[What Is a Relaxed Swing?] Seiya Kishikawa: “Using the Opponent’s Ball Power with a Relaxed Swing”

●Published in the June 2026 issue of O-KOKU (TT OKOKU) / What Is a “Relaxed Swing” Asked of Players and Coaches?

Seiya Kishikawa [Former World Medalist / Head Coach of the Japan Men’s Team]

What are the secrets behind the “relaxed swing” as told by Seiya Kishikawa, who excelled at delicate short-table play and both-hand offense and defense through soft ball touch?

How well you can touch the Ball while staying relaxed decides victory or defeat

When I was a player and still young, I did not really focus that much on “relaxation.” But as I got older, I came to understand how important it is to use the Opponent’s Ball power, and that if you are tense before Impact, you cannot produce a good Ball.

The master Waldner (Sweden) did not so much strike through with pure power as use the Opponent’s Spin and Speed to target exquisite Placement at an early hitting point.

Among the players I faced, Boll (Germany) also used a style in which he stayed relaxed and only put real force in at the moment of Impact. He is a Player who is extremely good at making the Ball “his own” at the instant of contact.

In Japan, Hayata was also of that type. Rather than starting with a tense Swing, I feel that the kind of Player who can begin their Swing from a relaxed state is the one who is good at using the Opponent’s power.