Video - Honey vs Big Ears July 2011

[Silver]

Cheers Speedy.

There could well be a chance of some videos against players my own level. I've just brought my own lightweight tripod to carry in my TT bag. I'm considering filming all my games next season. These will be tough games in the Premier division, but I'd do it hopefully to get some decent advice off people online.

Edit: To add to that from your other comments: The ball just comes back that little bit faster, deeper and spinner when playing BE. Even BE's controlled blocks kick back at me, they aren't just soft blocks like id usually get back. The result of this shows how much I need to improve my footwork if I ever want to play at BE's level. Recovery time also needs work. I can quite happily dance around the court playing FHs and BHs all day at my leve stepping round my FH etc... playing BE its a different story. I think the main thing is depth, as simple as it sounds, then I'd probably put spin second. You can 'easily' learn to spin the ball, but learning depth...well I think its maybe something you can't learn, unless you're willing to train with a towel over the mid area of the table to highlight the short balls.

Id say even 10% deeper, 10% spinnier, the difference is subtle, but takes years of experience to master, just gives me less time to get round onto my FH than I am used to. Its hard to notice, but when you play him, you feel the pressure.

There is one time in one of the videos where I try a sidespin banana flick, BE ears blocks it back in such a way sending my spin right back at me and I miss it. On the video it just looks like I miss-time the shot completely, you can hardly tell it kicks from the angle. Other players just play this normally and I get a nice ball into my BH to punch, or it just flies off the side!

$0.02:
I was watching part 3 and couldn't help but notice you getting caught out a few times due to your extreme backhand/forehand grip change. Not to say you were missing the backhand/forehand changeover, but you were always just a fraction too late and your forehand just not as strong as it was when you recognised a fh earlier.  I think part of the issue here is you seem to prefer to hit a backhand most of the time but around the middle you hesitate, hence the lateness.  It's almost as if you are thinking too much on what shot you should play.  That late ball was letting the pressure up against wig, allowing him a moment to recover.  I know its more difficult against a player of wig's standard.

What I suggest is that you attempt to establish a pattern where you commit to the switchover even if it means stepping around. Or stepping across to play a backhand from the forehand side. Once you are comfortable with this you can chop and change what you are doing.

[Honey]

$0.02:
I was watching part 3 and couldn't help but notice you getting caught out a few times due to your extreme backhand/forehand grip change. Not to say you were missing the backhand/forehand changeover, but you were always just a fraction too late and your forehand just not as strong as it was when you recognised a fh earlier.  I think part of the issue here is you seem to prefer to hit a backhand most of the time but around the middle you hesitate, hence the lateness.  It's almost as if you are thinking too much on what shot you should play.  That late ball was letting the pressure up against wig, allowing him a moment to recover.  I know its more difficult against a player of wig's standard.

What I suggest is that you attempt to establish a pattern where you commit to the switchover even if it means stepping around. Or stepping across to play a backhand from the forehand side. Once you are comfortable with this you can chop and change what you are doing.

Appreciate your comments Silver, thanks. I think I need to be more FH orientated if I want to go up a level, and along with this my footwork needs to improve to enable me to be more FH orientated. I do tend to favour my BH at the x-over. I've been working alot on footwork recently as I think this would contribute to solving some of the issues you mentioned as well as improving my overall game.

[Der Echte]

Honey, on a few other TT forums, I have a very BH oriented screen-name. I no longer play that way, yet today, if I have more confidence to attack with my good BH, I win more matches, period. 'nough said. Maybe you are a couple BH or acouple ales away from victory.