Today, we will take notes from the 2003 Singles World Championship match between Austria’s Werner Schlager and Korea’s Joo Se Hyuk. This match featured the best of both worlds- a great defense versus a great offense.

The key reason for this inclusion of this video is to highlight some of the ways the two worlds (offense and defense) can work for anyone.

At 0:38 (-6:11), you’ll notice that Werner Schlager holds his racket between the thumb and index finger when serving.

This sort of serve makes it extremely difficult to read the spin placed on the ball. However, once the ball makes contact with the racket, Schlager switches to the shakehands grip to rally.

Meanwhile Joo Se Hyuk has no choice but to push the ball. This stroke is perfect for returning serves, especially when you either don’t know what spin is on the ball or the ball is placed short on the table.

After the return off the serve, Joo backpedals to get into his normal playing position.

Throughout the match, you’ll see that Werner is looping at a furious pace. At the same time, Joo is playing defense but will occasionally turn towards an attacking mode when the opportunity arose.

What’s interesting about Joo’s approach to the match is his willingness to attack unexpectantly.

This video also highlights the ways ball placement can benefit towards winning the point. You’ll see balls played to the sides as well as up the middle.

The amazing thing about this match is the minor adjustments both players had to make during each rally.

There’s even a point in this match when Schlager delivers a killer loop that swings his body violently away from the table. However, he was able to quickly maneuver his way back to the table and return the shot Joo delivered his way.

Personally, I don’t think my knees would be able to move as quickly as my mind would want to, but don’t tell nobody…lol.

In all it’s a great video to watch and learn from. Whether you play offense or defense, you will appreciate the talent these two men displayed during this match.

Let me know what you think about the video by leaving your comments below!

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