Show #311 - Taking the Ball Early

We have a massive show for you today. There's our usual segments and some great questions. One PingSkiller asked whether they should start taking the ball earlier especially given how the plastic ball behaves. Enjoy!

Joke of the Week - 0:54

A patient bursts into a doctor’s office, "Doctor, I believe I'm a deck of cards!" 

On This Week - 2:05

Jun Mizutani turns 29

Tournament Wrap - 5:41

China Open

Japan Open

Australian Open

Tip and Drill of the Week - 16:00

Learn a new serve and use it in a game

Spin Reversal - 19:29

Alex: Hello, I would like to ask: it's said a lot that long pips do a lot of spin reversal, but even with inverted blade when you chop a topspin you also reverse the spin! Same you do with pips: you chop, you change the incoming topspin into backspin. I would like to know, what is the difference between two types of spin reversal: with long pips and inverted rubber.

Advanced Backhand - 22:26

Adam: It has been a while since my last question and i have improved a lot ever since i found this website. I have noticed that i'm a more passive attacker. i only attack with forehand topspins and drives with my backhand. Also, i will push back most backspin balls that falls short on my backhand side.I'm starting to think that i'm getting quite vulnerable against attacks. Especially now that the younger generations are catching up with me. I have developed a very powerful forehand topspin which now everybody is afraid of. But i'm now trying to develop a powerful backhand topspin as well as the modern banana flick receive. I'm already starting this development and i'm not sure whether to continue on. What do you think?

Position for Optimal Power - 25:39

Scotch:  I just wanna ask about getting into the right position to achieve the optimal stroke power and timing. With the introduction of polyball, I think a key change in table tennis is the increased dependence of players on power. Because of this, I was advised by many of my teammates to hit the ball earlier (around peak bounce) and hit the ball harder. The problem is I'm used to hitting the ball late and tend to do brushing motion, which was very effective with celluloid. Should I follow this advice? Because another problem is I don't think I have enough physical strength to do it. What I think of doing instead is to focus on my footwork to get into the right position for the ball and be able to perform the optimal stroke I wanted. Is this a better path to take?

Asking Questions - 30:10

Bruce: Do you have to be a premium member to ask a question?

Links in this Episode

Purchase your Australian Open Tickets

China Open Results