Rooting for you to reach 2000! I’m absolutely confident you’ll get there-you’ve already got so many elements covered, and your progress so far is amazing. With all the hard work you’re putting in, I have no doubt you’re on the right path. That said, a little reflection on a few points might help you make that final jump. 1. Your short pips: I feel like you’re not fully utilizing them to your advantage yet. Right now, they seem to create more challenges than benefits because you play very cautiously with them. I mostly see you blocking balls instead of using them to pressure your opponent or set up your forehand attacks. If you’re sticking with short pips, I’d suggest focusing on playing more aggressively-attacking and actively disrupting your opponent’s rhythm. On service returns, I also notice you’re not gaining much of an edge, often leading to easier returns for your opponents. So, it might be worth considering: either lean fully into an aggressive pips style or go back to inverted rubbers. Based on your style, I think inverted rubbers could give you much more control and versatility, especially if you’re not getting a unique advantage from the pips. 2. Compact strokes: This was a game-changer for me when I was trying to improve! Shortening your strokes (keeping them compact and efficient) can really transform your consistency and control. For example, I’ve noticed in your games that when facing long pips players, you sometimes struggle with no-spin or topspin balls, often hitting over the table. A shorter stroke-starting closer to the ball-will solve this instantly. Focus on snapping your forearm and stopping your stroke just after contact (around forehead level). This approach not only gives you more control but also keeps more balls on the table, whether it’s during rallies or service returns. For long serves, shortening your stroke will help you return them cleanly and confidently. And on short serves, rather than returning them passively, adding a quick “kick” with a compact stroke can put your opponent under immediate pressure. Once you start mastering this, you’ll feel like your whole game has leveled up. All that said, your progress so far is truly impressive, and it’s clear you’re putting in the effort to grow as a player. Keep training hard and refining your game-you’re on track to reach your goals! Looking forward to seeing how far you’ll go. 🏓
Appreciate the kinds words and feedback! So the whole reason I switched from short pips to inverted was because I could never get really good feeling with inverted and also I had a lot of trouble of serve receive (especially against non-underspin balls such as side top) but I do agree that I need to be more aggressive with my short pips side since it's not doing much in a lot of spots Re: compact stroke - mainly working on using my legs more which has shortened my stroke (compared to an all-arm swing) but still need to get used to the timing since it definitely differs from the all arm stroke
Nice games! You are now using your short pips well. Just a suggestion, when you’re going to block a spinny ball with your pips, try to put a little push to it and contact it on the bounce so that it will kill or slow down it’s momentum. Also, not everybody knows how to play against pimples (in general) so think of a way on how you can setup an attack after pushing the ball using your short pips. On to the next one
Jesus Christ loves you and died for your sins, everyone sins and deserves hell but Jesus (God) died for our sins paying the price of them, put your faith in Him and you will be Saved
Nice progress! In game 1 of Match 6 at the end you say You can't return his serve (BTW, don't say that so it out loud so he or his coach can hear you. They can use that against you). Funny thing is that the kid has problems with your deep to the BH serve such that you win the point outright or potentially set up for a win. At 4-9 in G1, you did a deep to the BH serve, which set you up to win it. You won with that serve outright on points 7-10 and 8-10 of G1 as well.
Very well played, I do think that you should relax your whole body more as you seem rather stiff when playing your shots, your spin is great however you must also know how to hit with pure pace on the open ups. I hope to see you improve even more your doing great josh !!!
Your first opponent was your body doppelgänger! 😀 I noticed that after you open w/your big forehand loop, if your opponent returns it, you don’t follow up w/another strong forehand drive but rather you hit a block. Should follow w/another strong loop. My 0.02.
Was going to say the same. Loop and counter loop. Been watching your videos for a short time already. You tend to what I call half stroking, it's between a loop and a drive. I've been playing for 32 years and coaching for over 20 years. Good luck and keep it up!
I think the best thing you should improve is your block. Most the points you lost because your blocks are passive. At least try to make it a spiny block or spiny counters 18:50 Currently even if you know the ball is coming you can't block it. Just try to raise your elbow and strongly grip near the contact will give you a spiny block/near counter.
Rewath first match and look how u reading for forehand topspin. It's too hasty, wait lil bit longa and spin it properly. U can ask ur coach about that.
A lot of times you're playing backhand to backhand and when there's a little bit more of topspin you close the angle and play like a normal rubber and the ball goes into the net, with pips you don't have to close that much though...
Against Brian Park, during the second game at 10-7 it seems like the missed serve counter didnt increment. So should have been 4 total missed serves. He won 3-0 so of the 38 points he won 4 were free, or a 11% discount on the amount of work he had to do to beat you 😅
Too bad i didn't get to play the US open in December otherwsie we might have chance to meet in the U1800 and U1900 tourneys. But you pretty much defeated everyone below your rating so your true rating should be 1800ish. I will see if can play US nationals this year.
I think you should practice your middle a bit more. you often seem unsure whether to use your fh or bh when the opponent plays to the middle...😮🤔do you sometimes review your game footage with coach richard?🐐
I've been practicing more random drills lately - definitely helps with the transition. Coach Richard is a busy man, barely has time to fit me in for lessons 🤷🏻♂
I feel like a lot of it is a mental shift, you kinda have to stop worrying about the score of the game and just focus point by point. During league (and honestly what I should apply in tournaments) is to just focus on playing a better game and honing in on specific improvement areas (e.g. opening with SP vs serve receive vs pushing). I've found that this approach works better than just trying to win the match since it forces you to play higher quality table tennis
I do honestly think you would drastically improve if you moved to a traditional rubber rather than short pimps, it just seems like you are more limited in the blocking department and just keeping the ball on the table when on the back foot
You play your BH loops way too high and you do not make advantage of your service. A decent service with tactical game plan is a lot better than a good service with no game plan. Also, why short pips? Only people >55 years should use them :P
When i saw the last couple of video's i thought interesting .....but very robotic and limited and was glad as I thought 'I can beat this guy easily' .... now with your coaching and improvements ...i'm not so sure., You've motivated me to up my game ... i've only watched a couple of video's and the matches are like home from home .... but from a selfish point of view i cannot have you at a higher level than me.😠
@@musclepong Based in the UK... but never say never. An observation is that the American culture seems to instill in people to really go for whatever they do ...and it's striking to me how reserved we are in the UK by comparison. I'm guilty of not progressing my game and playing at a level that rarely tests me.... whereas we know that we need to have inspiring people around us to develop. Dude you have definately inspired me to up my game.
Rooting for you to reach 2000! I’m absolutely confident you’ll get there-you’ve already got so many elements covered, and your progress so far is amazing. With all the hard work you’re putting in, I have no doubt you’re on the right path. That said, a little reflection on a few points might help you make that final jump.
1. Your short pips: I feel like you’re not fully utilizing them to your advantage yet. Right now, they seem to create more challenges than benefits because you play very cautiously with them. I mostly see you blocking balls instead of using them to pressure your opponent or set up your forehand attacks. If you’re sticking with short pips, I’d suggest focusing on playing more aggressively-attacking and actively disrupting your opponent’s rhythm. On service returns, I also notice you’re not gaining much of an edge, often leading to easier returns for your opponents. So, it might be worth considering: either lean fully into an aggressive pips style or go back to inverted rubbers. Based on your style, I think inverted rubbers could give you much more control and versatility, especially if you’re not getting a unique advantage from the pips.
2. Compact strokes: This was a game-changer for me when I was trying to improve! Shortening your strokes (keeping them compact and efficient) can really transform your consistency and control. For example, I’ve noticed in your games that when facing long pips players, you sometimes struggle with no-spin or topspin balls, often hitting over the table. A shorter stroke-starting closer to the ball-will solve this instantly. Focus on snapping your forearm and stopping your stroke just after contact (around forehead level). This approach not only gives you more control but also keeps more balls on the table, whether it’s during rallies or service returns. For long serves, shortening your stroke will help you return them cleanly and confidently. And on short serves, rather than returning them passively, adding a quick “kick” with a compact stroke can put your opponent under immediate pressure. Once you start mastering this, you’ll feel like your whole game has leveled up.
All that said, your progress so far is truly impressive, and it’s clear you’re putting in the effort to grow as a player. Keep training hard and refining your game-you’re on track to reach your goals! Looking forward to seeing how far you’ll go. 🏓
Appreciate the kinds words and feedback!
So the whole reason I switched from short pips to inverted was because I could never get really good feeling with inverted and also I had a lot of trouble of serve receive (especially against non-underspin balls such as side top) but I do agree that I need to be more aggressive with my short pips side since it's not doing much in a lot of spots
Re: compact stroke - mainly working on using my legs more which has shortened my stroke (compared to an all-arm swing) but still need to get used to the timing since it definitely differs from the all arm stroke
wow, that first game, TWO muscle pongs!
lol, that stood out to me. There can only be one! MP needs to shut him down.
Lol muscle pong vs military pong
…in addition…Really nice play vs. Mr. Tenson! You really upped your play…well done! 👍👍
You had great mental, pulling out that game 3 last match was clutch! Keep it up n_n
Had to pull out the shirt change in game 5 😂
bud, you had your backhand poppin. You won many points with ease! Also, you had some great back / fore combinations. Your game is picking up!
Thanks brotha!
Nice games! You are now using your short pips well.
Just a suggestion, when you’re going to block a spinny ball with your pips, try to put a little push to it and contact it on the bounce so that it will kill or slow down it’s momentum.
Also, not everybody knows how to play against pimples (in general) so think of a way on how you can setup an attack after pushing the ball using your short pips.
On to the next one
Jesus Christ loves you and died for your sins, everyone sins and deserves hell but Jesus (God) died for our sins paying the price of them, put your faith in Him and you will be Saved
Great to see so much more back hand unlike the Las Vegas games. I like what I am seeing.
the kid at the end played really safe, controlled the tempo and had nice technique, bright future lies ahead of him😮
Yeah he's progressing super quickly - should be over 2000 in 1-2 yrs
wow. you really played well today
Great play Josh! You are already improving!
Nice progress! In game 1 of Match 6 at the end you say You can't return his serve (BTW, don't say that so it out loud so he or his coach can hear you. They can use that against you). Funny thing is that the kid has problems with your deep to the BH serve such that you win the point outright or potentially set up for a win. At 4-9 in G1, you did a deep to the BH serve, which set you up to win it. You won with that serve outright on points 7-10 and 8-10 of G1 as well.
Lol yeah I only said it out loud for the mic but in a real tourney I wouldn't + Chen is my coach's star student and a group lesson teammate
in Match 2 you were on🔥😯👏
I think you push high and less spin you should use more wrist and body when pushing. Thanks.
What you need is a serve to the forehand. But very good improvement. Your training with the Chinese Coach give you more confidence. WOW
That's a good point - after you made this comment I started noticing I rarely serve to the FH
You had chances on fh with weak shot but blocked. Your 3rd ball open looked way better but be ready for the 5th with counter. Bh looked better also.
Very well played, I do think that you should relax your whole body more as you seem rather stiff when playing your shots, your spin is great however you must also know how to hit with pure pace on the open ups. I hope to see you improve even more your doing great josh !!!
Thanks man - definitely working on relaxing more when playing
service looking good! (aside from the few misses)
Thanks the missed serves were brutal in the first game
Your first opponent was your body doppelgänger! 😀 I noticed that after you open w/your big forehand loop, if your opponent returns it, you don’t follow up w/another strong forehand drive but rather you hit a block. Should follow w/another strong loop. My 0.02.
Was going to say the same. Loop and counter loop. Been watching your videos for a short time already. You tend to what I call half stroking, it's between a loop and a drive. I've been playing for 32 years and coaching for over 20 years. Good luck and keep it up!
I think the best thing you should improve is your block.
Most the points you lost because your blocks are passive. At least try to make it a spiny block or spiny counters
18:50
Currently even if you know the ball is coming you can't block it. Just try to raise your elbow and strongly grip near the contact will give you a spiny block/near counter.
For sure - working on blocking more actively
Rewath first match and look how u reading for forehand topspin. It's too hasty, wait lil bit longa and spin it properly. U can ask ur coach about that.
A lot of times you're playing backhand to backhand and when there's a little bit more of topspin you close the angle and play like a normal rubber and the ball goes into the net, with pips you don't have to close that much though...
Against Brian Park, during the second game at 10-7 it seems like the missed serve counter didnt increment. So should have been 4 total missed serves. He won 3-0 so of the 38 points he won 4 were free, or a 11% discount on the amount of work he had to do to beat you 😅
Lol I've never heard the word "discount" get used in table tennis like that
Too bad i didn't get to play the US open in December otherwsie we might have chance to meet in the U1800 and U1900 tourneys. But you pretty much defeated everyone below your rating so your true rating should be 1800ish. I will see if can play US nationals this year.
Which club do you play at?
I think you should practice your middle a bit more. you often seem unsure whether to use your fh or bh when the opponent plays to the middle...😮🤔do you sometimes review your game footage with coach richard?🐐
I've been practicing more random drills lately - definitely helps with the transition. Coach Richard is a busy man, barely has time to fit me in for lessons 🤷🏻♂
I'm also trying to work on not blocking so much, and attack instead. Any tips you've learned so far?
I feel like a lot of it is a mental shift, you kinda have to stop worrying about the score of the game and just focus point by point.
During league (and honestly what I should apply in tournaments) is to just focus on playing a better game and honing in on specific improvement areas (e.g. opening with SP vs serve receive vs pushing). I've found that this approach works better than just trying to win the match since it forces you to play higher quality table tennis
Just curious, how long does it take you to edit a video?
Depends on the video, the longer ones usually take 8-10 hours
I do honestly think you would drastically improve if you moved to a traditional rubber rather than short pimps, it just seems like you are more limited in the blocking department and just keeping the ball on the table when on the back foot
You totally could have beat your first opponent if you had played even 15% more aggressive. You had great footwork but often played really passively.
Definitely need to work on being more aggressive - especially when the game gets tight
Kids are very dangerous in table tennis and chess
You play kid with amazing bh and bad fh and you play 70% to his bh, why?
That's a good point... I should target his FH next time
th-cam.com/video/71R5N23gvPE/w-d-xo.html
You play your BH loops way too high and you do not make advantage of your service. A decent service with tactical game plan is a lot better than a good service with no game plan.
Also, why short pips? Only people >55 years should use them :P
I have better "feeling" with short pips than inverted which I tried for 2 yrs before switching to the DARK SIDE
@@musclepong There is NO darkside, just newbie traps. And short pips are one of the biggest ones.
what is Brian's red rubber?
Butterfly Dignics 09c (same on black)
When i saw the last couple of video's i thought interesting .....but very robotic and limited and was glad as I thought 'I can beat this guy easily' .... now with your coaching and improvements ...i'm not so sure., You've motivated me to up my game ... i've only watched a couple of video's and the matches are like home from home .... but from a selfish point of view i cannot have you at a higher level than me.😠
Haha come through for the March SPTTC tournament!
@@musclepong Based in the UK... but never say never. An observation is that the American culture seems to instill in people to really go for whatever they do ...and it's striking to me how reserved we are in the UK by comparison. I'm guilty of not progressing my game and playing at a level that rarely tests me.... whereas we know that we need to have inspiring people around us to develop. Dude you have definately inspired me to up my game.