The evolution of the straight shot and the contribution of the three masters
As China's national sport, table tennis has a wide influence in the world. The straight slap style has always been the fist and pride of the Chinese table tennis team. From the traditional forehand fast attack, backhand push and block combined with curve ball, to the emergence of the straight shot and horizontal hitting technology later, and then to the guidance of the straight shot style in the new era, the straight shot play has undergone a long evolutionary process. In this process, three masters of straight slap play, Ma Lin, Wang Hao and Xu Xin, were born, who made indelible contributions to the development of straight slap play in different periods.
Traditional straight slap play
The traditional straight shot can be traced back to the 80s of the last century, when the forehand fast attack, backhand push block and curve ball were the mainstream of straight shot play. This style of play focuses on the explosiveness of the forehand and the control of the backhand, and requires excellent wrist skills and precise ball sense. Its representative figure is Ma Lin, who is known as the "master of straight slapping style".
Marin has been trained in orthodox straight shots since he was a child, and his fast forehand is sharp and powerful, and his backhand push is easy to block. Marin is adept at controlling the ball in her rise zone with her backhand when her opponent is attacking, and then taking the opportunity to launch an explosive fast-break counterattack with her forehand. His pushing technique is the purest of straight boards, and he is able to block any spin of his opponent's ball back and create opportunities for himself to counter-attack. Ma Lin's style of play fully demonstrates the charm of the traditional straight shot style, which is very technical and requires a very high level of wrist and ball feeling.
The advent of the straight shot technique
After entering the 21st century, with the continuous development of table tennis, the technique of straight and horizontal shooting began to emerge in the Chinese team. This style of play abandons the traditional way of pushing and blocking, and instead uses a horizontal style of play on both sides. Its representative figure is Wang Hao, who is known as "the master and pioneer of straight shooting and horizontal hitting technology".
Wang Hao has completely given up the push-and-block style of play since he was a child, and fully adopted the two-sided horizontal hitting technique. The quality of his backhand is the highest in a straight board, and his excellent forehand arc makes him one of the strongest straight players. Wang Hao's style of play broke the frame of the traditional straight slap style and pushed the table tennis style to a new height. His success also proves the feasibility and superiority of the straight and horizontal hitting technique in contemporary table tennis.
The emergence of the straight and horizontal shooting technology has undoubtedly brought a huge impact to the traditional straight shooting method. This style of play abandons the high demands on wrist technique in favor of a more emphasis on strength and endurance. It's more attack-oriented, the style of play is simpler and more straightforward, and it's easier for young players to master. The advent of the straight and horizontal shooting technology has broadened the development path of the straight shooting method.
The leader of the new era of straight slapping style
After entering the new century, the Chinese team has given birth to a leader in the new era of direct shooting - Xu Xin. Xu Xin has absorbed the advantages of his predecessors, is good at holding in the middle and far platform arcs, and his backhand horizontal hitting skills are also very good. He has integrated the traditional straight slap technique and the straight and horizontal slap technique to form his own straight slap style in the new era.
Xu Xin's style of play focuses on the arc of the middle and far platforms, and he is able to control the ball in his own rising zone under the opponent's attack, and then launch a counterattack. Unlike Ma Lin, Xu Xin uses more horizontal strikes than pushes in the backhand position. His backhand is excellent and he is able to block any spin of his opponent's ball sideways and create a counter-attack for himself. Xu Xin's forehand arc is also very good, causing a lot of pressure on the opponent.
Xu Xin's success proves that the new era of straight shooting is a perfect combination of traditional straight shooting and straight horizontal shooting technology. It absorbs the advantages of both while avoiding the drawbacks of both. This style of play takes into account both skill and strength, and the requirements for the players are comprehensive. At present, Xu Xin has become the world ranking and the active direct shooting player who has won the most world championships, and it can be said that he is a representative of the straight shooting style in the new era.
The replicability and generalizability of the three playing styles
Through the comparison of the three straight shooting masters, we can see that there are obvious differences in the replicability and generalizability of the three straight shooting methods.
Marin's traditional straight slap style requires a high level of wrist technique and ball sense, and requires long-term professional training to master. The replicability and generalizability of this style of play are relatively low, and only a few talented players can fully master it. This style of play is very skillful and very beneficial for improving the player's ball sense and wrist technique.
Wang Hao's straight and horizontal shooting technique is more simple and direct, and it is easier for young players to master. This style of play abandons the high requirements of wrist technique and instead focuses more on strength and endurance, so it is highly reproducible and generalizable. Many young players are emulating Wang Hao's style of play, and this trend will continue.
As for Xu Xin's new era straight shooting style, it takes into account both skill and strength, and the requirements for players are comprehensive. The reproducibility of this style of play is relatively low, and only players with outstanding overall qualities can fully master it. Because it absorbs the advantages of traditional straight shooting and straight shooting technology, there is still some room for promotion in the future.
Each of the three types of straight slap play has its own characteristics and represents different stages in the development of straight slap play. Their emergence conforms to the needs of the development of table tennis and jointly promotes the progress of straight racket play. Although there are differences in replicability and promotion, they have all made important contributions to the glory of the Chinese table tennis team.