Jang Woojin

Career

Over the years, Jang Woojin has played in many world-class tournaments and competitions. During his time on the international circuit, he has also played against many table tennis champions. Some of his most notable opponents include Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Zhang Jike.

Jang Woojin vs. Dimitrij Ovtcharov

Jang Woojin played against Dimitrij Ovtcharov during Japan’s opening in 2019. They played against each other in the quarterfinals, where Woojin came out on top beating Ovtcharov 4-0. Prior to this tournament, they also competed against each other in the team division at World Team Table Tennis Championships. Dimitrij Ovtcharov is a Ukrainian-born German table tennis player who has had a lot of success on the international circuit. Over the course of his career, he has played for both German and Russian clubs. He started playing at a small German club called TSV Schwalbe. It was in that club that he first entered the international competition.

After several years of switching between different German clubs, and even one team in Belgium, he chose to move to a team in Russia, where he competed for ten years. After ten years in Russia, Dimitrij decided to move himself and his family back to Germany, where he once again joined a German table tennis club. He made this decision in light of Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine, the player’s country of birth. Just like Woojin, Ovtcharov is known for competing with a shakehand grip. However, he is most famous for his use of the tomahawk serve. This serve allows the player to spin the ball from the very first serve, making it more difficult for the opponent to land an effective stroke.

To make this serve, Dimitrij uses a blade that he developed with the help of Butterfly, this blade is called the Butterfly Ovtcharov Innerforce ALC. This blade was specifically designed to help the user achieve maximum power. His favorite rubbers are also made by Butterfly and are the Dignics 09C. These are designed to provide the user with topspin, something that is very important in Ovtcharov’s playing style.

Zhang JK vs. Jang Woojin

Another one of Jang Woojin’s notable opponents is Zhang Jike. This famous Chinese table tennis player is an Olympic gold medalist, winning the individual gold in 2012. He has also won individual silver and two gold medals in the team event. He has also won the ITTF World Singles Tour three separate times. Zhang was born in the Shandong province of China in 1988. Under the training of his father, he began to play table tennis at age 5. After several years of training, he made his international debut in 2002 at age 14. The pair played against one another in the Suzuki 2015 ITTF Asian Championships 2015. During this match, Woojin came out on top beating Zhang 4-2.

They also played against each other in the 2016 ITTF World Tour Korea Open in the doubles division. In this competition, Zhang JK came out on top, beating Woojin’s team 3-1. Out of all the players on the Chinese team, Zhang was known for having an exceptional backhand. During his professional career, he partnered with Butterfly to develop several excellent products which he used during his matches. The best backhand rubbers that he used during his matches were the DHS Hurricane 3 blue sponge on his forehand and the Butterfly Tenergy 80 for his backhand. The Tenergy 80 is designed to help the player find the perfect balance between control and speed.

Game Style

Jang Woojin plays with a traditional shakehand grip. This is interesting because, in the table tennis world, this grip is most commonly used by European players. It is more common for Asian players, like Woojin Jang, to use a penhold grip.

Advantages

The biggest advantage of using a shakehand grip is that it allows the players to hit both backhands and forehands easily. Since the handle helps the paddle, the wrist can rotate more easily, which allows the paddle to change direction quickly. The player is also able to move more freely as they don’t have to worry about making sure that their wrist is at the correct angle to hit the ball. Instead, they are able to move and allow their wrist to adjust themselves. Since the player is moving from their wrist and forearm, they can also hit the ball with greater power. This can give them an advantage in a game like a table tennis, where your shots have to be powerful in order to achieve the speed necessary to score a point.

Disadvantages

Some of the disadvantages of playing with a shakehand grip are that it is easier for the opponent to guess where you are trying to hit the ball. Since you are moving the paddle with more of your arm, your movements are more obvious, meaning that the opponent can more easily guess the intentions of the player. The second disadvantage is that you are not able to achieve as much precision with this grip. With a shakehand grip, you are moving the paddle from the handle, which forces you to use your gross motor skills as opposed to your fine motor skills. This means that you don’t have as much control over the angles of the paddle, which can affect the trajectory of the ball.

Other Common Styles

The other most common grip in the table tennis world is known as the penholder grip. This grip is characterized by a grip similar to the one used to hold a pen or pencil, hence the name. This grip is most commonly used by Asian players, as that is where it was originally developed. It is rare to see this grip used outside of Asian countries. The benefit of using a penholder grip is that it allows you to have more control over the ball. Since your fingers are gripping the actual paddle as opposed to the handle, you are more able to create minute changes in the angle of the paddle. You can also create these changes more quickly. This makes it a popular grip amongst players that rely on a high amount of precision.

This grip also allows you to hit the ball close to the table without the risk of striking the table with your paddle. It also allows the player to have more subtlety. Since the player only moves their hand to change the angle of the paddle, it is more difficult for the opponent to guess where the player is trying to aim the ball. Although it has many benefits, the penholder style also has one major disadvantage. It is virtually impossible to hit a solid backhand stroke with this hold. Due to the way the paddle is held in hand, it is very difficult for the player to rotate their arm enough to get a good, even strike in on the ball. Some players have managed to adjust the grip to allow for a backhand. However, this is still difficult and requires many years to perfect.

Advice for Aspiring Players

Woojin’s biggest piece of advice for aspiring players is to remain dedicated and to put in effort every day. Jang Woojin began to play table tennis at age ten, but he did not become a frequent face on the international circuit until his late teen years. He had to spend years and years practicing before he saw that dedication pay off. Aspiring tennis players should remember that success does not come overnight and that one must put in all the hours of work necessary before they expect to see results.