It doesn't get much better than this. Awesome work. Fantastic video. I really like how you compared yourself to him in the end. The perfect body movement pays off and gives a huge edge.
I guess the key point in this video is the training method Paul mentioned, ball feeding and just keep going at it. Takes a lot of time and effort and should be started at an early age, then you get the kind of results Paul was able to display here. Great player, lots of respect.
Tom, your forehand is more of a forehand drive. Paul's forehand is more of forehand loop. Worst yet, your play is actually slightly slow for forehand drive. That is, your form is for forehand drive which should be on the early bounce of the ball. Paul's forehand is in the later phase of the bounce up or at the top of the bounce (sometimes he can go slightly at the drop phase but not often). The key operator of the forehand loop is the commitment of the shoulder and big arm swing. That is the main axis for the loop. You can see Paul coming down very low, and hitting on the ball on the rise or at the top of the bounce with the massive leg kick, hip rotation, body weight transfer that resulting in aggressive and relax shoulder and big arm whip. On the other hand, forehand drive has less extensive body movement although all parts still get involved. It is primary focus is on fore arm axis brush, with assistance from the rest of the body. Its objective is to hit the ball on the early rise and hit/brush through the ball, with emphasis on the hitting. That is why you don't need too much leg kick, hip rotation, wight transfer and big arm movement. But of course they are all there to contribute for the fore arm hit/brush. Once that is clear, people can understand when you should use forehand loop and forehand drive. A lot of people dismiss the difference between these two but make it just simply forehand topspin. But the reality is that once you can tell the difference, you can actually move from forehand drive to forehand loop with clear understand what is needed for each different play.
this is the best explanation i've read anywhere. thanks! all this (hip rotation, deep legs, weight transfer) to hit a 2.7 gram plastic ball a bit different?
Another good video, obviously Paul is one of our all time greats within the game, not sure if I can aspire to even get near his forehand technique, but interesting seeing his.
i have seen some people hitting the ball so hard and scorring from lowwer than that and they are not even professional player. i want to know how they do it
you want to see how better block the opponents... wrong way.. you cant win all the matchs only with block.. if you want play with block you mast play close to the table but also play with fast topspin from table. If you play good with this two elements you win all the matches...:)) hmm.. good push is also necessary, three elements :)
Hi Pawal - take a look at my video on how to block topspin... th-cam.com/video/SBQBww5Oml0/w-d-xo.html and also my blocking tactics video... th-cam.com/video/P2dAsl9qojY/w-d-xo.html
@@paw1ak_248 ok Tom's movies is good so you must try playing close the table without attack, only blocking attacks your opponent. I am sure if you will practice a lot your block skill will grow up :)
The thing that helped me more than anything to hit the ball harder, is being loose as a goose. When I make sure that I'm loose, relaxed, and keeping a cool head I can hit the ball a lot harder. If you don't have a cool head, due to worry or something, you won't be relaxed and loose. Which means you're too tight. And you can't hit the ball as hard when you're tight. Also, you can will yourself to be loose. Try it. Just stand with your paddle in hand, and really relax and swing your playing arm around a little bit like its a rope or a whip. Really loose and free swinging. And this looseness will allow you to explode much better. Then you go loose again. Explode for your shot then loose and ready. And repeat. Explode go loose. Explode go loose.
I really hit the ball so hard powerful but my problem was my feet when the opponent noticed that I’m not moving or using my legs properly the just started to place the ball in many different places on the table and takes me out of the position so I was losing easily but when I started to do multi balls I have improved a lot thanks for the video ❤
Hi Tom We play double in a community centre on a 50+ with mixed abilities players. Can you put some videos to improve our shots, when playing doubles. Many Thanks 🙏
Tom, great video. One thing you didn't mention was how far back the bat is taken, when you compare your's and Paul's technique, you can see he takes his arm back much further than you do.
Arkadi Danielyan What has Ma Long got to do with it? I simply noticed that Paul brings his bat further back than Tom, and that’s obviously one of the reasons he hits the ball hard. I have regular coaching, and I’m always being reminded to bring my arm back when using forehand topspin or smash, it actually really helps withe the timing, not the other way round, as you suggested. Also, it’s not a matter of swinging wildly as the stroke finishes around the head.
Arkadi Danielyan In my first post I never said anything like that, I just observed that Paul brings his arm back more, a simple observation that you can’t seem to get your head around. You can either agree that he does bring his arm back more or disagree and say he doesn’t.
I think because Paul is looser, his bat swings back more than me. It's not a precise position. It depends on several factors - whether the ball is fast or slow, and whether you are going for more or less power. I think you should focus more on keeping everything loose - grip, wrist, elblow, should, hips - then when you do go for the big FH, you'll find you take a bigger swing backwards as you rotate.
Tom Lodziak Yes that makes sense, but then again, it could be argued that bringing his arm further back is actually what’s contributing to Paul looking looser
Did you improve your forehand power after this, Tom Lodziak? I suppose all you have to focus on is to rotate your left knee inward. If you do this while loading up the shot, you will rotate your hip automatically. Start the biomechanical chain from this hip movement. I am trying to develop my strokes as well (played for 4 months so far). I put up videos of myself on my channel if you would like to see ;-).
I think I have improved my forehand a little bit. I certainly feel the benefit when I get proper weight transfer into my shot. It's still a work in progress for me.
When you hit the ball, the angle of your bat is closed. You brush. When he hits the ball, his bat is open completely. So he smashes. Your bat goes up, his bat goes down. Plus he smashes the ball with the wrist movements. When he gets more or less low ball, he first spins it, and only when you answer him with a high ball, he hits upside down. At the beginning of your video you can see very clearly that his bat is competely open, he did not brush at all, he smashes.
I disagree. Slow the video and you will see his bat angle is about 45 degrees and the ball passes well over over the net with arc and bounces up. A smash does not do these things. I love how he uses a full hip rotation by use of the knees and legs to generate power. He explodes his hip forward slightly before the arm I think to generate whip.
@@mauricetate3571 "I love how he uses a full hip rotation by use of the knees and legs to generate power." Of course. It is called "coordination" and not everybody is ABLE to do it. Either one can do it, either not. It is natural by animals, but not natural for many humains. It is a base requirement for succesful sport of any kind, demandig coordination. As to the bat angle...It is is about 45 degrees TO THE TABLE SURFACE! BUT it is 90 degrees to the line the ball follows.
On contact he is brushing the ball a little bit. it's what you might call a topspin drive. Enough spin to clear the net and come back down, but retains the force of a flatter hit.
@@LeoTaxilFrance Drinkhall was trained by a top Chinese coach so he uses the Chinese technique.The Chinese drive-loop doesn't incorporate much brushing with an upwards movement cause that makes the shot slower and gives a high trajectory which makes the shot more blockable or even smashable.The spin comes from the acceleration when he makes contact with the ball.The Chinese approach is hitting past of the opponent while the European style is more about getting into long rallies and try to force an error using heavy topspin.
Tom, your comment on more relaxation of the upper body. how does one like us (that have stiff upper torso strokes) accomplish this? is it as simple as just relaxing the shoulders and arm? perhaps that plus a focus on weight transfer from back to front leg? does the arm move with the shoulder (which requires some amount of stiffness) or does it follow the shoulder (in the whip action you describe). would like to improve this for myself and would like some concrete tips. thanks.
So this is the approach I have taken... (1) Reduce all power in the stroke - this will relax your shoulder, elbow and waist (2) focus everything on turning the hips and shoulders and putting your weight on your right leg (3) push from your right leg, turn your hips and your arm and shoulder will follow through (4) when you are happier with the timing and motion, then gradually increase the speed of the movement (5) you know it is right, when you can play a fast topspin shot without using too much energy. But really important to slow it down to begin with to get the body movement right and develop from there.
@@TomLodziak it is interesting to me that we go thru all this body mechanics (focusing on rotational core strength) to it a 2.7gram plastic ball better/faster.
Thank you and Mr. Drinkhall for this great tutorial. Much appreciated. Any advice for older players looping? I have pulled a muscle looping due to my torso rotation. Playing injury free becomes important as we age. Also, any advice on koto vs. limba when it comes to looping? For slower players (with poor footwork, due to physical limitation) who are not able to meet the ball in time and have to loop after the top of the bounce (i.e. when it is dropping); what advice could you offer us? Thanks very much. Cheers!
Hi, I am 58 years old, 6’2” at 284 lbs. I was a USATT rated player around 1900 and a two winged looper. But I was much younger and thinner then. Because of my height, it is not so easy for me to bend my knees as deeply as before. Quality advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
It is tougher as you get older, especially the use of the knees which start to creek a little bit. My best advice is to keep loose as you are topspinning. If there is too much tension, this is when you are likely to get an injury. Also, it may not be possible to play exactly like Paul, who is a full-time professional. But if you can do it a little bit like him, e.g. get a little lower, twist a little more, whip into he ball a little more, then you will have a better FH attack. In terms of timing - I don't think this is an age related issue. i think any player of any age can learn to time the ball earlier. So something for you to experiment with.
@@TomLodziak Dear Tom, I really appreciate the advice. I agree with you on all counts. I had a few coaches, but they are just not able to help me. They are strong players, but they do not know how to help maximize the joy of playing for individual players, they employ the same cookie-cutter approach with every player no matter their age, physical shape or ability. By the way, I also use the MX-P on my backhand and the MX-S. They are very good rubbers. I have been having a lot of trouble choosing best equipment for my playing style and ability. I have most all the popular blades and rubbers and it is not easy to choose which one to stick with, Thanks very much. cheers!
I just recently got into playing ping pong because my work installed the table on the break room. I want to get better at my forehand but I think I’m too shy to move like Paul 😂
Looking dramatic is part of the game :) It's a lot more fun if you can relax ego and let your body take over and move freely! So don't sweat how you look too much, it's the only way to get better 😊
It is part of the rule set. Because of the changes in serves over the years, this is a point of contention. You can see even some pro players, like calderano, who don’t even move their arms out of the way essentially making it illegal or using the old rule set, and then you see other players like ma long get faulted in some matches, who has a nearly perfect serve. There’s a lot of inconsistency in the rulings
Superb video :)) but WE NEED MOVIE HOW TO SERVE LIKE A PRO!!! :D Paul could you show us?? :)) My first racket when i start playing in 2017 is tibhar paul drinkhall allround classic THE BEST RACKET :) so do it for us :) One is interesting one time topspin next backspin with the same movement of hand but with two other spins:))
I like how you humble yourself. He might be a pro but you ain't an amateur.
It doesn't get much better than this. Awesome work. Fantastic video. I really like how you compared yourself to him in the end. The perfect body movement pays off and gives a huge edge.
Paul's forehand shots are all smashes. Like the net is not even there. Just shoots like from a rifle. Amazing!
I guess the key point in this video is the training method Paul mentioned, ball feeding and just keep going at it. Takes a lot of time and effort and should be started at an early age, then you get the kind of results Paul was able to display here.
Great player, lots of respect.
I really love the way Paul plays .so much power it's really impressive . I really need to train more . keep up the good work Tom
Tom, your forehand is more of a forehand drive. Paul's forehand is more of forehand loop. Worst yet, your play is actually slightly slow for forehand drive. That is, your form is for forehand drive which should be on the early bounce of the ball. Paul's forehand is in the later phase of the bounce up or at the top of the bounce (sometimes he can go slightly at the drop phase but not often).
The key operator of the forehand loop is the commitment of the shoulder and big arm swing. That is the main axis for the loop. You can see Paul coming down very low, and hitting on the ball on the rise or at the top of the bounce with the massive leg kick, hip rotation, body weight transfer that resulting in aggressive and relax shoulder and big arm whip.
On the other hand, forehand drive has less extensive body movement although all parts still get involved. It is primary focus is on fore arm axis brush, with assistance from the rest of the body. Its objective is to hit the ball on the early rise and hit/brush through the ball, with emphasis on the hitting. That is why you don't need too much leg kick, hip rotation, wight transfer and big arm movement. But of course they are all there to contribute for the fore arm hit/brush.
Once that is clear, people can understand when you should use forehand loop and forehand drive. A lot of people dismiss the difference between these two but make it just simply forehand topspin. But the reality is that once you can tell the difference, you can actually move from forehand drive to forehand loop with clear understand what is needed for each different play.
this is the best explanation i've read anywhere. thanks! all this (hip rotation, deep legs, weight transfer) to hit a 2.7 gram plastic ball a bit different?
Unbelievable that Paul can even be beaten watching this video and technique. This forehand is simply insane.
Well he usually plays opponents with much higher quality faster incoming balls so..
Another good video, obviously Paul is one of our all time greats within the game, not sure if I can aspire to even get near his forehand technique, but interesting seeing his.
Am a very average table tennis player but for some reason i have mastered the explosive forehand shot
Again great video. Thanks a lot Tom. Love from Turkey
I like how Tom has no problem with showing up his own weaknesses as a player. All in the name of furthering our learning.
I have a lot of weaknesses to show off!
@@TomLodziak Haha. Your special strength then ;-)
Thank u for the lessons my play was gooding and improved more thank u again
Very good video
Again great video Tom. Very convincing demonstration of perfect forhand by Paul, great work of the whole body. Thanks again, very helpful video.
Awesome video tom.... now 4 that game against paul....!
All in good time!
Nice video, God bless.
Thank you so much please make more videos
i have seen some people hitting the ball so hard and scorring from lowwer than that and they are not even professional player. i want to know how they do it
Another great video. Thanks a lot 👍🏻
Make more Love these videos want a few tips on blocking i have fast reflexes but my blocking needs work
you want to see how better block the opponents... wrong way.. you cant win all the matchs only with block.. if you want play with block you mast play close to the table but also play with fast topspin from table. If you play good with this two elements you win all the matches...:)) hmm.. good push is also necessary, three elements :)
@@smil3m4n i am Good everything but not block
Hi Pawal - take a look at my video on how to block topspin... th-cam.com/video/SBQBww5Oml0/w-d-xo.html and also my blocking tactics video... th-cam.com/video/P2dAsl9qojY/w-d-xo.html
@@paw1ak_248 ok Tom's movies is good so you must try playing close the table without attack, only blocking attacks your opponent.
I am sure if you will practice a lot your block skill will grow up :)
@@TomLodziak thanks
The thing that helped me more than anything to hit the ball harder, is being loose as a goose. When I make sure that I'm loose, relaxed, and keeping a cool head I can hit the ball a lot harder. If you don't have a cool head, due to worry or something, you won't be relaxed and loose. Which means you're too tight. And you can't hit the ball as hard when you're tight. Also, you can will yourself to be loose. Try it. Just stand with your paddle in hand, and really relax and swing your playing arm around a little bit like its a rope or a whip. Really loose and free swinging. And this looseness will allow you to explode much better. Then you go loose again. Explode for your shot then loose and ready. And repeat. Explode go loose. Explode go loose.
Agreed! Looseness is vital.
I really hit the ball so hard powerful but my problem was my feet when the opponent noticed that I’m not moving or using my legs properly the just started to place the ball in many different places on the table and takes me out of the position so I was losing easily but when I started to do multi balls I have improved a lot thanks for the video ❤
Thanks for the tips and you got a new sub
Thank you.
Hi Tom We play double in a community centre on a 50+ with mixed abilities players. Can you put some videos to improve our shots, when playing doubles.
Many Thanks 🙏
Hey Tom an Paul, great video! I will try to remember it in my next training session. Looks so easy....Cheers
Tom, great video. One thing you didn't mention was how far back the bat is taken, when you compare your's and Paul's technique, you can see he takes his arm back much further than you do.
Arkadi Danielyan What has Ma Long got to do with it? I simply noticed that Paul brings his bat further back than Tom, and that’s obviously one of the reasons he hits the ball hard. I have regular coaching, and I’m always being reminded to bring my arm back when using forehand topspin or smash, it actually really helps withe the timing, not the other way round, as you suggested. Also, it’s not a matter of swinging wildly as the stroke finishes around the head.
Arkadi Danielyan Instead of waffling on, read my first comment again and tell me which part of it is inaccurate.
Arkadi Danielyan In my first post I never said anything like that, I just observed that Paul brings his arm back more, a simple observation that you can’t seem to get your head around. You can either agree that he does bring his arm back more or disagree and say he doesn’t.
I think because Paul is looser, his bat swings back more than me. It's not a precise position. It depends on several factors - whether the ball is fast or slow, and whether you are going for more or less power. I think you should focus more on keeping everything loose - grip, wrist, elblow, should, hips - then when you do go for the big FH, you'll find you take a bigger swing backwards as you rotate.
Tom Lodziak Yes that makes sense, but then again, it could be argued that bringing his arm further back is actually what’s contributing to Paul looking looser
Did you improve your forehand power after this, Tom Lodziak? I suppose all you have to focus on is to rotate your left knee inward. If you do this while loading up the shot, you will rotate your hip automatically. Start the biomechanical chain from this hip movement. I am trying to develop my strokes as well (played for 4 months so far). I put up videos of myself on my channel if you would like to see ;-).
I think I have improved my forehand a little bit. I certainly feel the benefit when I get proper weight transfer into my shot. It's still a work in progress for me.
Seems good!
Do you have the similar video on backhand?
Great !
Now I know what I gotta do for stronger spikes
Nice
When you hit the ball, the angle of your bat is closed. You brush. When he hits the ball, his bat is open completely. So he smashes. Your bat goes up, his bat goes down. Plus he smashes the ball with the wrist movements. When he gets more or less low ball, he first spins it, and only when you answer him with a high ball, he hits upside down. At the beginning of your video you can see very clearly that his bat is competely open, he did not brush at all, he smashes.
I disagree. Slow the video and you will see his bat angle is about 45 degrees and the ball passes well over over the net with arc and bounces up. A smash does not do these things. I love how he uses a full hip rotation by use of the knees and legs to generate power. He explodes his hip forward slightly before the arm I think to generate whip.
@@mauricetate3571 "I love how he uses a full hip rotation by use of the knees and legs to generate power." Of course. It is called "coordination" and not everybody is ABLE to do it. Either one can do it, either not. It is natural by animals, but not natural for many humains. It is a base requirement for succesful sport of any kind, demandig coordination. As to the bat angle...It is is about 45 degrees TO THE TABLE SURFACE! BUT it is 90 degrees to the line the ball follows.
On contact he is brushing the ball a little bit. it's what you might call a topspin drive. Enough spin to clear the net and come back down, but retains the force of a flatter hit.
@@LeoTaxilFrance Drinkhall was trained by a top Chinese coach so he uses the Chinese technique.The Chinese drive-loop doesn't incorporate much brushing with an upwards movement cause that makes the shot slower and gives a high trajectory which makes the shot more blockable or even smashable.The spin comes from the acceleration when he makes contact with the ball.The Chinese approach is hitting past of the opponent while the European style is more about getting into long rallies and try to force an error using heavy topspin.
Tom, your comment on more relaxation of the upper body. how does one like us (that have stiff upper torso strokes) accomplish this? is it as simple as just relaxing the shoulders and arm? perhaps that plus a focus on weight transfer from back to front leg? does the arm move with the shoulder (which requires some amount of stiffness) or does it follow the shoulder (in the whip action you describe). would like to improve this for myself and would like some concrete tips. thanks.
So this is the approach I have taken... (1) Reduce all power in the stroke - this will relax your shoulder, elbow and waist (2) focus everything on turning the hips and shoulders and putting your weight on your right leg (3) push from your right leg, turn your hips and your arm and shoulder will follow through (4) when you are happier with the timing and motion, then gradually increase the speed of the movement (5) you know it is right, when you can play a fast topspin shot without using too much energy. But really important to slow it down to begin with to get the body movement right and develop from there.
@@TomLodziak excellent! thanks Tom.
@@TomLodziak it is interesting to me that we go thru all this body mechanics (focusing on rotational core strength) to it a 2.7gram plastic ball better/faster.
great....
What i need right now is the serve and the backhand
I can do backhand but i want it to be more faster
I need help with that
P.s thank you paul
Hi take a look at this video on how to play quick backhand attacks... th-cam.com/video/C5wk2uRuZWw/w-d-xo.html
Thank you and Mr. Drinkhall for this great tutorial. Much appreciated. Any advice for older players looping? I have pulled a muscle looping due to my torso rotation. Playing injury free becomes important as we age. Also, any advice on koto vs. limba when it comes to looping? For slower players (with poor footwork, due to physical limitation) who are not able to meet the ball in time and have to loop after the top of the bounce (i.e. when it is dropping); what advice could you offer us? Thanks very much. Cheers!
hi James :) one question how old are you? maybe i will have advice for you
Hi, I am 58 years old, 6’2” at 284 lbs. I was a USATT rated player around 1900 and a two winged looper. But I was much younger and thinner then. Because of my height, it is not so easy for me to bend my knees as deeply as before. Quality advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
It is tougher as you get older, especially the use of the knees which start to creek a little bit. My best advice is to keep loose as you are topspinning. If there is too much tension, this is when you are likely to get an injury. Also, it may not be possible to play exactly like Paul, who is a full-time professional. But if you can do it a little bit like him, e.g. get a little lower, twist a little more, whip into he ball a little more, then you will have a better FH attack. In terms of timing - I don't think this is an age related issue. i think any player of any age can learn to time the ball earlier. So something for you to experiment with.
@@TomLodziak Dear Tom, I really appreciate the advice. I agree with you on all counts. I had a few coaches, but they are just not able to help me. They are strong players, but they do not know how to help maximize the joy of playing for individual players, they employ the same cookie-cutter approach with every player no matter their age, physical shape or ability. By the way, I also use the MX-P on my backhand and the MX-S. They are very good rubbers. I have been having a lot of trouble choosing best equipment for my playing style and ability. I have most all the popular blades and rubbers and it is not easy to choose which one to stick with, Thanks very much. cheers!
It also helps to have a fast racket.
I just recently got into playing ping pong because my work installed the table on the break room.
I want to get better at my forehand but I think I’m too shy to move like Paul 😂
Looking dramatic is part of the game :) It's a lot more fun if you can relax ego and let your body take over and move freely! So don't sweat how you look too much, it's the only way to get better 😊
why in this video, i can see that in many shots Paul actually hit the ball after it peaked, but not before or at peak like he suggested?
During service, is it necessary to toss the ball vertical ?
No depends what service your doing tho
Most definitely
You are supposed to (according to the rules), but in reality most players either throw the ball back a little bit, or in to their body a little bit.
It is part of the rule set. Because of the changes in serves over the years, this is a point of contention. You can see even some pro players, like calderano, who don’t even move their arms out of the way essentially making it illegal or using the old rule set, and then you see other players like ma long get faulted in some matches, who has a nearly perfect serve. There’s a lot of inconsistency in the rulings
Did I just watch Bobby Boucher explain how he finds himself at the right place all the time?
For pendulum serve
Superb video :)) but WE NEED MOVIE HOW TO SERVE LIKE A PRO!!! :D Paul could you show us?? :))
My first racket when i start playing in 2017 is tibhar paul drinkhall allround classic THE BEST RACKET :) so do it for us :)
One is interesting one time topspin next backspin with the same movement of hand but with two other spins:))
I have some great service videos coming up. First one in a couple of weeks...
@@TomLodziakfantastic, i looking forward for this video :)) you making a very good job ;))
What is the rating of this player?
Not sure of current rating, but Paul has been top 35 in the world at his best.
بردو ابو صالح علم عليك وروقك
Is it a right observation : Paul hit the ball with his paddle @ 45 degrees ...a secret angle ?
First.😀 cheers Tom.
LICK PAULS HELMET