In all seriousness, multiball can be one of the toughest tests of your physical and mental resources. An intense multiball session can leave you collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath and covered in sweat. But there is much more to multiball than just performing a routine until you are exhausted.
In this article I'll introduce the whole multiball experience, and I hope to convince you that multiball deserves a place in your table tennis training regime.
What is Multiball?
Simply put, multiball is the training technique that has one player or coach (the feeder) use a number of balls to set up a training drill for the player who is doing the practicing (the trainee). Instead of using one ball and performing the drill as part of a rally, the feeder uses a separate ball for each stroke in the drill, hence the name multiball.Performing Multiball
Typically, the feeder will stand on one side of the table near the net, with a box full of table tennis balls set up on a stand or chair next to him, positioned so that the feeder can reach down and grab one or more balls at a time without having to waste time searching for balls. Some feeders pick up one ball at a time, while others pick up two or three, using only one at a time, and holding the others in their free hand ready to go.Once the feeder has picked up a ball, he then hits the ball over the net, giving the ball the appropriate spin, speed and placement for the drill being performed. Some feeders will hit the ball directly from their hand, while others prefer to drop the ball on the table, and hit the ball as it bounces up again.
The feeder watches the trainee perform his stroke, and lets the trainee's shot go past him without attempting to hit the ball. The feeder then hits a new ball to another location, and the trainee moves into position and hits the new ball, and so on. Since the drill does not stop if either the trainee or feeder misses a stroke, this can be a very time efficient way to train.
Sometimes a third player is used to pick up the balls that have been hit past the feeder and put them back in the box, allowing the drill to continue indefinitely. The use of robot netting to feed the balls back into a bucket can also allow the feeder's box of balls to be refilled in mere seconds, while also preventing multiple balls from bouncing and rolling all over the court. When a third player is involved, one player will train while the other picks up the balls, and then when the trainee needs a rest, the two players will swap positions.
Multiball Variations
Most players think of multiball almost as a torture technique, where the trainee is reduced to a small puddle of sweat as the feeder keeps him constantly moving all over the table chasing the ball and gasping for breath. And while using multiball to build fitness is one aspect of the technique, there are several other ways to use multiball that don't violate the Geneva Convention!- Technique Practice - multiball allows the feeder to repeat a stroke to the trainee with a high degree of consistency, if desired. This allows the trainee to repeat a stroke a large number of times in a short period, while the feeder can evaluate and correct the trainee's technique during the drill.
- Footwork Practice - since the feeder controls the speed at which the drill is performed, it is easy to slow down the drill to allow the trainee to perfect a particular technique. For instance, if a trainee is having trouble pivoting around his backhand to play a forehand, the feeder can slow down the rate at which he feeds the ball to allow the trainee to use correct footwork. Once the correct footwork is performed automatically, the speed of the drill can be increased to put the trainee under more pressure.
- Decision Making - the feeder is able to perform almost any stroke with very little preparation, and from very close to the net. This means that it is possible to put the trainee under a lot of pressure by hitting to different locations with varying spins. The trainee must decide very quickly what spin, speed and placement the feeder is using, and then move into position to make the correct stroke. The amount of pressure can be lessened by reducing the number of variables (such as always using heavy backspin, or placing the ball deep), and increased by varying more factors, or increasing the rate at which the balls are fed.
- Fitness - as mentioned earlier, if the feeder makes the trainee move quickly to get to each ball, then it does not take very long before the trainee's fitness will be severely tested. The longer the trainee can move and hit the ball with good form, the better his chances when he comes to play a long match, or several matches in the one day. It also prevents the trainee from stealing a rest by hitting a winner or making a mistake on purpose!
- Psychological - some players do not like to push themselves too hard in training or matches, fearing or disliking the physical discomfort. Multiball training can be used to accustom the player to the sensation of playing when fatigued. Also, it is very common for players to develop the habit of hitting a stroke that they feel should be a winner, then failing to recover and get ready for the next stroke. Multiball can be used to remove this habit, since it does not matter how good a stroke the trainee makes, he must still get ready for the next ball.
- Overcome Limitations - sometimes a particular drill is beyond the abilities of the feeder or trainee to perform it in a rally style. Some drills require a high level of skill before they can be performed successfully, since the rally must be kept going, which means that every stroke must be successful. In multiball, trainees and feeders can successfully perform advanced drills, since a mistake on one particular ball does not mean that the drill is halted.
