Welcome to Week 11 here on my blog!
Over the last few Top Tip Tuesday’s, I have been sharing some advice for when receiving a service in table tennis. If you haven’t already read those, please do check those out as you may find them useful!
Source – ittfworld
Still focusing on the receive of service, here is this week’s Top Tip that I think you might find useful:
Top Tip: Commit 100% to your choice of receive (i.e. forehand flick)
This may seem like an obvious piece of advice to give out – after all, why wouldn’t you commit fully to your shots?
In fact, you might be thinking (and you wouldn’t be wrong at all!) that it doesn’t make sense to play a ‘hesitant’ receive, as this could severely dampen your control and ability to produce a top-notch receive!
However, picture this:
You are in a final of a big table tennis competition. The crowd is watching on in excited anticipation. You have match point, and are therefore 1 point away from taking the title. Your opponent throws the ball in the air. Just as you plan to play a strong receive of service, you are surprised by that really tricky serve your opponent has saved right up until now, and you are forced to try and receive it. The pressure is on, what do you do? Do you hesitate and attempt to play a kind of ‘safe’ return, which you hadn’t planned, in order to keep the ball on the table? Or do you play a risky return and try to outplay your opponent?
Scary stuff, isn’t it!
To answer the question and stay on topic, whether or not you played a risky return or a safe one is neither here nor there; there is no ‘right’ return in this scenario.
The point I’m trying to make here is that whatever shot you decide to play is up to you, but the important thing is that you commit 100% to your decision.
Source – ittfworld
Matthew Daish - Table Tennis 