As someone who's spent some time seriously training in this sport (I've trained with a coach who was formerly Chinese National Team), perhaps I can give you an explanation. In other sports like badminton, they teach you techniques, and the techniques start paying off almost instantly (within a few days' worth of practice). And there's a clear correlation between more practice and better play. In table tennis, there is no such clear correlation, for the following reason. If you try to play a shot and you miss the table, you lose the point. It doesn't matter how spinny, or how fast, or how deceptive that shot was. The thing about training in this sport is that it teaches you to be more spinny, or to hit faster, or to be more deceptive. But not a lot of training can teach you to actually hit the ball onto the darn table in a realistic scenario. Coaches tend to tell their students to drill the same shot over and over (eg. forehand loop to forehand loop), but in any real scenario, your opponent isn't going to give you the same shot every time! They're actively trying to mess you up with their own spin, speed, and deception. So it becomes a situation where a prospective student trying to learn this sport cannot get gameplay knowledge without actually playing the game, but when they play the game, they can't put the techniques into practice because the training was so different from reality. It takes a lot of dedication and talent to get over this problem, and many people (me included) simply don't have that. I've heard of a lot of kids in my city (Toronto) getting up to an ELO score of 2000 to 3000 and then quitting out of frustration as well.
I think that, in most other sports, the answer to the question "why did I lose that point/play/shot?" is clear, even before the point/play/shot is lost. For example, in basketball, it's clear why your side lost: perhaps it was because you weren't aiming your shots properly, or your defense wasn't up to par, etc. But in table tennis, there are many factors that are hard to see, even after the point is over. For example, perhaps the push you played was 1cm too high, and you thought the spin you put on the ball would be enough to prevent a quick attack, but your opponent got lucky and happened to swing at the correct angle in order to deliver a devastating third-ball attack. You tried to block it, but you underestimated how much topspin he would put on it and your block flew way out. Another super-frustrating scenario I ran into a lot: I thought my opponent's serve would be backspin, and I played a perfect anti-backspin loop to counter it. But it turned out that he had used a hidden hand motion to serve a topspin shot instead, and my loop flew wayyyy out. It's indescribably frustrating to spend a lot of energy playing a loop that you've drilled for dozens of hours only to have it fly so far away from the table that anyone observing would wonder if I was drunk.
@@fi4re Damn it man. Finally someone understanding Table Tennis. I too play Table Tennis just recently entered the Internationals on behalf of my country Pakistan. I know I might sound crazy but I will someone day be like Ma Long.
He had a very unique style with great shot making and improvisation in the same way that Klampar had. You won't find his style in any coaching manual but he was a great player and a world champion. Will be a very long time before another European player will win the title.
Very true. I always remember one answer of Schlager about service techniques: I never really train them excessively. I just think about what makes sense and then use them in a game. This shows that Schlager had a very good "natural" understanding of the ball and how it reacts to spin and your bat. It's like perfect pitch in music. Yes, you can learn an instrument without perfect pitch, but it will take you considerable more energy and you need to understanding musical theory, to achieve a similar skill, instead of just "feeling" it.
@@leonawroth2516 it's easy to understand the concept of spin, it's not like perfect pitch at all and perfect pitch doesn't give u a huge advantage when it comes to music theory. Furthermore I don't see what's so impressive about your example. He doesn't practise serves and just uses various serves in game. What's so special about that?
@@sebastianmanterfield3132 it's special if you can fool the very best in the game and Schlager could back then. Others have to train serves everyday to become as good.
I like how the video showed how he got beat by a move by Ma Long, and then learned from it the next time and actually countered and scored a point Long wasn't expecting. Right at the beginning
Saying Schlager is a very smart player is like saying Messi has good agility. I don't think there would be a lot of arguments if we put "tactical genius" into the title.
Good title. Schlager was unique , his bh was excellent. And in this world championships he was in a very good form. I liked so much his play style . He eliminated two very strong Chinese players - Wang Liqin - 3times World Champion and Olympic Champion - Kong Linghui. Ma Lin didn't defeat Joo See Hyuk in Paris 2003 and Werner Schlager made it in final. Sorry for my bad english. Very smart player.
Schlager has a really smart playing style. There were many time that he seems to be in a struggle but finally won the point. If he had a chance to train in Chinese national team and had a more powerful forehand, I believe he would have made a grand slam.
Oh my God Werner schlager is the best wow I will be damndest I like him but he is perfectly in table tennis than any one he is amazing he would beat me so.much wow
Гиперкомбинационная игра, основанная на чудовищной силы вращениях и чувстве мяча по направлениям. Рискованно и требовательно к техническому арсеналу, но красиво. Браво, Вернер.
At 0:32 why doesn't MA Long hit the ball to the left side instead of hitting to the right where his opponent is standing? Wouldn't be impossible for his opponent to return it since he is standing so far away?
If Ma Long changes the direction of where he’s hitting it and the opponent gets the ball (very possible in table tennis), Ma Long will go on the defensive and lose his attacking advantage
VERY VERY RARE QUALITY AND VERY VERY RARE SHOWING IT RIGHT IN THE TABLE TENNIS-EVEN WHEN HE IS VERY VERY HIGH FROM THE TABLE RETREATING VERY HIGH WHEN OPONENT ATACKING HE ALWAYS THINKING IN HIS BRAIN WHICH SHOT TO MAKE TO GET HIM IN MAT POSITION AND TO GAIN THE POINT BRUTALLY SHOOTING THE BALL IN POSITION WHERE IS NO DEFENSE FOR THE OPONENT.EXTREMELY QUALITY PLAYER AND VERY VERY FUCKED UP MATE TO PLAY WITH-ALTHOUGH HE RETIRED HIS MATCHES WILL ALWAYS STAY REMEMBERED AS THE ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD.TOTALY INCREDIBLE AND LINING UP WITH TOTALY INSANITY IN POSITIVE HIS KNOWLEDGE FOR THE TABLE ENNIS AND HIS NATURAL BRAIN INTELIGENCE USING RIGHT IN THE TABLE TENNIS.
Werner Schlager ist echt klasse, jetzt habe ich zum ersten Mal in einem Wettkampf gesehen, daß ein Spieler am Netz vorbei spielt. Es zählt. Wenn Ihr einen Schläger sucht, der Euch begeistert dann schaut einfach einmal hier vorbei: tischtennisschläger-test.de
That's what I thought also, reminds me of Waldner in that he has great touch and uses ball placement very effectively. Like some chinese coach said about Waldner's style: "His returns are uncomfortable".
Table tennis is actually a great sport to both play and watch, can't understand why it's not more popular.
racketman2u because this is the usa
In China it’s the most popular
As someone who's spent some time seriously training in this sport (I've trained with a coach who was formerly Chinese National Team), perhaps I can give you an explanation.
In other sports like badminton, they teach you techniques, and the techniques start paying off almost instantly (within a few days' worth of practice). And there's a clear correlation between more practice and better play.
In table tennis, there is no such clear correlation, for the following reason. If you try to play a shot and you miss the table, you lose the point. It doesn't matter how spinny, or how fast, or how deceptive that shot was.
The thing about training in this sport is that it teaches you to be more spinny, or to hit faster, or to be more deceptive. But not a lot of training can teach you to actually hit the ball onto the darn table in a realistic scenario. Coaches tend to tell their students to drill the same shot over and over (eg. forehand loop to forehand loop), but in any real scenario, your opponent isn't going to give you the same shot every time! They're actively trying to mess you up with their own spin, speed, and deception.
So it becomes a situation where a prospective student trying to learn this sport cannot get gameplay knowledge without actually playing the game, but when they play the game, they can't put the techniques into practice because the training was so different from reality.
It takes a lot of dedication and talent to get over this problem, and many people (me included) simply don't have that. I've heard of a lot of kids in my city (Toronto) getting up to an ELO score of 2000 to 3000 and then quitting out of frustration as well.
I think that, in most other sports, the answer to the question "why did I lose that point/play/shot?" is clear, even before the point/play/shot is lost. For example, in basketball, it's clear why your side lost: perhaps it was because you weren't aiming your shots properly, or your defense wasn't up to par, etc.
But in table tennis, there are many factors that are hard to see, even after the point is over. For example, perhaps the push you played was 1cm too high, and you thought the spin you put on the ball would be enough to prevent a quick attack, but your opponent got lucky and happened to swing at the correct angle in order to deliver a devastating third-ball attack. You tried to block it, but you underestimated how much topspin he would put on it and your block flew way out.
Another super-frustrating scenario I ran into a lot: I thought my opponent's serve would be backspin, and I played a perfect anti-backspin loop to counter it. But it turned out that he had used a hidden hand motion to serve a topspin shot instead, and my loop flew wayyyy out. It's indescribably frustrating to spend a lot of energy playing a loop that you've drilled for dozens of hours only to have it fly so far away from the table that anyone observing would wonder if I was drunk.
@@fi4re Damn it man. Finally someone understanding Table Tennis.
I too play Table Tennis just recently entered the Internationals on behalf of my country Pakistan.
I know I might sound crazy but I will someone day be like Ma Long.
I think i just found my new fav player!!!
Mr.Moody exactly what I was thinking 😄
Then change your pp!
2003 in paris was his fate. he played those epic encounters vs kong and liqin. schlager had the necessary luck and played outstanding table tennis.
Both Kong Linghui and Wang Liqin had a history of poor receiving and weak backhands.It wasn't just luck.Their weaknesses played into his strengths.
Wang Liqin won in 2001, 2005 and in 2007, still Schlager beat him in Wttc 2003
Modern table tennis really misses someone like him. What a legend. What a backhand topspin 2:54
He had a very unique style with great shot making and improvisation in the same way that Klampar had. You won't find his style in any coaching manual but he was a great player and a world champion. Will be a very long time before another European player will win the title.
Ovtacharov just won it i think
Very true. I always remember one answer of Schlager about service techniques: I never really train them excessively. I just think about what makes sense and then use them in a game.
This shows that Schlager had a very good "natural" understanding of the ball and how it reacts to spin and your bat. It's like perfect pitch in music. Yes, you can learn an instrument without perfect pitch, but it will take you considerable more energy and you need to understanding musical theory, to achieve a similar skill, instead of just "feeling" it.
Very much similar to Klampar
@@leonawroth2516 it's easy to understand the concept of spin, it's not like perfect pitch at all and perfect pitch doesn't give u a huge advantage when it comes to music theory.
Furthermore I don't see what's so impressive about your example. He doesn't practise serves and just uses various serves in game. What's so special about that?
@@sebastianmanterfield3132 it's special if you can fool the very best in the game and Schlager could back then. Others have to train serves everyday to become as good.
Brilliant both technique and tactics wise! It'll be a LONG time before a Euro player will become world champ again.
impresive, most impresive.
Impressive* idiot
@@tmt3969 Chill it was probably only a typo, or maybe he is learning English.
@@tmt3969 english is not my native language , idiot.
М.М KARAKAYA English is not my native language but I can still spell🤷
saw him last year
he beat ovtcharov with 4-1
even though he is not the youngest anymore he is still able to keep up with the best!
Except dima is far from the best. The world ranking is just a reflection of his more active participation.
I like how the video showed how he got beat by a move by Ma Long, and then learned from it the next time and actually countered and scored a point Long wasn't expecting. Right at the beginning
the last European emperor !
Chako Levendi Timo Boll still better of all time. Because Chinese were not tat strong like in Bolls prime time
Maddin ?? You know timos prime against the same chinese right?
And dima the rank 1
a fluke. Only cause of the new system
the last kaiser
He was a gutsy player indeed.
Gonna miss old table tennis😢
He adds a new dimension to table tennis
2:54 that confidence on his backhand. He just returned all the chops with a backhand drive. Insane
Guys, just pay attention how he plays with the backside of his bat - it's incredible!!
Saying Schlager is a very smart player is like saying Messi has good agility. I don't think there would be a lot of arguments if we put "tactical genius" into the title.
Yes, Schlager is quite the talent
Yeah
I truly love his playing style.
I know it has nothing to do with the video but just assembled my new racket and I'm sooo excited!!
Dawid Mikan I always get excited about a new racket too ;)
Good title. Schlager was unique , his bh was excellent. And in this world championships he was in a very good form. I liked so much his play style . He eliminated two very strong Chinese players - Wang Liqin - 3times World Champion and Olympic Champion - Kong Linghui. Ma Lin didn't defeat Joo See Hyuk in Paris 2003 and Werner Schlager made it in final. Sorry for my bad english. Very smart player.
Schlager has a really smart playing style. There were many time that he seems to be in a struggle but finally won the point. If he had a chance to train in Chinese national team and had a more powerful forehand, I believe he would have made a grand slam.
His movements pretty unpredictable, yet his swing is pretty fast.
Very good player. He reminds me of J-O Wallner
bester Mann
hahaha omg!! this guy is a genious! every point he gets me to laugh. this is the federer of TT
yes he is very smart like Federer
Watch Waldner then talk
Isn't Walder more like, "Magic-Boy"? as far as strange categories go.
Walder is to table tennis as Federed is to tennis.
Don't get me wrong, schlager is a legend but walder is better overall
@@MRMC01 Federer? You mean Ashe, Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Becker, Lendl? Federer have still some years to prove he is the GOAT
i like his style,
When he serve and wait, the ball never come back to him that is a fool.
*A very smart title*
My newest favorite player
Raw talent, unique style.
I love Schlager
A name, a destiny.
Chen Weixing is usually at the receiving ends in these kind of videos.
Oh my God Werner schlager is the best wow I will be damndest I like him but he is perfectly in table tennis than any one he is amazing he would beat me so.much wow
He is more unpredictable than Koki Niwa
It looks like the style of a beginner but on the level of a professional
exactly my thought
Beginner?
Great assessment!!
Нравится нестандартная техника Шлагера!
THX For your video.
Let us know this great skillful player:)
But we can't appreciate his match anymore:(
Гиперкомбинационная игра, основанная на чудовищной силы вращениях и чувстве мяча по направлениям. Рискованно и требовательно к техническому арсеналу, но красиво. Браво, Вернер.
0:29 pongfinity
For real man😹
What's a genius player!!!
his playstyle is like whipping someone's ass xD
Even the opponent gave him a thumbs up LMAOO 3:00
Udip Rai - They both played for Austria and were, well... teammates obv... :P
Omg those backhand slashes
*THE BEST TRICKY TECHNIC I HAVE EVER SEEN !!*
Tolles Video! Tischtennis jeaaaiiiih :)
😃🏓👍
great player!!!
How can this Guy be world champion? Wow.
2:15 jesus christ
a very smart player
what a battle
At 0:32 why doesn't MA Long hit the ball to the left side instead of hitting to the right where his opponent is standing? Wouldn't be impossible for his opponent to return it since he is standing so far away?
If Ma Long changes the direction of where he’s hitting it and the opponent gets the ball (very possible in table tennis), Ma Long will go on the defensive and lose his attacking advantage
My inspiration is him.
wow this guy has all the weapons & using them right. Blocking attacks & side spin shots to get opponent out of position.
quel champion ;-)
VERY VERY RARE QUALITY AND VERY VERY RARE SHOWING IT RIGHT IN THE TABLE TENNIS-EVEN WHEN HE IS VERY VERY HIGH FROM THE TABLE RETREATING VERY HIGH WHEN OPONENT ATACKING HE ALWAYS THINKING IN HIS BRAIN WHICH SHOT TO MAKE TO GET HIM IN MAT POSITION AND TO GAIN THE POINT BRUTALLY SHOOTING THE BALL IN POSITION WHERE IS NO DEFENSE FOR THE OPONENT.EXTREMELY QUALITY PLAYER AND VERY VERY FUCKED UP MATE TO PLAY WITH-ALTHOUGH HE RETIRED HIS MATCHES WILL ALWAYS STAY REMEMBERED AS THE ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD.TOTALY INCREDIBLE AND LINING UP WITH TOTALY INSANITY IN POSITIVE HIS KNOWLEDGE FOR THE TABLE ENNIS AND HIS NATURAL BRAIN INTELIGENCE USING RIGHT IN THE TABLE TENNIS.
I never knew captain america is really good at table tennis
1:40 I know that one from a waldner match back in 2000 ;)
th-cam.com/video/BK9E6UoAotI/w-d-xo.html 2:20
@ 2:01; The player looked at him like dude WTF!!!?
Clever.
my style is similar to this guy :O
I have so much respect for Chen weixing that he clapped for.werner
Bravo😊😊
wtf... it is nasty play i've ever seen
Wasn't Timo Boll the last World Champion from Europe?
Nope. Timo Boll has won the World Cup, which is not the same competition as the WTTC (World Championship).
What a compliment. I dont know why its so funny to call him "very smart player" when every other video is named God of table tenis and so on ahahahaha
ik moet nog veel leren
in the Jan Ove Waldner school
Woooow 😍
Is that Bill Nye the science guy??
AHAHAHAH
MA Long Schlager
From aaustria
Вот это скил у чувака
Geil Schlager
very clever!
2:35 what the heck could he possibly be complaining about? Greased rackets?
he asked if the ball touched Schlager's bat.
the next Jan Ove Waldner?
I guess he is to old now. But in veteran league, yes. :-)
@@rainydayinapril oh yeah? ah I forgot the timeline sorry2 xD
In most of the games he's been hammered lol
Вот это уровень!
Jan Weldner legacy
The secont opponent thinks all the time: 'wei'?
Werner Schlager ist echt klasse, jetzt habe ich zum ersten Mal in einem Wettkampf gesehen, daß ein Spieler am Netz vorbei spielt. Es zählt. Wenn Ihr einen Schläger sucht, der Euch begeistert dann schaut einfach einmal hier vorbei: tischtennisschläger-test.de
Andreas Weise л
He embarrassed the guy at 2:00 to 3:00
профессор!
Красава!
Красавчик
Виртуоз
wen was das ?
In the end?...No handshake?...
Werner is the 1st in the world
MA LONG
aaaaah i defeated you friendly whole year long now you realize
I grew watchin W. Schlager and I am a great fan...but this video is over-speed edited :(
michelle gerwich
so weird
😮
Lol at ur title
שחקן אמן.
he perhaps is the least-skill-normalized Champion in 20 years, but it worked at the time.
Comparable to JO Waldner
That's what I meant -- comparable to Waldner's placement of the ball. Thanks for your comment.
That's what I thought also, reminds me of Waldner in that he has great touch and uses ball placement very effectively. Like some chinese coach said about Waldner's style: "His returns are uncomfortable".
Гений
*Then why doesn’t he win the Match?*