Shadow Strokes
Article and Video
By Samson Dubina
www.SamsonDubina.com
Your imagination is your most powerful tool.
Are you using it?
Many club level players dream of becoming a world class players with awesome balance, positioning, timing, perfect strokes, ideal placement, and deceptive variations. However, when I ask them to do shadow strokes, they have no idea. I have sad sad news… If you can’t do it without the ball, you most certainly can’t do it with the ball!
This year, do you want to improve you level? Great! Then do 1 thing for yourself. Watch some world class players during training and see if you can copy them. As you are watching them, here are some questions that I want you to ask…
1. How bent are their knees?
2. How much are they are their toes?
3. How much are they leaning forward?
4. Where are their eyes looking as the ball is approaching?
5. How does their footwork sync together with their strokes?
6. How fast is their backswing?
7. Where is the timing at contact?
8. How much acceleration do they use?
9. Which main muscle groups are they using?
10. How long is their follow through?
11. How is the recovery for the next shot?
12. How different is their swing going crosscourt vs down-the-line?
13. How do each of their shots link together with the following ball?
Everyone wants to play well in matches, I get it. But if you can’t do it right without the ball, you most certainly will not do it right with the ball. So study the strokes of other players. Do shadow stokes in front of the mirror. Watch each aspect of your swing. Record yourself and send the video to a professional coach to get his advice. Next try it with the ball. What elements carry over and what elements change. Also, remember, the most strokes in the world are adjustable strokes. If you want to have a stroke that is useful in a match, make sure that it is adjustable to various speeds, heights, depths, and spins.
To enhance your shadow stroke experience, check out TT-Flex™ and TT-Flex™Pro: https://www.samsondubina.com/products
Also check out this DVD on Shadow Strokes:
https://dynamictabletennis.com/product/loop-fundamentals-shadow-training...
For More FREE Coaching Articles and Videos, check out my website:
www.SamsonDubina.com
Also, I would like to send out a huge THANK YOU to Matthew Chamblee for helping me with this video. He is one of my fastest improving students… new to the sport and just moved up from 700 to 1100. I think he will be excelling far beyond 1100 in the very near future! Keep up the good work Matthew!