..
In the case of ma long it's not a thing of pace. He clearly has a routine that before the start of every point he will walk to the middle and put his hand on the table. If anything distracts him or makes him uncomfortable between his last hand on table and start of point he will go do it again.
This is a thing only those guys do. I've played tons of players and I can't remember one who would do that thing more than say twice in a set. The vast majority of players don't do it ever.
Posted By: Olio
Date Posted: 09/03/2015 at 4:52am
You guys talk about "natural pace". Not everybody has the same. When people play to fast, that might not be the opponent's natural pace. It happens that Ma Long's best pace is slow like that... (although not when the rally has started!). I don't see that as a dirty trick. I personally prefer it to the guy who wants to rush the play.
And clearly, if you're winning a game you can afford to be a bit faster between points, but if you're trailing (or if the other guys is suddenly on fire), you MUST slow things down. It's in match management 101...
Posted By: Baal
Date Posted: 09/03/2015 at 9:03am
Olio wrote:
You guys talk about "natural pace". Not everybody has the same. When people play to fast, that might not be the opponent's natural pace. It happens that Ma Long's best pace is slow like that... (although not when the rally has started!). I don't see that as a dirty trick. I personally prefer it to the guy who wants to rush the play.
And clearly, if you're winning a game you can afford to be a bit faster between points, but if you're trailing (or if the other guys is suddenly on fire), you MUST slow things down. It's in match management 101...
For sure this is correct. Watch old clips of Waldner. He played very fast. There is no correct way and people have to do what they have to do to get their mind focused. I for one have no complaints if my opponent takes their time.
Posted By: MLfan
Date Posted: 09/03/2015 at 10:56am
Waldner said in an interview that often he will try to serve quickly so that the opponent has less time to think and get ready (obviously he has the point thought out already).
Posted By: minja
Date Posted: 09/03/2015 at 11:08am
Olio wrote:
You guys talk about "natural pace". Not everybody has the same. When people play to fast, that might not be the opponent's natural pace. It happens that Ma Long's best pace is slow like that... (although not when the rally has started!). I don't see that as a dirty trick. I personally prefer it to the guy who wants to rush the play.
And clearly, if you're winning a game you can afford to be a bit faster between points, but if you're trailing (or if the other guys is suddenly on fire), you MUST slow things down. It's in match management 101...
There is something called a natural human pace. It's what every player in every table of the world has. If a ball goes away don't rush and don't slow down, just go fetch it come back and play the point. This is the pace everybody who plays in a club has. And also the pace most pro players have as well.
What ma long does is take this natural flow and in the moment when everything is ready and they could start next point he always says "wait, I have to clean my hand, then we can play next point". So it's not a thing of rushing or slowing down, he always does the same thing. But to the other guy it feels uncomfortable because he thinks "I always have to be disturbing my rhythm to wait for him".
I know this sort of disturbance of rhythm well because I play a guy who does exactly the same thing. Also this is what korbel was complaining about.
I have written too much these last days, you have good food for thought. I will be going on vacation for some time, see you in some months. Peace out