ADDING PRESSURE

By Wei Wang

            The World Champions have nothing to fear, it would seem. Again, the Chinese Team asserted its dominance over the table tennis world with a sweep at the team event in Bremen, the men winning every match of every team tie - except one. So, if you have the luxury of being able to choose any of your five players to put on the #1 spot in a team match, who could you possibly be worried about, who's that thorn in your side that contaminated what would have been a pristine winning record? Timo Boll, World #2, that's who. The German lefty has long been considered the greatest threat to Chinese players, and in the semi final, playing with the home field advantage of a very vocal and enthusiastic crowd, he provided China with some of their few tense moments by winning the opening match against Ma Lin and later pushing Wang Liqin into a 5 th game.

            What makes Boll so dangerous is the fact that his game is an almost perfect antidote to the modern game strategy. Among the most dangerous shots in the top-level game is an attack shot off a serve. If a serve comes out less than perfect, it can open the door to a sharp attack shot, and even good serves can be attacked, albeit less violently. Boll plays into that by sometimes serving in just such a way as to allow a moderate attack and then counter looping it from very close to the table. That shot is so quick and usually so well placed that it often ends the rally. On his receive, he loops a relatively slow, but spinny ball from either forehand or backhand, steps back and prepares for a counter looping rally. Only extreme dynamics and tremendous power can rattle Boll when he's at mid-distance. Most often, though, he finds an opening for a misdirected, well-placed counter shot that breaks the opponent's rhythm or leaves him out of position and scores Boll a point.

            In order to be able to generate that quick counter loop, Boll only rarely blocks passively. Every shot is a loop - form a short mini stroke over the table to a full arm rip from farther back. In this sequence, he is "blocking", while his partner is doing a forehand looping drill. Yet, instead of holding the racket firmly and guiding the ball back, Timo adds top spin with every stoke. Even when a massive bomb comes toward him, he still takes the time to do a back swing and brush over the ball.

            The contact timing is pretty much the same as for a block. His basic hand position helps: The racket favors the backhand by being turned backhand side down most of the time (1). For forehands, he can quickly turn it around, but all he needs to do for the backhand is pull his racket toward his body (2-5). Notice how the racket is almost horizontal. He keeps his hand high in front of him throughout the preparation, but the back swing itself is very quick. The ball has already crossed the net when he pulls his wrist back, and by the time it has bounced on the table the racket already points almost backward (3-5).   He leads his stroke with the elbow (5) and with a quick motion "throws" the racket over the ball and adds his power to the force the other player already put on the ball. The follow through is relatively short (6-8). Another subtle, but important factor is his body control. First, his wide stance serves as a solid base. He can bend his legs, and make minute adjustments without having to move a foot, just by leaning a little one way or the other. More and more, we move away from the concept, that each individual stroke must have its own distinct set-up. If a ball is within the area we can cover by making a slight upper body adjustment, we should do that and reap the benefit of gained time and control. Each one of us has our individual level of flexibility, but with a wide stance like Boll's, he can reach balls in a two-foot wide range without having to re-set his feet. He achieves a stable balance by using his free arm very effectively.

            Notice how much he bends down between the relaxed position and just before contact (1 -5). In perfect synchronization, his body movement is slightly ahead of his arm motion, supporting the stroke with an upward push of his legs and a light, but well-timed rotation of his upper body to the right (6-8). After follow through, he keeps his arm high and is ready for any eventuality.

            The resulting ball skips off the table toward the opponent and demands a similarly quick stroke from him, the quality of which determines whether Boll responds with a full attack loop or another controlled shot to set up a later put-away.

            In order to use this counter loop instead of blocking in your game, it has to become second nature. As soon as the ball comes, the racket must be horizontal and the hand ready to swing back. To achieve that, this stroke must become an integral part of your practice. In each practice rally, block a few balls conventionally and then start using this motion. Soon enough, you'll get that sweet feeling of moving from a defensive posture to regain control over a point by having applied more pressure than your opponent expected. Set up for your put-away!