Ebrima's Online Journal

In high jump the most crucial time in the athletes jump is the take off if this part fails the whole jump is a failure so for a high jumper practice in this area is crucial. While closing into the bar the jumper must find their place of take off this should be closer to the front stand but not further than the middle of the bar, this is so the jumper has length to travel the bar and still land on the mat. Depending on the athletes chosen leg decides what side the athlete comes in towards the mat from normally an athlete coming in from the right will be using their right leg for propulsion over the bar and vice versa. During take off the athlete should not only use their legs but also their arms to add momentum not only to give them lift but also to help them turn 90 degrees so that their back is facing the bar initiating the Fosbury flop.

There are 4 basic components of the approach:

1. Take-off point
2. Take-off angle
3. Number of Steps on the Curve
4. Stride Length

(the take-off point)  –  this is the point at which you plant your foot and take off from the ground normally towards the start of the bar from your angle of approach however depending on skill level this may vary.

(take-off angle)  –  a high jumpers take of angle should ideally be around 15 to 30 degrees to achieve optimum height and force the body over the bar and therefore successfully making the jump.

(number of steps on the curve)  –  the number of steps on the curve of the run up due to high jump becoming more popular more money has been given to scientists to discover how to up athletes ability due to this they have come to the conclusion that a jumper should ideally use 5 steps on the start up of their run and a further 4 on the inside of the curve.

(stride length)  – stride length is important in a high jump run up. the first 5 strides should be large and almost exaggerated then as you close in to the the high jump bar should become smaller and faster. this is to build up as much momentum as possible.

due to table tennis become a more advanced sport the number of ways to hit the ball from on side of the table to the other is increasing one of the moves developed and mastered by the top players is the back spin shot.

As with any shot in table tennis it comes with a degree of skill to perform however this shot is different as it is able to be played defensively and offensively.

Due to all this it means that a player that can master this shot will have a large skill advantage over his opponent landing him with shots that retreat back to the sender upon delivery.

to perform the backspin shot the player must hit the ball on the underside of the ball bringing the bat back towards you after coming into contact with it this makes the ball spin back towards the player and causes the back spin effect.

In table tennis there are many types of shots that players can use to return the ball I am going to talk about two of them. topspin forehand and topspin backhand both cause the ball to be returned fast and attacking.

As with the drive shot topspin shots can often overwhelm new players to the game as the ball moves unpredictably and must be countered as a basic shot will leave the ball with a large amount of spin and may go anywhere but the place it is aimed.

Due to all this it means that the topspin shot is a lethal shot and once mastered will up a players game to another level giving them the ability to overwhelm their opponents with fast and hard attacking game play.

A tip would be to combine your normal drive shots with a bit of topspin to do this slant your bat and aim to hit the ball on the top this motion gives the ball topspin and forces the ball to dip just over the net but the spin will quickly fire the ball towards your opponent a risky shot for a beginner but for someone who has mastered it a very valuable skill to use during a game of table tennis.

THE DRIVE SHOT

during our training sessions we were faced with challenges to learn how to do certain skills and techniques one of these is the FOREHAND DRIVE (as seen in the attached picture). To learn how to do this move we practiced playing the forehand drive onto green mats over the net.

The forehand drive is the first of the basic strokes. Once mastered, it should become one of your most used table tennis shots. The forehand drive forms the basis for more advanced strokes such as the block, the topspin loop and the counter topspin, so it’s really important to develop a strong and consistent stroke.

The forehand drive is played against long or medium length topspin or float balls. You can’t play a forehand drive off a short ball (that would be a flick) and you can’t play a forehand drive off a backspin ball (that would go into the net).

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-block-in-table-tennis

This is your blog. You will use this space to write all about your participation, knowledge and understanding of 2 individual sports.

You must first write about the six Table Tennis sessions we have taken part in. You must write about what you did and what you learned. Which skills, techniques and tactics did you find out about? You must write about all the skills, techniques and tactics that you feel are covered in the game of Table Tennis. If you DESCRIBE them you’ll Pass. If you EXPLAIN them you’ll get a Merit. If you EVALUATE them then you’ll get a Distinction!

GOOD LUCK. I look forward to reading your blogs!!