Table Tennis Ball

THE PUSH – Part 5, Forehand Push (Crosscourt)
By Larry Thoman

This series of posts contains tips and instructions on the Table Tennis skill called The Push.

Photo 15: Forehand Push (Crosscourt)
Notice the upper body has been tilted to the right and the right leg steps in as the ball is stroked.

Image 1: End of back swing. Racket has been taken back by pulling the forearm back. Racket angle is open.

Image 2: Forward swing. Racket angle has not changed. Right leg begins to step forward at the same time as the forearm begins to push the racket forward.

Image 3: Just before ball contact Racket tip is starting to rotate forward.

Image 4: Follow through. Forearm and upper arm continue to push the racket forward and the racket tip continues to rotate around.

Images 5 & 6: End of stroke. Arm has been almost completely extended been lowered slightly (as shown by position of face). Racket tip is pointing forward. Stroke could actually have ended at Image 5. Racket movement between 5 and 6 is unnecessary.

For more ping pong tips and techniques, visit www.TableTennis.com.

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THE PUSH – Part 4, Backhand Push (Crosscourt)
By Larry Thoman

This series of posts contains tips and instructions on the Table Tennis skill called The Push.

Photo 14: Backhand Push (Crosscourt)

Notice that the speed of the racket is constant. The even spacing between images indicates a smooth, flowing stroke. Also note the small step forward with the right leg and how the upper body is tilted forward so the elbow hangs in front of the body.

Images 1 & 2 (almost completely overlapping): End of back swing. Racket was open.

Image 3: Forward swing. Racket angle has not changed. Right leg begins to step forward at the same time as the forearm begins to push the racket forward.

Image 4: Just after ball contact. Racket tip is starting to rotate forward.

Image 5: Follow through.

Image 6: End of stroke. Arm is almost completely extended forward. Right leg has (as shown by position of face). Racket tip is pointing forward.

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THE PUSH – Part 3, Forehand Push
By Larry Thoman

This series of posts contains tips and instructions on the Table Tennis skill called The Push.

The forehand push is the next stroke to learn. Like the other forehand strokes, contact the ball to the side of and slightly in front evenly distributed on both legs. Push the racket towards the bottom of the ball by straightening out the forearm. At the same time, take a small step forward after ball contact.

The racket head should rotate around so it is pointing forward at the end of the stroke. It may help to bend your upper body so you can better see the bottom of the ball. Regain the ready position between each stroke.

Practice the forehand push at slow speed and frequency until you can consistently push 50 in a row crosscourt, then down-the-line, and finally, alternating crosscourt and down-the-line. Increase the frequency to 4 and the ball speed to 3. Next, practice the push with the robot set to sweep within the entire forehand court. Then change the control levers so the robot sweeps the entire table and practice combining forehand and backhand pushes. Recover to the ready position after each stroke and before moving to the next stroke. Your goal is 50 consecutive pushes without missing.

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THE PUSH – Part 2, Backhand Push
By Larry Thoman

This series of posts contains tips and instructions on the Table Tennis skill called The Push.

To learn the push, change the spin setting of your robot to backspin. Decrease the ball speed to 2, the ball frequency to 3, and turn the oscillator off when the robot head lines up with the middle of your backhand court. The head angle should be set to “C”.

Turn the robot on and practice pushing with your backhand. Stroke mainly with the forearm, keeping the elbow and upper arm relatively still. At first your returns will likely keep going into the net because of the effect of the backspin. Keep opening up your racket angle and aim for the bottom of the ball. Contact is light, almost like you are trying to slice the bottom off the ball. If the ball keeps going into the net it may be necessary to lift your elbow somewhat as you make contact with the ball.

When you get the ball to clear the net, keep the push as low over the net as you can. Don’t push hard or fast. Rather, use a soft, guiding touch with your push so you can place it accurately. Regain the ready position after each stroke.

When you get the feel for the push, practice until you can push 50 crosscourt, 50 down-the-line, and 25 patterns of alternating crosscourt and down-the-line pushes without missing. Gradually increase the frequency up to 4 and the ball speed up to 3. After reaching your upper limit, turn the unit off and set the sweep control levers to sweep within the backhand court and practice your backhand push with the ball moving around randomly.

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THE PUSH – Part 1
By Larry Thoman

This series of posts contains tips and instructions on the Table Tennis skill called The Push.

While returning topspin is important, you also need to learn how to return backspin effectively. The easiest stroke to use to return a backspin shot is the push. The push, like the block, is a very simple and easy stroke. It is, however, a very important part of the game and must be mastered.

The push is typically used when the opponent gives you a backspin return that is so well placed that you cannot attack it safely. The push is then used to keep the ball in play until a better opportunity for attacking comes along.

The main purpose of the push is not so much to win the point, but to return it accurately and safely. For this reason, concentrate on developing good touch and control on your pushes, and forget about power and speed.

A push stroke is performed using an open racket angle and contacting the ball somewhere between the center and the bottom. Stroke motion is from high to low in a forward direction. This motion and the open racket angle result in applying your own backspin to the ball. The push is a relatively slow speed stroke with only a small amount of gentle acceleration. It is performed very close to, or often, actually over the table. The point of contact is after the top of the bounce, as the ball is falling.

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QUICK METHOD TO CLEAR NETS AND TABLE OF BALLS
By Lawrence Ujimori, Honolulu, HI

Here is an effective tip to remove balls caught between the Robot’s side net and side edge of the table. Use your Pong-Pal and line it up parallel to the side edge of the table beneath the trapped balls. Simple lift upward and all the trapped balls will go on the table. This way no trapped balls will fall to the floor.

Editor’s Note: I shot a quick video showing this tip in action. This is a great way to clear trapped balls from the side nets and then push all the balls on top of the table into the Ball Return Trays of your robot.

CLICK BELOW FOR VIDEO EXAMPLE:

Quick Pick Up with Newgy Pong-Pal

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Whenever I use the ball collection net system for practicing my serves, I manually have to remove the balls from the ball trays & Center Trough to start again, but not any more. I removed the robot body from the net system and then I cut a three inch hole in the small well/pit below where the robot unit normally sits. When I’m ready to practice serves, I remove the robot body, set a 5 gallon bucket underneath the Center Trough to catch all the balls that drop in and begin practicing serves. Now all I have to do is take the full bucket of balls and refill my practice tray and return the bucket under the collection system and continue practicing.

Congratulations to Manuel Cruz Jr. of Vandenberg AFB, CA for his contributions to the Coaching Forum contest. This winning entry is listed for your review and implementation into your training program.

(Note from Newgy Inc: This is an excellent tip to make serve practice more trouble-free. This will work well with all Robo-Pong 2000 and 2040 robots that are mounted to the table. This will not work for 2000’s and 2040’s that sit in Robo-Caddies. Also, while this technically will void your warranty and service policy, most of the time it is unnecessary to send in your net system when a robot is repaired, so our service center would never be aware of your alteration.)

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USATT Certified National Coach - Richard McAfee Many of my senior (Over 40) students have asked me to do an article on the use of long pips, for close-to-the-table play. This style is very popular with the older table tennis players as it allows them to slow down play and to put the focus on using their hand skills rather than movement and power to win points.

Table tennis robot training is particularly useful when learning and practicing these techniques as few players can consistently attack against this style. In fact, as you are learning this style many players may become frustrated and not want to practice with you at all.

Let’s take a look at the six basic strokes that should be in the arsenal of any close-to-the-table long pips player. All of these strokes are described as backhand strokes.

1. Lift against backspin: This stroke is executed with a slightly open paddle. The stroke itself is very simple. At contact, push forward and slightly up. Use mostly the forearm and little or no wrist action. This stroke, when executed with long pips, allows you to use your opponent’s backspin to produce a controlled topspin attack. This is the only stroke in which you can produce enough topspin to hit with speed.

1. Sidespin attack against backspin: This is an unusual looking stroke to most inverted players. The stroke is executed much like the straight lift against backspin, but at contact, the racket is pushed forward and pulled to the right (for right-handed players). Depending on the racket angle this return will produce a wide range of no-spin, sidespin, or light topspin returns, all with some degree of sidespin. This stroke can force many errors from your opponents.

1. Attacking backspin by pushing: Pushing with long pips can be very aggressive. While pushing, if light contact with the ping pong ball is made, the return will be a dead ball (no-spin). If harder racket contact is made (more force), a light topspin can be produced. This leads to a lot of high and very attackable returns from your opponent.

1. Controlled counter attacks: The key to attacking with long pips against topspin is to remember that controlling the speed of your returns is the key to success. Do not over-hit. Your returns will carry some backspin, so there will always be a limit on the amount of speed you can produce. Generally speaking, if you are using long pips without sponge this stroke will be quite slow and carry heavier backspin. If you are using long pips with sponge, this return will be faster but without as much spin. Once again, keep the stroke simple using only a forward pushing motion, with the forearm. Remember, when counter attacking with long pips, let the racket do the work for you. It is the ever-changing spin on your returns that will force errors from your opponent, not the speed of your returns.

1. Defensive chop blocks: This stroke looks just like its name suggests—a block with a downward chopping motion. When used against heavy topspin, this stroke can produce heavy chop returns. Often your opponent will be forced into pushing this return back, which will allow you to attack.

1. Pullback block: Once again, the name says it all. Against a topspin attack, you simply pull your racket slightly back at contact, thereby taking almost all of the pace off the ball. This can be used to produce a very short return making it impossible for your opponent to continue an attack. This technique works best with long pips without sponge.

There you have the major long pips, close-to-the-table techniques. When used properly, these table tennis strokes can make life very difficult for your opponents. Fortunately, your robot will not mind at all while you practice and perfect these techniques.

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Many players find table tennis doubles competition much more fun than singles. They enjoy the “team” aspect, along with the exciting movement involved and the emphasis on ball placement. It is very true that a well-trained team can often defeat a team of higher- level players who have not practiced much together.

The table tennis robot is an excellent tool for doubles teams to work on both the areas of movement and ball placement. This is particularly true for new teams just learning how to work together. The consistent and accurate ball feed the robot provides will allow you to concentrate on the tasks at hand. Here are some drills to get you started:

Movement Drills

Set your robot to feed underspin balls to one location. Work on alternately pushing and attacking these returns and then moving out of your partner’s way. As your movement improves, have the robot feed topspin balls to one location at a higher ball frequency and then finally work on your movement against random whole table feed.

There are several different movement systems you may want to consider.

* If your team consists of one right handed and one left handed player then the movement pattern is much easier. With both players covering the middle of the table with their forehands, each player simply moves off to the side of the table towards their backhand, leaving the table clear for their partner.
* If your team consists of two right or left handed players then there are two main patterns used:

1. Circular Movement—after making a stroke, each player moves off to the nearest corner and circles behind his partner to prepare for his next shot. (Richard McAfee: This is often the best choice for two players who prefer to play the same general distance from the ping pong table.)

2. In-and-Out Movement—this system features one player moving laterally, side to side (close to the table) while the other partner moves vertically, in and out (up and back). (Richard McAfee: This type movement is usually best suited for teams composed of one player who likes to play close to the table, such as a fast attacker or blocker, and another player who likes to play away from the table, such as a chopper or mid-range looper.)
Placement Drills

One of the major strategies for doubles play is to follow your partner’s lead. By this, I mean hitting several balls in a row to the same location. It is simply hard for your opponents to both be in the same place at the same time.

Set your robot to oscillate over the whole table, and practice making a series of returns to one location. Make sure to practice making returns to both corners as well as the middle of the table.

If you are playing in USA Table Tennis tournaments and not competing in doubles events you are missing half the fun of the event. Good doubles teams are made not born and your Table Tennis Robot can be your best tool for refining your team skills.

Richard McAfee is a USATT Certified National Coach

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To some, table tennis is something you play in a rec room with friends, but to many others, it’s a challenging sport that can be mastered. Many Asian and European countries are known for their table tennis teams, but with the organization of the ITTF, the International Table Tennis Federation, many other countries, like Latin American countries, are up-and-coming. Due to the initiatives of Guatemala’s Miguel Delgado and Argentina’s Ricardo Saragovi, a weekly program will soon be on television. At the end of February 2009, the show called “Tenis de Mesa Latino,” will be aired on the Hallmark Channel. This program will be entirely dedicated to table tennis and hosted by Dani Len, Paula Fukuhara, Ariel Gurevich, and Sebastian Moavro. Another major point about this show is that it will be shown in 22 or more Latin American countries. Not only are Delgado and Saragovi credited for this great proposal, but many others working with the various table tennis organizations have helped in planning and funding this program to promote Latin American countries table tennis. Hallmark is providing immense support to the International Table Tennis Federation and the Latin American Table Tennis Union. These groups help further many countries’ diplomacy through healthy competition. Source: ITTF.com

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