Follows a technical model – we usually judge how good/skilful a performance is by comparing it to model of how the perfect skill should be performed.
My Characteristics of skill
Efficient – from studying the video of me playing it shows that I am extremely efficient as my forehand and backhand shots were well co-ordinated, as and appeared effortless and natural because they were very consistent.
Fluent – from studying the video of me playing it shows that I am fluent in my game. I know this because watching me play, shows that all my shot is well timed and precise and I automatically go for the weak spot of the opponent. This shows I am in control of the game and not jerky.
Aesthetic – from studying the video of me playing it shows that I am very aesthetic because watching me play is pleasing to the eye and I look very competent and into the game.
Learned - from studying the video of me playing it shows that I have practised table tennis for a long period of time, this is because I can perform different types of skills consistently, shot after shot.
Goal directed – from studying the video of me playing it shows that I am clearly playing to win and that I have a goal of getting somewhere in that sport. This is through how much effort I put into every shot and the disappointment when a shot goes wrong or a stupid mistake.
Follows a technical model – from studying the video of me playing it shows that I follow a role model. This is true; I follow the role model of my uncle (Barry Bonner, Auckland NZ singles men’s champion) as the video is my vs. my uncle is it clear that I have the same technique on my shot.
Reaction Time will play a bit part in my game, as you have to be active to what the player is doing, whether it is a drop shot, spin, server and smash.
Strategies/tactics
The Aspects of this performance is good posture, which consists of legs being should width apart(flexion of the hip), left arm in front of the body for balance (flexion of the elbow joint), eyes on the ball, the trunk of you body twisted around to gain spin and power (lateral flexion and rotation of spine), finally right arm lower than the left and as you go to come up and hit through the ball with your body twisting back to face the table (extension of elbow joint), and your hand moving upwards and then moves across your body (extension of wrist joint) as a recovery move and finally the follow through where your right arm goes to the other side of your body.
How to return difficult spin serves in one easy lesson
There is one prerequisite to the lesson. The chances of your mastering the art of returning spin serves are minimal if you have not learned to use spin in your own shots. And you’ll find things easier still if you have experimented with some spin serves of your own.
That much understood, you’ve only got two things to learn: how to read the spin: and how to compensate for it.
Reading the spin
The ball does not spin by itself. It’s not spinning when it’s thrown up, and the direction in which its spinning can’t change after the ball leaves the bat. So to establish the direction of the spin, simply watch the bat as it makes contact with the ball. The direction in which the bat is moving at that moment is the direction in which the ball will be spinning.
Don’t be fooled by the bat being waved in other directions before and after contact - you’re concerned only with the moment when the bat strikes the ball. And you have the opportunity to verify your judgment by watching the way the ball bounces when it hits the table.
Establishing the speed at which the ball is spinning is somewhat more complex. Factors include:
- How high the ball is thrown (a high ball will be traveling faster when it finishes dropping so a faster spin will be imparted by the bat stroke).
- Bat speed across the ball, readable not only by physically watching it but also by observing the follow-through.
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The point of contact on the bat (the ball which hits the bat near the edge closest to the table will receive more backspin because it has more bat-face to roll over; and the ball that hits the bat near the edge furthest from the handle will spin faster if a pivotal wrist action is used, because that end of the bat moves faster than any other part).
- How firmly the bat actually makes contact with the ball (among the most difficult to read, but verifiable by the bounce on the table).
- The length of the serve (a ball landing deep on your half of the table is likely to be spinning faster than one which falls shorter, except in the case of backspin).
Having sorted out what’s coming towards you, all that remains is to safely return the serve.
Compensating for the spin
You do this by simply holding your bat at the "wrong" angle. A conscious effort and a good measure of confidence are required because your internal instinct will be screaming at you to hold your bat in its normal position. As a rule of thumb, angle your bat in the direction from which the server’s bat started its movement across the ball. If your opponent’s bat swings from left to right (as seen from your end of the table)’ angle the face of your bat to the left. If the bat begins above the ball and finishes below it, angle your bat in an upward direction. How far to angle it, and how firmly to stroke the ball depend on the speed you have assessed the ball to be spinning at. But to control any spinning serve, the ball must be stroked. Prodding or blocking belong in the hit and miss department.
Some people work on the premise that even if you’re not sure exactly what spin is on the ball, you can return it by giving a firm push behind and under the ball. Although this can be useful as a last resort, it is less than satisfactory in that you can easily push the ball too high; and you are also taking most of the spin out of the ball. By accurately reading the spin and compensating for it, you are not only thumbing your nose at your opponent’s brilliant serve by decisively returning it but you have also kept the original spin on the ball. Now your opponent has to cope with it.
Fitness
The components of physical fitness
Agility – is the ability it change direction quickly and accurately, combining speed, balance, power and co-ordination.
Balance – is the ability to maintain equilibrium. There are 2 types of balance, static and dynamic.
Body Composition – There are 3 types of body composition, Endomorph, Mesomorph and Ectomorph. Identifying body type is called Somatotyping. Somatotyping describes lean body mass (LBM) and total body fat (TBF) which dictates body shape. It measures how round, how muscular and how tall you are, in that order. Each is measured on a scale of 1 to 7.
Cardio-vascular endurance – is the ability to exercise the whole body for prolonged periods. This involved the cardio (heart) and (vascular blood vessels) system.
Co-ordination – is a combination of different skills and senses.
Flexibility – is the range of limb movement around the joints.
Muscular endurance – is the ability of a muscle to repeat a movement for a prolonged period.
Power – muscular power, or explosive strength, is the combination of strength and speed of movement.
Reaction Time – is the time it takes to react to a stimulus, for example, a starting pistol or light.
Speed – is your ability to move as fast as possible.
Strength – involves applying a force to overcome a resistance. There are static, dynamic and explosive strengths.
However, for table tennis I will concentrate my focus on mainly agility but also the attention on these three factors of fitness, they are:
- Coordination
- Agility
- Muscular power
The way in which I will test these factors of fitness is by using one test for each factor from book 'The World of Sport Examined'. Then I will use the scores provided and put it in a result table. I will do this at the beginning of the six-weeks, and at the midpoint of three weeks and at the end of the six-weeks so that I can see if that is any progression made.
- Coordination - The way in which I will test my coordination is by using the 'alternate hand wall toss test.' In this test, I stand two metres away from a smooth wall. We throw a tennis ball with our right hand against the wall and catch it in your left hand and vice visa. This is prepared quickly for 30 seconds. The number of catches is recorded after 30 seconds.
- Agility - The way in which I will test my agility is by using the 'Illinois agility run'. We lie face down on the floor at the starting line. When told to start we leap to our feet and complete the course in the shortest time.
- Muscular power - To test my Muscular power I would use 'Standing vertical jump test.' We stand next the wall and reach up with our arm nearest to the wall. The highest point we can reach is marked, however, both feet must remain on the floor at this stage. Then we jump and reach as high as we can. When mark we compare the difference between the two distances.
