If you are experiencing problems getting "good" returns or hitting multi-hit rallys from your Wally Rebounder then this section should help you diagnose the problem and start making progress.
Expectations - It
often takes people a few sessions to develop a good and smooth forehand
drives and good and smooth forehand topspin shots so please do not be discouraged if you are having trouble at first.
The Wally Rebounder is a great training tool because it gives you
immediate feedback and forces you to have good form. Focus on making one or two really good hits at first over the number of times in a row you can hit the ball. Focusing on good form in practice will result in consistency and will improve your overall game.
Paddle Issues - The
rubber on your paddle needs to have decent grip on it to generate
topspin. You can test this easily by dragging a ball across the surface
and seeing that it has some grip. Do the same thing across the surface
of the wally rebounder as a reference since the rubber we use has very
good grip. If your paddle's rubber is slippery compared to the
rebounder it is probably time to replace it or upgrade your paddle.
Setup Related Issues - First, let's make sure your Wally is set up properly. Sometimes the angle of the board is tilted down too far for
that player’s stroke. Advanced players with very strong topspin and/or
strong strokes require more tilt. Beginner or Intermediate strokes
often need very little board tilt at all
Our advice is to:
1.
Place the tripods very close to the back of the table.
2. Start with the board almost straight up and down with very little to no tilt toward the table.
3.
If you get to the point where the rebounded balls are flying off your
side of the table then it is usually a good sign that you are ready to add more tilt to
your board.
Stroke related issues - Once
you have the board adjusted, if you are still finding that the balls
are still going into the net, then it usually means that you are not
generating much or any topspin in your current stroke. This is actually
one of the areas where the Wally Rebounder can very much improve your
table tennis stroke, but it takes a little work and some patience as you
learn.
Our advice is to watch some online training videos on forehand drive and forehand topspin.
Watch
this video from Ping Skills on the basic topspin vs. block stroke. We
find that the Wally Rebounder responds very much like the blocking
partner in this video. It doesn't take a lot of topspin, or a
particularly heavy hit, but we believe you will see a difference pretty
quickly in the speed and trajectory of the rebounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpVAPPzj3ZI
First ball related issues - The first hit is normally the most challenging for new
customers so we usually encourage them to focus on a good first hit before we
have them worry too much about how many balls in a row they can hit.
Don't worry, things tend to progress very quickly once you can get a
consistent first hit with a little topspin on the ball. It helps to
have a small bucket of balls close by when starting out.
Our advice is:
1. Remove the net for now (you can add it back as soon as you get comfortable)
1. Stand on the left side of the table between the front edge of the table and the net (assuming right handed)
2. Drop the ball from moderate height to get a nice medium bounce
3.
Make a simple forward stroke with a bit of topspin. The paddle should be tilted
slightly toward the rebounder and your goal is to brush the top of the
ball driving it into the table a foot or two in front of the Wally.
4.
Work on finding the stroke position and speed that will result in having the ball land in a
nice hittable spot on your side of the table. As you improve, work your way back
toward the front of the table and start following up your shots.
We're
confident that with a few of these tips and a little work on your
forehand drive and forehand topspin strokes that you will start seeing good progress after
only a few sessions. We have seen many people significantly improve their game using
their Wally, tool so we want you to have a successful experience and we are
happy to help! Please send us a note if you have additional questions..