3 Basic Principles of Table Tennis Strokes

3 Basic Principals of All Table Tennis Strokes
This article is unique because the information it contains impacts every stroke in the game.
These concepts cut across all differences in grips, playing style, and personal technique.
Strict adherence to these principals is necessary for any individual stroke to be successful.
1. Timing—When To Touch The Ball
•There are three possible timing possibilities

–As the ball is rising
–At the top of the bounce
–As the ball is descending
STROKE TIMING
(Changes according to type of ball being struck.)
Stroke TIMING
Rising Top Falling
Counter • •
Fast Loop •
Slow Loop • •
Reloop Off Bounce •
Reloop, Mid-Range • •
Push, Normal • •
Push, Fast •
Chop •
Block Against Loop •
2. Application of Force and Friction—How to Touch the Ball
•Force contact occurs when a forward moving racket strikes the ball. An example of this
occurs when you bounce the ball straight into the air on the racket.
–You can often hear a “wood” type of sound (hard sound).
–Most of the energy goes into producing forward motion.
•Friction contact occurs when you brush the ball with the racket.
–Most of the energy goes into producing spin (ball rotation).
–Sound is muffled (soft sound).
•Most strokes are a blend of Force and Friction.
–Slow Loops, serves, and pushes are maximum friction and minimum force.
–Fast Loops are medium Force and medium Friction.
–Counters and Kill shots are maximum Force and minimum Friction.
DIRECTION OF STROKE FORCE
Type of Incoming Ball Stroke Direction
Against Topspin Down & Forward
Against Backspin Up & Forward
Against Right Sidespin To Your Left & Forward
Against Left Sidespin To Your Right & Forward
Against a High Ball Downward
Against a Low Ball Upward
3. Ball Contact—Where to Touch the Ball
•Most important of the 3 principals.

•Always contact the Front of the ball.
–Front of the ball is an area, not a specific point.
–Front of the ball is a constantly changing area, determined by the trajectory of the
ball.
–It is the part of the ball facing the direction of travel.
AREA OF CONTACT FOR VARIOUS STROKES
Stroke Contact Area On Ball
Counter Against Topspin Above Center
Kill Against Backspin Center
Slow Loop Against Backspin Center Or Below Center
Fast Loop Against Backspin Center Or Above Center
Reloop From Mid-Distance Center Or Below Center
Reloop From Close To Table Top
Push Against Backspin Below Center To Bottom
Chop Against Topspin Center Or Below Center
Definition of "Front" and "Center" of Ball
Relationship Between the “Front” of the Ball and Stroke Timing
The area of the ball facing the direction of travel defines the “Front” of the ball. The Front
does not change even if the ball is spinning. When you are aiming for a spot on the ball
you must also consider the stroke timing that you are using.
Here is an example of how the contact point on the ball will change with the timing you
use. Let’s assume that your opponent chops a ball to your forehand that you wish to loop.
According to the chart on where to contact the ball for this stroke, the contact should be
below the center of the “front” of the ball. Now look above at where that point on the ball
would be when the ball is struck at the top of the bounce. Now compare how that location
would change if you let the ball fall. You can see how your racket angle would have to
change as your timing changes.
Keeping Your Eye on the Ball - A Different Point of View
Keep Your Eyes (and Your Mind) Open
The big issue on this topic is really where the ball is in relationship to the body at contact. I
think you will agree you can't see contact on most backhands as the ball is shielded due to
the paddle position, yet backhands are probably the most consistent shots we make
because the ball is in front of us versus to our side like forehands.
Also If a player is relooping off the bounce on the forehand they are probably also
shielding the ball with their blade so again telling a person to see contact might be
impossible. Some forehand flips to the middle also shield contact.
Sean's Advice for Players

Here is what I tell my students. You should always have your eyes on the ball through out
the rally. At the same time you should be aware of where your opponent is at all times.
Track the ball with your eyes and not your neck. Make sure you have a solid backswing,
contact and follow through on all shots. Try to hit the ball in the center of the racket.
Note by Greg: Despite our minor differences of opinion about turning the neck, the advice
above is solid gold from someone who knows his stuff. Disregard it at your peril!
In relation to seeing 100% contact, I don't think it is as critical as a good follow through
since many shots are shielded and you will never fully see contact on those anyway.
I am very careful what words I use as they create a visual for the player. In essence, I
purposefully just leave it out telling players to actually see contact with both eyes.
Refocus on Your Opponent

Many players even at the higher level forget to refocus on the opponent after the shot is
complete. It seems to me the best watch the ball just as long as needed and then refocus
on the path as it is leaving their racket. This transition should be seamless and not 100%
ball then 100% opponent but 2-3 inches before contact you know you will hit the ball and
watching all the way doesn't add any value.
That should be the time to make your final decision on where you are going to hit the ball
to and double check where the opponent is in case they have moved. That is if you believe
that the top players actually can hit to multiple locations from any one shot. If you see the
image of Waldner or Smirnov on the www.donic.de website I think you will see they are not
seeing contact as the risk of losing the path of the ball. On the other hand, I think that
Baum is hitting the ball late and thus his neck and eyes are focusing more on the ball.
Maybe a better way of saying it is if you are late in your stroke you may want to track the
ball more to your paddle. If you are early (ball in front of body) it is probably impossible in
some instances to even see the contact. In the Persson photo on the Donic site you will
see his shoulders have turned which means the shot wasn't late and you can see that his
eyes are already focused on the ball in front of his body.
Use your Eyes, Not Your Neck
When I tell my students to watch the ball all the way to contact they will regularly error and
use their neck which doesn't have the strength to move at contact speed. Maybe some of
your students will just use their eyes to track the ball when you mention to watch contact,
but I know most Americans will track it with their neck and this is why I am extremely
careful not to even bring it up. We had 2 solid Olympic players on the US Team that
tracked with their neck and it really hurt them in their ball placement of their shots.
The point I am trying to make is I don't see any problem with someone not seeing actual
contact. The Pro's probably do this more often then not. There is nothing wrong with not
seeing contact when the ball is in front of as you would have to wait and hit it late to peek
over the paddle anyway. And I really get nervous when some one often hits the ball late
and then has no clue where the opponent is since they use their neck muscles to track the
ball.
I don't think we are really in much disagreement as I want the players to focus more on
their opponent at contact as they are improving as that will help them decide where to hit
their shot.
A similar situation occurs when people ask if they should use wrist on their shots. I tell
them not to think about it but to keep their wrist relaxed. This will allow for a solid wrist
snap during the stroke instead of an abbreviated stroke with too much wrist. Words do
have tremendous meaning for new players.
Beginners vs Advanced Players

One final thought. As beginners it is critical we make solid contact and focus on the ball as
long as possible. I often say beginners will keep 90% of their attention on what is
happening on their side of the net. As we improve we begin to shift that percentage to
50%-50%. At the highest level the attention is about 90% to 10% on watching what is
happening on the other side of the net as our strokes and movements are grooved and we
know what we will do thanks to countless hours of practice. I try to get players to get to the
50-50% relationship as fast as possible knowing it is a requirement to then going 90-10%.
I am guessing when I started driving a car my focus was on the steering wheel a little more
than it is now as I tend to pan further in front of me and less to the sides. I think the
analogy although a little tortured is a little like pong.
I thank you for doing an article on the topic as clearly there is more than one way to skin a
cat and top players often do watch full contact. I just think it is more due to body /ball
position than conscious thought of not wanting to miss the puck!
Table Tennis Footwork for Beginners
You put your left foot in...
Basic Ready Position From Right Side
It is often difficult for beginners to learn to use the correct footwork. At the beginning, you
can get away with poor footwork since it is not the most important part of the game. But as
you get better having good footwork becomes more and more important, until it is an
essential component of the game in advanced play.
Rather than starting out the wrong way and picking up bad habits that are hard to get rid of
later, I'll give you some simple tips that will put you on the right track for the future.
What is Good Footwork?

The point of using footwork is to get you to the ball so that you can hit the same stroke as
much as possible. Good footwork allows you to consistently use your best technique,
instead of having to stretch, be cramped, or bend from the waist.
Good footwork is not just about sheer speed. It's also about moving the right amount at the
right time. A slow player who moves correctly will have better footwork than a quick player
who goes to the wrong place, or with his feet the wrong way around.
One of the most common errors I see from beginners is what I call the 'all or nothing'
syndrome. This is the habit beginners have of not moving their feet at all if they can stretch
for the ball, even though this puts them off balance. Then, for balls that they can't reach by
stretching, they move too far, and actually get too close to the ball, cramping their stroke.
You can avoid this problem by remembering to always move to the ball, even if you only
move six inches or so. Get in the habit of moving into position, and you will soon be able to
get into the right position to hit the ball, whether it is near or far away.
When your opponent hits the ball very hard, you may find that you do not have time to
move your feet at all. When this happens, leaning a little to the left or right to reach the ball
may be necessary and unavoidable. But move whenever you can, you'll be better
balanced to hit the ball, and you'll be able to recover for the next stroke more quickly.
Footwork - the Basic Ready Position

Try to position yourself so that you are always just slightly to the left of the middle of all
possible angles your opponent can hit, assuming you are a right hander. This will give you
the best chance of being able to reach the ball no matter where he hits it. You stand a little
to the left of the middle of all angles because you can reach further to the right (on your
forehand) than on your backhand, and because your forehand is hit on the right hand side
of your body, while your backhand is hit in front of your body. See my article on base
positioning for a more in-depth explanation of this concept, along with explanatory
diagrams.
Your shoulders should be facing square to where the ball is coming from, and your feet
should be as far apart as you can comfortably put them - about one and a half times your
shoulder width is a good rule of thumb. Place your feet also facing the ball, and then move
your right foot about six inches to a foot further back than the left foot, and you will have
your basic ready position. The right foot is placed further back to allow you to transfer your
body weight slightly backwards and forwards when hitting your forehand. If you have your
feet too square you will not be able to hit with full power. Having the right foot further back
will not affect your backhand much, since there is not much weight transfer on the
backhand stroke.
Get on the balls of your feet - not your toes and not your heels. Too much on your toes and
you'll tend to overbalance forwards, and too much on your heels and you'll tend to lean
backwards too much. Make sure your knees are bent, and you should have a slight crouch
and a little amount of forward lean. Keep your feet light - some players like to bounce from
one foot to another, and others like to jump on both feet at once. Use whichever you like,
but keep moving - it's easier to get around if you are not standing still.
For balls that are table height or lower, bend your knees more to get down to the ball,
rather than bending from the waist. Using your knees allows you to hit the ball using your
normal technique, while bending from the waist changes the way you have to swing, since
your body is now leaning over. Try both ways and you will see what I mean.
Keep your crouching position as much as you can while playing - this helps keep your
center of gravity low, and will help you move around the court more smoothly. Standing up
straight will raise your center of gravity, lock your knees and impair your ability to balance
and move quickly.
Rallying Footwork
From the basic ready position described above, you will be able to cover 80-90% of the
court simply by taking a simple shuffle step to the left or right. A shuffle step to the right is
done by moving the left foot towards the right (not towards the right foot, which is further
back), and just before touching the ground, moving your right foot to the right as well. The
left foot will hit the ground first, and then the right foot, and then you will hit the ball. Try not
to hit the ball while you are still moving, since it is harder to hit a stable stroke. Both feet
should move the same distance, whether it is six inches or a foot and a half. Reverse the
process to move to the left. Whichever direction you move, your left foot should still finish
six inches to a foot in front of the right, when compared to your shoulders.
For balls that are too far to reach with one shuffle step, you can use two or more shuffle
steps, or use crossover footwork. A crossover step to the right is performed by moving
your left foot to the right past your right foot (crossing in front of the right foot), and then
moving the right foot the same distance to the right just before the left foot touches the
ground. Once both feet have settled, the ball is hit.
For the times when you want to move forwards or backwards only, use a simple shuffle
forwards or backwards, keeping your feet in the same relative position. Don't worry too
much about which foot should move first, it will happen naturally. For moving large
distances forward or backward, normal running footwork can be used to get in position.
Finish with one foot forward to allow you to push yourself back in the other direction after
playing your stroke.
When you are moving sideways and forwards or backwards, combinations of these basic
methods can be used. For example, to move a small distance to the left, and backwards a
little, the right foot should be moved diagonally backwards and to the left, and then the left
foot moved the same way, using a shuffle step. To move further, you could move the right
foot backwards and to the left, crossing behind the left foot, and then the left foot is moved
the same way just before the right foot touches the ground.
Serve and Serve Return Footwork

When you are serving, make sure that you don't end up too close to the table. Most
players serve from close to the endline, and then move a half step backwards, to give
them room to swing properly, and not get caught by deep returns.
When you are returning serve, stand a little further back than you normally like to play, and
as the server serves, move in to this position. If the ball is going to be long, you can stay at
this distance and hit the ball. If the serve is going to be short, you can simply keep moving
forward to reach the ball.
When returning short serves, step in with the left foot for balls on your backhand side, and
with your right foot for serves on your forehand side. Another technique used by the
professionals for returning short balls to the backhand is to shuffle forward with both feet,
while keeping the shoulders facing the direction the ball is coming from. Your left foot will
naturally be in front of the right foot when you use this technique.
Against very deep serves (or if you have come in a little too far) step back with the right
foot for serves on the forehand side (or shuffle both feet back if you have time), and shuffle
both feet backwards for deep balls on backhand side.
Conclusion
Footwork in table tennis is not something that most of us do correctly as a matter of
course, instead it is something that must be thought about, and then practised diligently.
Resist the temptation to do things your way, or else you will regret it later when you have
to correct your bad habits. Learn from the example of better players - footwork should be
simple, efficient and consistent. Start off on the right foot(!) and you'll always be able to put
your best foot forward.
Table Tennis Positioning - Back to Base-ics
All Your Base Are Belong to Us...
Basic Ready Position
In this article I'm going to put down some thoughts for those table tennis players out there
who have mastered the basic techniques of the sport and are looking for other areas in
which to improve their game.
In particular, I'm going to talk about the subject of base positioning in table tennis. By this I
mean the skill of positioning yourself on the court during a rally so that you can play your
best table tennis.
Why Base Positioning?

Yes, it's a bit of a strange name, I know. But I like to think of this skill as base positioning
because it reminds me of the base camps used in Arctic expeditions or mountain climbing.
A base camp is used as a safe starting point from which explorers or climbers go to more
dangerous territory. In table tennis, your base position is the place on the court that gives
you the best chance of coping with your opponent's upcoming stroke, and from which you
can move as needed to reach the ball.
Base Positioning - Basic(!) Concepts

Stay Neutral
In general, it's a good idea to adopt a ready position and stance that allows you to play
both forehand and backhand with ease. I'm not going to go into huge amounts of detail
about this in this particular article, but here's a quick summary of what to do.
For right handers, keep your feet either square to the line of play (see further below for an
explanation of line of play) or the right foot a little bit behind the left foot. Keep the feet wide
apart - typically a fair bit wider than shoulder width - check out the professionals in action
for examples of just how wide they go. You should be crouching forward a little, and your
elbows will be roughly shoulder width apart, with the tip of the bat pointing forward. I'll talk
a little more below about where exactly to point the tip of the bat.
The basic idea is that it should be easy to hit both forehand and backhand from this
position - the forehand by simply turning the shoulders to the right, and the backhand by
rotating the forearm 90 degrees towards your torso.
Base Positioning - Advanced Concepts
Your Base Position Will Change
During a rally, your base position will change a number of times. This can be due to a
number of factors, such as:
• What stroke you are about to play

• What stroke you just played
• Where you put the ball on the table
• What angle you hit the ball from
• What shot your opponent is likely to play
You might have noticed that of these factors, only one of them actually relates to your
opponent. So in fact you have a lot of control over where your base position will be. Let's
have a look at these factors one by one.
What Stroke You Are About to Play
On the forehand side, most strokes are played from pretty much the same position relative
to your body - a little to the side. But on the backhand, this can be different. Backhand
pushes and counters close to the table are usually best performed directly in front of your
torso. As you move back from the table, backhand drives, loops and chops tend to be
better if you take them a little more to the side of your body. This can and will affect where
your base position should be, in terms of sideways positioning.
What Stroke You Have Just Played
The stroke you have just made will also affect your positioning, but in a more up and back
manner. If you have just made a strong attack or tight push or chop, you are likely to get a
slower, weaker return from your opponent, so you will probably want to come closer to the
table, or hold your position. If you have made a weak shot, your opponent is likely to be
able to hit harder, and so you may wish to retreat from the table a little.
Where You Put the Ball On the Table
This can have an effect in two ways. Firstly, where you put the ball on the table will help
determine what distance away from the table your opponent hits the ball, which can then
affect whether you should be coming in close to the table or moving back.
Secondly, if you can put the ball in places that are difficult for the opponent, such as wide
angles or into his crossover point, you are more likely to get a weak return, and as such
you should be coming closer to the table or holding position, looking for another powerful
follow up attack.
What Shot Your Opponent Is Likely to Play
The stroke that your opponent is likely to play is in part influenced by his own positioning,
strengths and weaknesses, and in part by the return you have given him and your own
positioning during the rally. The best place to put yourself will change depending on how
these various factors interact.
For example, if your opponent has a strong forehand loop crosscourt, but is not so good at
hitting down the line, you could adjust for this by standing a little further to your right,
knowing that he is not as likely to hit down the line during rallies. Or if he is strong at
looping off pushes but tends to block topspin returns, you may wish to go back a little when
pushing, then come forward when you reloop his first attack. An opponent who prefers to
run around his backhand to hit off-forehands to your backhand may require you to move to
your left when he runs around his backhand to attack, but come back to the right if you can
survive his first attack and put it wide to his forehand, giving you a chance to pin him down
on his backhand side.
Another point to note is that if you can force your opponent to play a certain stroke or a
certain direction consistently, you can adjust your base position accordingly. For example,
if you have a good deep sidespin serve to your opponent's backhand that your opponent is
finding difficult to return down the line, you can stand further to your left when waiting for
his return of service. By cutting down his available options, you can get away with standing
in a position that would be suicidal if he was flipping the ball down the line easily.
Conclusion
Well, as usual, I started out to write a few thoughts and ended up with more than I had
planned. If you have anything you'd like to add regarding the concept of base positioning
(or whatever you like to call it!) feel free to drop me an email or post a comment in the
forum.
Table Tennis Base Positioning - What Angle You Have Hit the Ball From
Comfortable Angle of Play
Comfortable Angle of Play 1
Each player has a range of angles that he is most comfortable hitting within. As he faces in
different directions, this angle tends to move with the way he is facing.
The angle you have hit the ball from will affect the way that your opponent is facing. As
such, different parts of the table will be within his comfortable range of angles. The
accompanying picture shows a ball hit by you from your backhand side, to the opponent's
backhand side. Examine the comfortable range of angles that your opponent can hit from
this position (Note - the comfortable range of angles is simply the area that your opponent
will find it physically easiest to hit the ball, and thus most players are more likely to put the
ball in this range).
Comfortable Angle of Play 2
Now compare this to a ball hit to the same location, but from wide on your forehand. Notice
how your opponent's comfortable range of angles moves with his orientation. Plan your
base position according to this knowledge.
Table Tennis Base Positioning - Face the Ball, Not the Endline
Line of Play - Facing the Ball
Line of Play - Facing the Ball 1
Beginning players often make the mistake of always standing square to the endline of the
table. The only time that this is correct is when the ball is coming from the direction of the
center of the opponents table. The rest of the time, you should face in the direction that the
ball is coming from.
If you drew an imaginary line between the ball and yourself, this would represent the line of
play. You should always strive to be square-on (or almost square-on, depending on your
preferred stance) to this line.
Line of Play - Facing the Ball 2
The reasoning behind this becomes obvious when shown visually. If you always face the
endline of the table, there will be times when you will not be in the best position to hit a
forehand or backhand. By adjusting to face the ball, you should always be in the optimum
position to hit both forehand and backhand.
The Neutral Position in Table Tennis/Ping-Pong
The Neutral Position in Table Tennis
Assuming you are right handed, when you are waiting for your opponent to hit the ball, in
general your bat should actually be pointing somewhere between one foot to one and a
half feet to the right of the ball, not straight at the ball.
Why is this?
Because if you are facing the ball, your bat is actually one to one and a half feet to the right
of your body when you are standing ready and keeping yourself able to go to the forehand
or backhand equally easily. So if you point your bat directly at the ball, you will actually be
in a slightly backhand waiting position.
Pointing Your Bat at the Ball - The Problem

So what, you might say? Well, if you are pointing at the ball just like the player in the
diagram, and the opponent hits the ball at the area between your bat and your belly button
(your playing elbow, you are already in position to hit a backhand stroke - so guess which
stroke you are likely to play? That's right - a backhand.
The problem is that you should actually be hitting a forehand when the ball comes to this
area. Since your racket is pointing to the wrong location, you are more likely to play an
awkward backhand than the forehand you know you should play.
Pointing Your Bat to the Right of the Ball - The Solution
Now compare what happens when you point the tip of your bat around a foot to the right of
the actual ball location. When the ball comes to the area between your bat and your belly
button, you are in position to hit your forehand, just as you should do. Balls that are aimed
to the left or right of this area can be handled with your backhand or forehand as per
normal. Easy!
Table Tennis Base Positioning - Always Move Towards Your Best Base Position
Adjusting Your Base Position 1
As discussed previously, your best base position will be changing from stroke to stroke
during the rally. Always make it a goal to be moving towards this best location once you
have hit your stroke.
At the time you hit the ball, you should know fairly well where the ball is going to go, with
what pace and spin. You should also have a fair idea where your opponent is and what his
likely responses are. This will give you a large and fuzzy base location to begin with.
As you continue to move towards this base location, you should continue to watch your
opponent, and you will get more information about what stroke he is going to play, and
where he is likely to put the ball.
This will allow you to fine-tune your guess as to the best base location, and you should be
making small adjustments with your footwork to get there in plenty of time.

Finally, once your opponent actually hits the ball, you will be able to quickly determine the
direction, depth and power of his stroke.
This will give you a final small base location that will give you the best chance of making a
good return of your choice.
Remember, it is better to take one small step towards your best base location, than to
simply stand still after hitting your last shot. Even the smallest of steps in the right direction
will improve your chances of getting to the next stroke. So don't ever stop and wait, unless
you believe you are already in the right place!
Beginner's Guide to Returning Serve in Table Tennis
I have already talked about the importance of the service in table tennis. Now that you fully
appreciate why serving is so important, it's time to look at the flip side of the coin (or bat!),
and discuss the return of serve.
Ask any beginner who has been playing a while why he is having trouble winning games,
and a common excuse will be the difficulty of returning serve. You'll hear this put in a
variety of ways - from blaming the opponent ("I could beat so-and-so if he didn't have
those tricky serves"), to blaming the equipment ("The table/ball is bouncing funny"), but
you will rarely hear someone say that it because their own return of serve is bad! Don't fall
into this trap - if your opponent is serving legally and you are having trouble returning the
ball - it's not him, it's you!
For beginners, the return of service is very probably the most important stroke in the game.
Even at high levels the return of serve is a very important stroke, and is trained
accordingly.
As with the service, it is possible to break up this discussion of the service return into four
topics:
Table Tennis - Why is Returning Serve Important?
Since I spent quite a bit of time explaining why the serve is important, you might well be
thinking that getting the serve back must be important too. And you'd be right!
Listed below are the main reasons why the return of serve is so important in table tennis
today:
• As we discussed previously, the serve is used by smart opponents to help set up

their attacks. Good returns of serve can neutralize the server's advantage and put
the receiver into the rally on equal terms.
• Very good returns of serve can actually take the initiative from the server, and allow
the receiver to get his own attack started first, forcing the rally to develop along the
receiver's own favorite type of play.
• If you can't return serve well, you won't be able to use your rallying skills at their
best. You will always be on the defensive when you are the receiver, since the
server will be able to dominate the game with a good serve and powerful follow up
attack. Remember that you will have to return serve on 50% of all points in singles -
there's no way to avoid it!
• As one of the most difficult aspects of table tennis to master, the serve return also
has the greatest potential for improving your game. The return of serve is often the
most neglected aspect of the beginner and intermediate player's game (advanced
players have usually learnt better from bitter experience). With a little work you can
soon have a better return of serve than most of your competition (since they are
generally not practicing their return of serve at all), which is a handy edge to have.
• Having a good return of serve can increase the pressure on your opponent, since
he knows that he must serve well to prevent you from attacking him. It is very
difficult to serve well when you are tense from knowing that anything less than a
good serve will be attacked ruthlessly by your opponent!
How To Improve Your Return of Serve - Theory
Now that you can see why returning serve well is vital to playing good table tennis, let's
talk about what you need to know in order to have the best chance of having a good return
of serve.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Indefinite
Here's How:
1. Be aggressive when returning serve. Try to attack whenever you can, and if you
can't, try to return so that the server can't attack well. The mental checklist shown in
point two below gives the stroke priority in which you should be trying to return
serve. Don't think that you have to ask yourself every question in reality – there isn't
enough time. But with practice your decision making will speed up and your choices
will improve, even if you aren't consciously making these decisions.
2.
o Is the ball going to bounce off the end of the table? If YES then attack the
ball.
o Is the ball going to bounce high? If YES then attack the ball with a well
placed [/od/glossary/g/flip.htm]flick.
o Is the ball going to bounce near the net? If YES you can use a short push or
float return to make a double bounce return that is difficult to attack, or
o Does the ball have medium to heavy backspin? If YES, push the ball fast and
deep. If NO, you can push or flick the ball to make a return that is difficult to
attack well.
3. When returning serve, be aggressive in proportion to the quality of the serve. Good
serves should be handled with care, and placement used instead of power. Average
serves can be attacked with good spin and some speed. Weak serves should be
attacked strongly with power and some spin. Many beginners lose too many points
by trying to attack an average serve with too much power, and end up hitting the net
or missing the end of the table. Don't give your opponent any freebies.
4. You must be watching like a hawk at the time the server actually hits the ball.
Seeing the moment of contact is what will give you the best chance of deciphering
what spin, speed and placement is on the ball. Without seeing the contact you are
stuck with making guesses, and the chances are good that you are going to be
wrong.
5. At the time of contact, note the direction that the server's bat is moving. If it is
moving to your left, the ball will jump off your own bat towards the left side of the
table, and vice versa if his bat is moving to the right. If his bat is moving under the
ball (or down the back of the ball), there will be backspin, and if it is moving over the
ball (or up the back of the ball), there will be topspin. Remember that most serves
have a combination of sidespin and either backspin or topspin.
6. For topspin and backspin, it is easiest to return like with like. Return topspin with
topspin, and backspin with backspin. Your spin and your opponent's spin will tend to
cancel each other out, allowing easier control of the ball. Don't be afraid to try it the
other way around though for variation, since using backspin against topspin and
topspin against backspin can be very effective, although a little more difficult to do.
7. For sidespin, working with the spin is easiest. For example, if the server's bat is
moving to your right at contact, put your bat a little to the right of the ball and hit the
ball a little on its right hand side, aiming towards the left side of the table. This will
keep a lot of your opponent's sidespin on the ball, and he will have to deal with it on
his next stroke.
8. Working against the spin for sidespin serves is an advanced tactic that is
recommended for advanced players only. Although very effective it requires a lot of
control and touch to perform well.
9. It is easiest to always use a little spin at least to improve your ball control. Returning
serves using float balls requires very good timing and touch, and an exact reading
of the spin, which is difficult. Using a small amount of spin will allow you to be
slightly incorrect and still make a good stroke.
10. Most of the time it is easiest to hit the ball at the peak of its bounce. Do not be afraid
to change your timing every so often to increase the amount of variation the server
has to cope with.
11. When placing the ball, you should stick to a few simple rules. Making the server
move to hit the return is always a good idea. Placing the ball into the playing elbow
is also a very good tactic if you can hit it with a little bit of speed, but your target is
not that big, so be careful of trying this too often. If you keep making mistakes with
the placement use the wide angles more often.
12. Some beginners get carried away with flicking, and try to flick every short serve.
Don’t overdo it – serves with heavy backspin are difficult for beginners to flick well,
and a flick that is badly placed is an easy ball for a server to attack, since flicks don't
have much topspin. Again, the fast push can be used effectively to give you more
variation, and give the server a harder ball to attack due to the backspin on the ball.
13. Take note of what patterns and favorite shots your opponent uses, and try to return
so that he can't do these well or often. Instead, try to return so that you can play
your own favorite shot or patterns.
14. Remember that a smart opponent will adjust very quickly if you always use the
same return against a particular service. Use your best return the most often, but
also use different types of strokes, spin, speed and placement so that your
opponent finds it harder to get used to your returns.
How To Improve Your Return of Serve - Practical
As I explained previously, the return of serve is very important, so you might well ask why
is it so neglected? The main reason is probably because it helps to have another player to
serve to you in order for you to practice your serve return. Funnily enough, most players
aren't willing to allow you to practice returning their best serves – most unfair! So here are
some practical tips that will help you improve your return of service, both with and without
a partner.
Difficulty: Easy
Here's How:
1. Practice with a friend/training partner that wants to work on their serves and serve
returns. Have them use serves that you are having trouble with – they get to
practice their serve and you get to practice your returning. Then swap around and
do some serves for them to practice returning.
2. During a match, if a serve hits the net and comes over to your side, don't catch it.
Let it bounce and hit it back, noting the type of spin on the ball. It's like a free
preview of your opponent's serve.
3. Note that the ball generally bounces lower on service, since it is mainly contacted
fairly close to net height. Make sure that you use your knees to get down to the ball
when returning, instead of bending from the waist.
4. A good way to practice telling the difference between long balls and short balls is to
have a training partner serve the ball to you, and then play a shadow shot with your
empty hand, deliberately missing the ball. Notice how often you would have pushed
or flicked balls that were actually going off the end of the table and could be
attacked with power instead.
5. When you are not playing at a tournament, watch your opponent's serves against
other players, and try to pick what type of serve they are doing. This will help you
get familiar with a particular player's favorite serves.
6. Put in the middle of the server's side of the table table a folded towel, or even better
a piece of string with blu-tack or low-adhesive sticky tape on the corners to form a
square about 15-20 inches wide. Have your training partner serve the ball, and
when you return the service try to keep your return out of the square. You should be
able to notice that the more often you keep your return out of the square, the harder
it is for your training partner to attack strongly.
7. A robot can be handy for learning to deal with different types of spins. The nice
thing with robots is that the spin and speed can be set to the same amount over and
and over again, until you get master your return technique. A human server will
always have some variations in his serve, and may well lose patience with serving
the same serve to you over and over again! The downside with a robot is that you
do not get to practice watching the service motion.
8. If you are having problems finding a training partner willing to serve to you, why not
pay a coach or advanced player to give you some serving practice? You'll probably
get some good tips as well – well worth the money!
9. If you do training drills, start more of the drills with a proper serve and server return,
rather than the standard easy topspin serve. This can easily increase the amount of
serve return practice you get, without taking up any more time.
10. If you are having problems returning a particular serve, try to master the serve
yourself. Once you understand all about that serve, you will find it much easier to
pick when your opponent is using it on you!
11. From time to time, try using one type of return against every serve. You will make a
few mistakes, but you will also find that you will succeed in returning serves that you
would not normally have even tried to return with that type of stroke. This method is
a very good way of finding out exactly what you can and can't do with a particular
type of return – you may be better than you think!
How To Troubleshoot Your Return of Serve

Just as there are times when you will not be serving well, there will also be times when you
are having problems with returning serve. Actually, there will probably be more times when
you are struggling with your serve return, since when you are serving you have total
control of the ball, and when you are receiving serve your opponent is trying to make your
life more difficult!
Here are some ready to go tips for when you need to fix your return of serve fast.
Difficulty: Easy
Here's How:
1. When you are in doubt about the amount of spin on the ball, spin it yourself a
little more, not less. The natural reaction when you are unsure of the spin is to
gently touch the ball, attempting to caress it back. Unfortunately this does not work
well with modern rubbers and their intense reaction to spin. So when in doubt, use a
heavy spin – it will increase your chances of overpowering whatever spin your
opponent has placed on the ball. Don't hit it faster, just spin it more.
2. When you are having trouble attacking the serve, and being forced to push
when receiving, a double bounce push is the best return, provided you can keep it
low. It is also the most difficult return to make. I would recommend to keep
practicing this stroke but only start using it in games when you can do it successfully
at least 70% of the time. Until then stick to using a fast deep or fast angled push,
which is a little less effective but much easier for you to do successfully.
3. When your opponent is attacking your returns too easily. When you are
learning to return serve, the middle of the table is the safest place to aim at to allow
for errors. As your control improves, you must begin to keep away from the middle
of the table when returning serve. You want to either make your opponent move
sideways to reach the ball, or aim at his playing elbow so that he has to decide
whether to hit it with his forehand or backhand, and then has to move to play the
stroke as well.
4. If you are having trouble reading the spin, make sure you are watching closely at
the time of contact. Also try to watch your opponent serve against other players,
and try to guess what spin he is putting on the ball. With a little close observation
you'll soon start to recognize his different serves.
5. When you are having trouble with a particular serve, master the serve yourself –
not only will this give you another serve to add to your own arsenal, but it will help
you understand and return that type of serve more easily. Watch better players
return that serve - see what they do, think about why they are playing that stroke,
note how effective it is, and decide whether that type of return would suit your style
of play. If so, then try it out!
6. If you are making too many mistakes when attacking the serve, you should try
to be as aggressive as you can be while maintaining some margin for error. If you
are attacking but hitting too many serves into the net or off the end of the table,
reduce your power a little, and increase your spin. This will give you more height
over the net, and a ball that drops a little shorter on the table with good spin. When
your opponent blocks the ball back, you can hit his return with more power.
7. If you find that you are still making too many mistakes when attacking the
serve, you can try using a push or chop instead. Get the ball back into play a few
times, and make your opponent work for the point. Don't just keep hitting and
missing if you can't get the ball on - your opponent may just have too good a serve
for you to attack, and you can't afford to keep giving him freebies. Then make sure
you do some more practice against that type of serve in training later on.
Putting Your Strokes Together
Add 1 Forehand, 1 Backhand, 1 Push and 1 Smash - Mix well and serve
One of the common things I see when I watch beginners play is that they quite often look
all right when they are warming up. Their forehand counterhit and backhand counterhit
seem fairly consistent and in fairly good form. Then the match begins and everything goes
out the window once their opponent starts to move the ball around with different placement
and spins.
This can be very frustrating if you are a new player - you can play each individual shot
quite well, but you just don't know how to put them together properly so that you can play
your best. So in this article I'm going to give you some guidance on solving that jigsaw
puzzle that is your table tennis game. Your strokes are the pieces - put them together in
the right order and suddenly your whole game will come together.
Due to the improvements in technology over recent years, the amount of spin and speed
that can be put on the ball has increased markedly. The overwhelmingly dominant style in
modern table tennis is one that uses this technology for aggression, where the player
takes controlled risks and is constantly looking to force mistakes from his opponent with
his attacks. It is very rare for players to reach a high level by playing 'safe' - looking to
avoid mistakes and hoping that the opponent will miss. Better players don't make enough
mistakes for this to be a winning strategy.
At lower levels though, the story is different. Beginners and lower intermediate players do
make a lot of mistakes when attacking, and it is perfectly possible for a 'safe' player to do
very well at this level, since the odds are in his favor. Once a 'safe' player reaches the high
intermediate level of competition, he will begin to struggle, since his opponents are more
consistent in their attacking. Unless the player begins to develop other facets of his game,
he is not likely to rise above mid-intermediate level, since the odds are now stacked
against him.
The decision for a beginner about whether to play a safe style to begin with, or start out by
being aggressive, is not an easy one to make, and can affect the rest of a player's career.
I've got some advice for new players to consider before deciding on their style.
I've already talked about serving and returning serve separately, so I'll just mention some
important points relating to how these strokes fit together with the rest of the rally.
Once the serve and serve return are completed, the rally begins and the battle for control
of the point starts, with both players looking to neutralize their opponents chances of
attacking, and make the attacks themselves. Your tactics should change depending on
whether you or your opponent is in control, or the battle is even.
Finally, I have included a few general tips on rallying that apply no matter who is controlling
the point.
As a beginner, it can be frustrating at times when you are training hard and trying to be
aggressive and play a positive game, but you are losing to opponents who are playing a
safe, unaggressive style. If you are in this position, don't give up - keep at it and sooner
than you think the separate pieces of your game will come together and make a sum that
is bigger than its parts - and you will find yourself moving up the playing ranks quicker than
you thought possible.
Safety vs Aggressiveness
Should You Stay (Calm) or Should You Go (for It)?

As I mentioned in my introduction to putting your strokes together, it is true that you can
win at beginner to low intermediate levels just by having a consistent push, avoiding risky
strokes (i.e. trying to attack), and letting your opponent make the mistakes. There are two
schools of thought on whether this is a good idea or not.
Safety First
Arguments in Favor of a Safety First Approach
• At lower levels, it is often the player that makes the least mistakes who will win. By
sticking to a consistent pushing strategy, you minimize your risks and encourage
your opponent to play the riskier, more aggressive shots. The chances are good
that he will make enough mistakes for you to win.
• As you continue to practice and improve, you can slowly extend your range of
strokes and become more aggressive, within your limits. This way you are always
playing a consistent game with a minimum of errors.
• You will get plenty of encouragement from the wins you will be getting over other
beginners who are attacking and making mistakes against you.
Arguments Against a Safety First Approach
• There is a common theory which states that when under pressure, a player will
revert to the style of play he was first successful with (some take this even further,
and claim a player will prefer the first strokes he learned). According to this
argument, you risk that in the future, when you are under pressure against good
opponents, you may feel most comfortable with pushing. This won't win against
better, more consistent players.
• By beginning with a pushing only strategy, you may not ever fully develop the
aggressive attitude and timing needed to play at a higher level. Waiting for your
opponent to make mistakes is not a winning strategy at higher levels - the dominant
strategy is to take calculated risks with aggressive strokes and force mistakes from
your opponent.
• Your game style and tactics will be constantly changing, as you slowly bring in new
shots and increase your aggressiveness.
Aggressive Attitude
Arguments in Favor of an Aggressive Attitude
• The dominant modern style in higher level table tennis is an aggressive game,
taking controlled risks with attacks to force mistakes from an opponent. By playing
this style right from the beginning, you will groove the tactics and techniques
required to play this style successfully at higher levels.
• By being aggressive, you will be playing with the right attitude right from the start of
your career, and you will not need to change your tactics and style very much as
you improve.
• According to popular theory, when you are put under pressure you will able to play
your normal game, since that is what you first learnt to do.
• Once your technique and tactics come together, you will zoom past the pushers,
who will not have any answers to your consistent attacking.
Arguments Against an Aggressive Attitude
• Because you will not have consistent technique at first, and your grasp of tactics will
be shaky, you will lose to 'negative' players, who will simply push the ball and win
from your mistakes.
• You will feel like you are losing the game when playing against pushers, rather than
your opponent winning it. You may get frustrated with your losses and give up on
the sport too soon.
• It does take some time for all the pieces of your game to get up to the standard
where they will work together smoothly, and it can be difficult to keep going when
you are not seeing any improvement in your results for some time.
I would recommend to the majority of new players to adopt an aggressive approach, and
stick with it. You'll lose a few more games in the beginning of your playing career, but if
you stay the course you'll have a much better chance of maximizing your potential.
This doesn't mean blindly attacking every ball though. Use intelligent tactics with your
aggressive approach. Keep reading and later on I'll give you some help with what tactics to
use to get the most out of your game.
For the minority of players who do like to push the ball, I would suggest one of two
possibilities.
• The first is to get some coaching to develop your natural tendencies, and learn to
chop the ball properly, playing a modern defensive game which mixes heavy
backspin from a distance with counterattacks.
• The second option is to accept that you will be likely to 'top out' at around the middle
of the intermediate ranks, and once you have reached that level, continue to slowly
work on adding incremental improvements to your game. Each little bit of
aggressiveness you can add will notch you up another step. This is probably a
better approach for those older players whose mobility is not quite what it used to
be. Remember that if you are 40, you probably have 30 years or more to slowly
develop your game, so enjoy yourself in the meantime and view it as a long-term
project. You may be surprised at just how high you can go!
Serve and Return of Serve
Now that you have received some advice on what general style you should play as a
beginner, it's time to recap some advice on serving and returning serve.
Serving
When serving, you should be looking to set up your third ball or fifth ball attack, so you can
be in control of the rally. Good serves will win the occasional point outright as well, but in
the main you are trying to force a weak return from the receiver, so that you can start your
attack sequence.
As a beginner, it is unlikely that you are capable of attacking difficult returns consistently,
so the advice I'm going to give you is a little different than what I would recommend for
advanced players.
• A weak return from the receiver should be attacked with power immediately - the
classic third ball attack.
• An average return should be attacked with a little more spin and less speed for
safety, and hopefully the receiver will have to block your attack, and you can then
look to attack the fifth ball harder.
• Good returns that are too difficult for you to attack consistently should be treated
with care, and returned so that it is difficult for the receiver to attack you.
Returning Serve
When returning serve, your goal is similar to when you are serving - to be the first player to
attack well. But first you have to neutralize the server's advantage by returning his serve
tightly.
Again, as a beginner you will find it difficult to make great returns from every serve. So the
advice I would give you is linked to your current abilities.
• Weak serves should be attacked as hard as you can, while still being sure that you
will make the shot. Don't overdo it.
• Average serves should be attacked with care (more spin and less speed),
depending on your ability at attacking serves. If you aren't so good at attacking yet,
don't be afraid to push the ball instead, going for placement wide or into the playing
elbow, good spin variation, and reasonable speed so that your opponent does not
have a lot of time to get prepared to attack.
• Good serves should be returned as tight as you can. If you are having trouble
getting the serve back at all, aim for the middle of the table to give you a better
margin for error. Once your control improves, start aiming for your opponent's
playing elbow, and wide of his power zones.
power zones
Definition: A player's power zones are those areas from which he can play a forehand or
backhand stroke without having to adjust his footwork, allowing him to hit the ball with
maximum speed and power.
The power zones are typically found in front of the left half body for a right hander's
backhand strokes, and an area about a foot to a foot and a half wide beginning around 9
inches or so to the right of a right hander's playing elbow for forehand strokes.
playing elbow
Definition: The phrase 'playing elbow' is used in table tennis to describe the area in front
of a player, in which the player has to choose between hitting a forehand or backhand
stroke, and neither stroke is significantly easier to play, making the decision more difficult.
You can see a visual representation of the playing elbow here.
The size and placement of this target will vary from player to player, although a general
guide would be the 6-9 inches on each side of the elbow of the player's racket arm, hence
the name.
The playing elbow is a favorite target of opponents, since hitting the ball to a player's
playing elbow forces that player to decide quickly whether to play forehand and backhand,
and then move accordingly to play the stroke, since neither forehand or backhand can be
played at their best without moving position.
Also Known As: crossover point, area of indecision

Table Tennis Advanced Guide to Serving - the Crossover Point
The Crossover Point and Power Zones
Crossover Point and Power Zones
A good option is to cross over or go into the opponent's playing elbow (also called the
point of indecision).
For shakehanders and reverse penhold backhand (RPB) penholders, this area is where
the opponent must make a decision between returning with a forehand or backhand.
For standard penholders, the point of indecision is the area where they must decide
between a forehand side hit and a backhand side push/block or hit.
Crossing over or entering this area forces the opponent to decide quickly which stroke to
use, and then he must also use footwork to allow him to hit the stroke correctly. By forcing
him to make more decisions and use footwork too, you increase the chances of him
making the wrong decision, or making a mistake whilst trying to move and then hit the ball.
Aim at Playing Elbow Simple Drill

Aim at Playing Elbow Simple Drill
Performing the Drill

The idea behind this drill is to allow a player to find out how well he is able to direct his
third ball attacks to a moving location - in this case, his opponent's playing elbow.
Player A can serve the ball to any location, and Player B should then return the ball to
Player A's forehand court (preferably either high enough or long enough for Player A to
attack). Player B should then move to another location of his choice, and wait in this
position, while facing square on to the location where Player A will play the ball from.
Player A should then play his third ball attack, and attempt to place the ball so that it
travels between the space between Player B's racket and his right hip (i.e. his playing
elbow). Player B should not attempt to hit the ball, but should hold still so that Player A can
see whether he has managed to successfully target the ball.
Benefits of the Drill

This drill is mainly of benefit to Player A, since he will receive practice at:
• Serving to any location.

• Performing a successful third ball attack with his forehand.
• Learning to keep track of his opponent's movement around the court, so that Player
A can aim at his opponent's playing elbow successfully.
Player B can still practice his serve return, however.
Being able to place the ball consistently to an opponent's playing elbow is a skill that is
useful at any level of the game. At lower levels it may result in outright points due to an
opponent's mistakes in dealing with such an awkwardly placed ball. At higher levels it
makes it harder for an opponent to attack or counterattack such a ball, which is important
for retaining control of the point.
Variations
• Allow Player B to return to any location, forcing Player A to play both forehand and
backhand third ball attacks.
• Allow Player B to return the ball short enough to stop Player A looping or driving, if
he can. In this case Player A should push or flick the ball towards Player B's playing
elbow, in order to practice making it hard for Player B to start his attack.
• If Player B returns the ball short, allow Player A to try to return the ball short as well
if he wants to. Now the first player to successfully attack the ball should aim at the
playing elbow of his opponent, who should in turn stand still to allow the attacker to
see whether he has placed the ball on target.
Keeping the Ball Low - Net Post Extensions

Net Post Extensions to Check the Ball Height Over the Net
Keeping the ball low over the net is an important skill to possess in matches, especially
when serving, returning serve, pushing, and playing drop shots. When practicing, because
we tend to face the net square on (and look down from above), it is not always easy to tell
just how high the ball is traveling over the net.
The use of net post extensions can be very helpful in allowing you to check whether you
are keeping the ball low enough - and is a simple technique that can be added to many
drills. They are also quite simple to make!
What You Need to Make the Net Post Extensions

You don't need to spend a fortune to make a useful net extension. All you need is two PVC
or plastic tubes that are big enough to slip over your net posts, some nuts and bolts and a
drill (or some nails and a hammer), some cord or string, and a good knife or saw to cut the
tubes. Needless to say, this is a job for adults or children with adult supervision.
Making the Net Post Extensions
• Cut the tubes to length - say maybe 1 foot (30cm) or even 1½ feet (45cm).
• Cut a slot in each tube that is wide enough to slip the net cord through, so that you
can slide the tubing over each net post.
• Put a nail through each tubing just above the top of the slot you have cut, so that
the tubing will sit on the nail on top of the net post, and will not rest on the net cord.
You might want to cut the tip of the nail so that there is no sharp tip pointing out. Or
you can drill a hole through the tubing, and use a nut and bolt instead - I would
recommend using the nut and bolt myself.
• If you are using nails, place several nails spaced an inch or so apart at the top of
the each tube. Leave the head of the nail out a little from the tube, so you can tie
the cord around the head of the nail. If you are using nuts and bolts, drill some holes
in the top of the tubing, spaced an inch apart. You can use a nut and bolt on each
tube, tying the cord around the nut. The nails or drilled holes will allow you to vary
the height of the cord - you can lower the cord as you get better at keeping the ball
down.
• Tie the cord at the height desired.
That's it! You now have a simple to use tool that allows you to check the height of your
serves, serve returns, pushes and drop shots. Give it a try - you might be surprised at just
how high some of your touch shots are going over the net!
Backhand Serving Across the Playing Elbow Table Tennis/Ping-Pong Tactic
The use of forehand serves is dominant in modern table tennis these days - but the
backhand serve can still be useful to all levels of ping-pong players, for a number of
reasons. In this article I'll explain how smart use of the backhand serve can help you to
improve your chances of starting a successful attacking sequence.
Backhand Serve Tactics 1 - Crossing the Playing Elbow - Right Hander

Backhand Serve Across the Playing Elbow 1
In this article, I'm going to discuss using a backhand sidespin serve (with topspin or
backspin as well if preferred) to execute a simple tactic - that of crossing the playing elbow
of your opponent when serving. Although the strategy is quite simple, it has a number of
benefits, which I have listed below.
Execution of Backhand Serve Tactic - vs Right Hander

In order to perform this tactic against a right hander, the server (Player A) stands near the
middle of his own endline. He then serves the ball so that it bounces slightly to the right of
the playing elbow of his opponent (Player B), using the natural sidespin of the backhand
serve to curve the ball in the air and off the table from his right to his left.
When the correct amount of speed and spin is used, the ball should then bounce on his
opponent's court somewhere near to area of Player B's playing elbow. If the serve is a
double bounce serve, the ball should then continue to move across the playing elbow of
his opponent from right to left, with the second bounce near the left hand boundary of the
playing elbow area. If the serve is a long serve, the ball should reach Player B just as it
moves out of his playing elbow area.
Of course, if this serve was performed so that it crossed the playing elbow every time,
Player B would soon know to expect the ball to reach his forehand side. So it is important
that Player A serves that some serves almost enter the playing elbow area, some serves
almost reach the left boundary of the playing elbow area, and some serves fully cross the
playing elbow area before reaching Player B. This will make it harder for Player B to be
sure of the final ball position, and choose the correct stroke to use to return the ball.
The change in serving angle from the usual forehand corner, to the center of the table, is
also useful to provide some variation to your normal forehand serves, and gives a different
sidespin to the normal forehand pendulum serving variations. Although this tactic can also
be performed with a reverse pendulum serve, the backhand serve is much easier for
beginner and intermediate players to execute.
If the backhand serve is performed correctly, there are several other benefits besides
getting some variation in your usual serving angle, and forcing your opponent to decide
quickly which stroke to play. These include:
• Because of the natural spin of the backhand serve used, the ball will tend to jump to
the server's right when it hits the bat of the receiver. This makes it harder for the
receiver (Player B) to play the ball to the server's backhand, moving the likely area
the ball will be returned in to the right of Player A.
• If Player B uses his forehand to return the ball, it is more awkward to control the
spin with his natural stroke, increasing the chances of Player B making a mistake,
and also making it more likely he will return the ball further to Player A's right.
• If Player B uses his backhand to return the ball that has crossed his playing elbow,
he is likely to be out of position - I'll discuss this further in the next diagram.
By forcing Player B to return more to Player A's right, Player A is then able to hold his
position in the middle of the table, knowing that it is unlikely for most receivers to be able to
return the ball to his wide backhand (more advanced returners may be able to do so, but it
will still be the more difficult shot to play). Player A then has a good chance of being able
to play his next stroke without having to move his feet very much, increasing his chances
of hitting a strong attack.
Furthermore, the sidespin is tending to force the ball to Player A's right, making it harder
for opponents with weaker serve returns to keep it from Player A's forehand. Player A can
then start to anticipate a return to his forehand, allowing him to make better preparations,
and again increasing his chances of hitting a powerful third ball with his forehand.

As mentioned in the previous diagram's explanation, if Player B misjudges the placement

or spin of Player A's serve, there is a chance that he may believe the serve is going to go
to his backhand, and start to prepare to hit a backhand return.
If the serve then crosses over the playing elbow of Player B, he must decide quickly
whether to change his stroke and play a forehand instead, or to continue with his
backhand stroke.
If Player B changes his stroke to play a forehand, he will find it difficult to make a good
preparation and a powerful stroke, since he will have to abort his preparation for his
backhand, and try to start again on his forehand, all while the ball is still travelling towards
him.
On the other hand, if he continues to play his backhand stroke, he will need to move over
to his forehand side to reach the ball, as shown in the diagram. This will pull him out of
position and open up a gap on his backhand side.
If Player B moves to cover the gap on his backhand, Player A can place his attack out
wide to Player B's forehand, which will be likely to catch Player B moving in the wrong
direction and unable to reach the ball. If Player B holds his position instead, Player A can
aim at the wide gap on Player B's backhand side, and Player B will again find it difficult to
defend the attack. Finally, if Player B only takes a half-step back to his backhand, Player A
has slightly narrower gaps on both the wide forehand and wide backhand, either of which
should be a winner if Player A can hit his mark, and still difficult for Player B to answer with
a strong shot if Player A is anywhere close to his targets.
Backhand Serve Tactics 4 - Crossing the Playing Elbow - Left Hander
Execution of Backhand Serve Tactic - vs Left Hander

When serving to left handers, the basic idea of crossing the receiver's playing elbow
remains unchanged, with a couple of minor modifications.
Instead of moving the ball away from the receiver, the server will be serving into the body
of the receiver instead, tending to cramp his return.
Due to the placement of the ball, the receiver is more likely to prepare for a forehand
stroke initially, and then move to his right to adjust for the curve of the ball.
Backhand Serve Tactics 5 - Crossing the Playing Elbow - Left Hander
Since a left handed receiver is likely to return the ball with his forehand, he will be using a
stroke that is more comfortable to handle the sidespin on the serve. This, coupled with the
fact that the normal stroke of the left hander is crosscourt, will tend to push the normal
landing area of the return a little more to the server's left than for a right handed receiver,
although it should still be more to the right than for a forehand serve. Player A will need to
stand not quite so far to the right in order to compensate for this.
This backhand serving tactic is not quite as effective against left handers, although when
combined with a forehand serve that crosses the receiver's playing elbow from left to right
it can still be a very useful strategy.
Beginner's Guide to Serving in Table Tennis/ Ping-Pong
Ping-pong beginners often concentrate on their rallying strokes (fun), and do not give
much thought about their serves (boring!). In this article I'm going to explain why this is a
mistake that you should avoid. I'll also give you some theoretical and practical tips on how
to improve your serving, and discuss what to do once you have mastered the serving
basics. This information can be broken down into the following topics:
Once you have mastered the 4 basic serves, along with the no spin variations, and can
troubleshoot them when necessary, you will be ready to begin working on your advanced
serving techniques. These include the use of the forehand pendulum serve, and the
forehand reverse pendulum serve, (currently the most popular serves in advanced table
tennis) and other less used variations. These serves and their use will be the subject of
attention in the advanced section of this site.
Next: It's always great to have good serves, but don't forget your opponent will probably
have some too! With that in mind, it's time to take a detailed look at improving your return
of service in ping-pong.
Table Tennis/ Ping-Pong - Why is Serving Important?
Almost all beginners love to rally, and are willing to spend lots of time practicing their
rallying strokes. After all, the rally is what ping-pong is really about, isn't it?
Well, not quite (not even close, actually). Here are some reasons why the serve is more
important in table tennis than most beginners think.
• To begin with, every rally in table tennis starts with a serve. You will be serving for
half the time in singles, (and a quarter of the time in doubles matches). That's
anywhere from 16 serves in a best of 5 whitewash (11-0, 11-0, 11-0), to 50 serves
in a best of 5 singles match that doesn't have any deuce games (11-9, 11-9, 9-11,
9-11, 11-9). If you make bad mistakes with your serve 25% of the time, you will be
giving your opponent a lot of free points - not a good thing!
• The serve is also the only shot in ping-pong where you have total control over the
ball without any input from the other player. So it makes sense to try to use this
advantage as best you can to make life harder for your opponent.
• You can use the serve to help you play more of your favorite shots during the
subsequent rally, and also to prevent your opponent from using his favorite shots. If
you are best at backspin strokes, using short backspin serves will allow you to play
more backspin rallies. Likewise, if you are good at hitting topspin balls, you can use
long or short topspin serves to help create more topspin rallies. And if you struggle
with sidespin, you can avoid using sidespin in your serves, making your life easier
when rallying.
• Better opponents will be able to attack your bad serves, putting you under pressure
straight away. Good serving will prevent an opponent from making powerful attacks,
and improve own your chances of making good attacks. This is a important factor in
table tennis as your standard rises and you play tougher opponents.
• If you can serve well, you increase the pressure on your opponent, since he knows
that he will not have any easy serves to hit. You will also win a few easy points each
match from your opponent's mistakes.
How To Improve Your Serve in Table Tennis/ Ping-Pong - Theoretical Advice
Now that you know why the serve is so important in table tennis, let's look at some of the
theory behind how to serve better.
Difficulty: Easy
Here's How:
1. Make sure that you understand and can comply with the rules of ping-pong that
cover the serve. There's no point developing a killer serve if the umpire is simply
going to fault you every time you use it!
2. Remember that a fault loses the point automatically. There's no second service rule
in table tennis - once chance is all you get. So you need to do enough practice so
that you can serve without faulting when the pressure is on.
3. Deception is an important part of serving in table tennis. For beginners, it is easiest
to start practicing deception by learning to vary the amount of spin you put on the
ball. This will force your opponent to watch your serve closely so that he can judge
the amount of spin on the ball when making his return. By varying between light,
medium, heavy and no spin serves, you will make the return of serve more difficult
for your opponent.
4. Sidespin can also be used to make it harder for your opponent to read the amount
of topspin or backspin on the ball. You must be careful not to use more sidespin
than you are comfortable with. It is not uncommon for an opponent to return your
serve without changing the amount of sidespin you have put on the ball, in which
case you will then have to deal with your own sidespin!
5. Don't serve the ball where the opponent can hit it easily. Try to serve the ball so that
he has to reach or move to return it, since he will find this more difficult (it's much
harder to move and hit the ball at the same time). Another good option is to serve
the ball at his playing elbow (the elbow of the arm holding the bat), so that he has to
decide whether to take it using his forehand or backhand side quickly, and he will
also have to move to give himself room to make the stroke.
6. Keep a close eye on how each opponent you face handles your serves. Try to
discover what he is good at returning, and what he is relatively weak at. Then use
more of the types of serves that he is having difficulty with.
7. As you improve your ability to attack with topspin against all types of returns, you
will find it useful to serve what is called a double bounce serve more often. A double
bounce serve is performed when the ball bounces twice on your opponent's side of
the table, with the second bounce within 6 inches or so of the endline.
8. When done correctly, a double bounce serve is the most difficult serve for your
opponent to attack strongly, and gives you the best chance of attacking his return
with a strong shot of your own. You will need to be able to attack both topspin and
backspin balls, since your opponent is likely to return a double bounce serve with a
flick or a push.
How To Improve Your Serve in Table Tennis/ Ping-Pong - Practical Advice
Now that you understand the theory involved in improving your serve, it's time to give you
some practical advice for when you get out on the table.
Difficulty: Easy
Here's How:
1. A few excellent serves are better than a lot of mediocre serves. Concentrate on
mastering four serves to begin with: the forehand topspin serve, the forehand
backspin serve, the backhand topspin serve, and the backhand backspin serve.
Keep the spin on each serve the same until you can perform each serve
consistently (if you can regularly hit a piece of Letter sized paper on the first bounce
on the opponent's side of the court 8 times of of 10 (without any faults), that is pretty
consistent.
2. Once you have mastered these serves, begin to vary the amount of spin on the ball.
Keep practicing until you can serve the basic four serves consistently with any
amount of spin, from heavy to virtually no spin. Once you can do this, you will
actually have added two more types of serves, the forehand no spin serve, and the
backhand no spin serve. And you will have a wide range of serves available just by
varying the amount of spin on your four basic serves.
3. There are several ways to vary the spin on the ball, and you can use any one or
combination to do so. Ways to vary the spin include:
o brushing or skimming the ball different amounts
o using more or less wrist snap
o hitting the ball down into the table at different angles (the more you hit the
ball straight down on the table, the more the spin is reduced)
o using faster or slower arm speed
o using the tip of the bat (which moves faster than the rest of the bat if the wrist
is snapped).
4. In order to practice serving with different spins, start with one of the serves you
have mastered. Try increasing the amount of spin you put on the ball by skimming
the ball a little more at contact. Notice the difference in the way the ball moves -
topspin should kick forward a little more than your normal serve, and the backspin
ball should hold up on the table a little more. Keep increasing the spin until the ball
does not bounce on the other side of the table. This is your upper limit.
5. Next, try reducing the amount of spin from your normal serve. This should have the
opposite effect of increasing the spin, the topspin serve will kick forward less, and
the backspin serve will slow down less. Keep reducing the spin until you can see
the marking on the ball is not moving much when you serve. This is your no spin
serve, and your bottom limit.
6. Now, as mentioned earlier, try aiming at the piece of paper on the table again for
each type of serve, but vary the amount of spin on the ball. Keep practicing until you
can vary the spin but still hit the piece of paper 8 times out of 10 attempts (with no
faults). When you have achieved this, you will have mastered the basic serves you
need to play table tennis well.
7. The above suggestions sound simple, but what do you do when your serve isn't
working as well as it should? When it's going too high or low, too long, without
enough spin or with no deception. That's when you start troubleshooting your serve.
How to Troubleshoot Your Serve
During your table tennis career, despite all the theory about serving you have learnt and
the serving practice you have done, there are going to be times when your serve is not
working as well as it should, and your opponents will be hitting winners left and right.
Rather than giving up and going home, here is some advice that will help you get your
service back on track fast.
Learn to improve your serves by taking note of the result of each serve, and then adjusting
your service motion accordingly. I would recommend trying to change only one thing at a
time, to make it easier to see whether your change was successful. If you change several
things at once, it can be hard to know which changes are working and which aren't.
How To Stop Your Serve Bouncing Too High / Too Low
A common problem for beginners is serving the ball with too much bounce, so that their
opponent can easily attack the ball. The opposite problem, serving so that the ball does
not clear the net, is also common.
If your serves are bouncing too high and being attacked by your opponent, you could try
any or all of the following to make your serves bounce lower.
Difficulty: Easy
Here's How:
1. Throw the ball a little lower. The higher you throw the ball, the more speed it has
when coming down. This extra speed at contact can often make the ball bounce
higher.
2. Make contact with the ball at a height closer to the height of the net. If you make
contact with the ball way above net height, you will tend to get a ball that bounces
very high.
3. Hit the ball a little more horizontally, instead of up or down. Hitting the ball up will
cause the ball to rise in the air more, making it bounce higher. Hitting the ball down
will propel the ball into the table with extra speed, also making it bounce higher.
Hitting the ball more horizontally will allow the ball to fall on the table with less
vertical speed, reducing the amount of vertical bounce.
4. You can also reverse these ideas to get more bounce if your service is bouncing too
low and hitting the net.
How To Stop Your Serve from Going Too Long
Another common problem at all levels is serving the ball too long, so that the opponent can
easily attack it.
If your serves are going too long and being attacked strongly by your opponent, there are
several ways that you can make your serves shorter (remember, a double bounce serve is
ideal) and more difficult to attack. Let's have a look at them.
Difficulty: Easy
Here's How:
1. Increase the amount of sidespin that you are putting on the ball. More sidespin will
make the ball curve more, causing it to be able to travel more and drop further while
still remaining short.
2. Serve using the diagonals of the table. The table is only 9 feet (2.74m) long from
end to end. But on the diagonal it is about 10.3 feet (3.14 m) long . That's a lot of
extra table to work with!
3. Decrease the amount of speed that you are putting on the ball. This could be done
by: (a) slowing down the speed of your swing/and or wrist snap; (b) swinging in a
motion that is more parallel to your own endline, instead of forwards towards your
opponent's endline.
How To Increase the Spin on Your Serves
There is no doubt that being able to put spin on the ball when serving is important. After
all, if you can't put much spin on the ball, you can't vary your spin very much either, can
you?
If you are not getting as much spin as you would like on your serve, you have many
options to increase the spin you are generating. Here is a number of them.
Difficulty: Easy
Here's How:
1. Make sure that you are skimming the edge of the ball, rather than hitting towards
the center of the ball. The closer to the edge contact is made, the more spin you will
generate.
2. Increase the amount of wrist snap or arm speed that you are using.
3. Use the tip of the bat to make contact with the ball, since the tip moves faster when
the wrist is snapped.
4. Use a little extra height on your ball toss. The extra speed of the ball will be partly
converted into extra spin as well as speed if you hit the ball with some brushing
action.
5. Avoid hitting the ball down into the table - this tends to kill some of the spin (which is
actually quite nifty for producing a low spin ball that looks spinny!).
How To Serve with more Deception (Sneakier Serving)

If you are having trouble deceiving your opponent about the amount of spin on your serve,
remember that you have many factors under your control that can affect the spin you
produce. Different combinations of these factors can help produce subtle variations of spin
that are not easy for an opponent to read. These factors include the following items.
Difficulty: Easy
Here's How:
1. Service motion - the speed, height, and direction of your swing can all be varied.
2. Wrist snap - the wrist can be used to any degree you like, from a heavy snap to no
snap at all. Making contact at the beginning or end of the wrist snap, when the bat is
moving more slowly, can also affect the spin.
3. Height of the ball toss - the higher the toss, the more potential for spin.
4. Direction the ball is hit - hitting down into the table will tend to kill the spin.
5. Amount of brushing vs. solid contact - an almost infinite amount of variations of
brushing contact can be made, producing many different amounts of spin.
6. Adding sidespin - the addition of sidespin adds extra complexity to the path and
bounce of the ball, and makes it harder for the opponent to read the amount of
backspin or topspin on the ball. It also means that you can produce a serve that
obviously has heavy spin, but your opponent will have to determine what proportion
of sidespin vs. topspin or backspin is on the ball.
Changing the speed of the serve - faster

serves tend to curve less and deviate
when bouncing less than slower serves.
So you can actually get quite different
serves with the same amount of spin
just by changing the speed. Not exactly
a deception in spin, but still effective!
The Battle for Control
Once the serve and serve return have been played, the main rally begins. How the rally
will develop will depend upon the quality of the serve and serve return. Essentially, the
rally is the battle for control of the point - the player who is in control of the majority of the
points and attacking successfully will be the player who is winning.
• A bad return will put the server in the driver's seat for the rally, and he should be in
control of the rally until the receiver manages to make a shot good enough to even
things up or even wrest control from the server.
• An average serve return will still give the serve the first chance at controlling the
rally, since he should be able to perform the first attack (although not a power
attack). Again, the server should be in control until the receiver can play a shot good
enough to equalize the rally or take control himself.
• A good serve return should put the rally on even footing, since the server will not be
able to attack the serve well enough to take control, but he should be able to
prevent the receiver from attacking hard as well.
The rally will continue to be even until either player makes a mistake and allows
their opponent to attack, or one player takes a risk and makes an attack from a
difficult ball, thus taking control. In this situation, you will generally see pushing
rallies until one player hits an attack and takes control, or counterhitting rallies when
each player is attacking, but the other player is attacking as well, and neither can
attack hard enough to control the point.
• A great service return will put the server on the defensive, allowing the receiver to
make the first attack. The receiver will be in control of the rally until the server can
make a shot good enough to equalize control or take control himself.
What you should do during the rally will depend on whether
• you are in control of the point

• your opponent is in control of the point
• the rally is even.
Tactics for When You are in Control of the Point
• The basic idea is to maintain pressure on your opponent, and make him take big
risks if he wants you to stop attacking him. Your own attacks should be low risk in
comparison.
• Attack with good speed and spin into your opponent's playing elbow, and wide of
his power zones, so that he is constantly on the move to hit his strokes. Don't just
focus on side to side placement, remember that you can change depth as well. If
your opponent is playing far away from the table, use a drop shot to bring him back
in, and attack the next ball to push him back again. If he is staying right up to the
table, aim some balls closer to the endline to help push him back from the table,
then go shorter again.
• When your opponent makes a low or tight return that is difficult to attack with power,
settle for an attack with more spin and a bit less speed. The extra spin should help
force him to return the ball a bit higher, and hopefully you can hit harder again. It is
a better strategy to keep the pressure on him by successfully attacking again a bit
slower, than trying to hit too hard and making a mistake.
• When attacking with power, don't compromise your technique. Real power comes
from the use of good technique at slightly under maximum effort level. Keeping your
attacks at around 90% maximum power is a good rule of thumb.
• Following on from the above point, don't use too large a follow through - it will affect
your balance and slow down your recovery time, making it difficult to make
consecutive attacks. Don't follow through past the middle of your body, unless you
are trying to put the ball away.
• Be prepared for the ball to come back. You may need to attack several times to win
the point. Don't make the common mistake of hitting each attack harder until you
lose your technique, and lose the point.
• Use your footwork to move you around the court and allow you to play your best
shots more often, without bending or reaching for the ball. Good footwork is what
allows you to maintain the pressure when attacking, since it is much harder for your
opponent to place the ball to a location that forces you to stop attacking.
Tactics for When Your Opponent is in Control of the Point
• When you are attacked strongly, use a block as your return of choice. Aim for
placement rather than power (into the playing elbow, and wide of his power zones),
and as you get used to your opponent's strokes you can try for more speed on the
block. As a beginner, you probably don't have the timing or technique to
consistently counterattack a powerful attack. Use your strengths instead, and a
simple block return with good placement will force your opponent to work harder.
• The idea is to make your opponent earn every point - at beginner to intermediate
levels your opponent is usually only good for around 2 attacks in a row, especially if
you can force him to move his feet to reach the ball. If you can consistently make
your opponent hit 3-4 attacks on the move to win the point, you will find that you will
win many of these points through your opponent's mistakes.
• By being steady with your block, your opponent will miss several attacks, and at
other times a well placed block will force your opponent to stop attacking altogether.
When that happens it is time to begin your own counterattack to regain control of
the point.
• When you have forced a weaker attack from your opponent, use a counterhit to
return the ball with more power to the areas I have recommended, and try to start
your own attack sequence. You are attempting to halt your opponent's attack and
regain the initiative.
• After watching advanced players, you may be tempted to return your opponent's
attacks by using a heavy topspin loop counterattack. This type of return requires
excellent timing and control and is best left for advanced players with sound
technique. Trying to use this stroke without the training to back it up is a sure recipe
for handing plenty of cheap points to your opponent. For every crowd pleasing
counter loop you hit, you'll miss five.
Tactics for When the Rally is Even

• Be positive - if your opponent is not attacking, go ahead and try to take control with
your own attack. If you find you are making too many mistakes, you can always go
back to playing safely.
• If you aren't able to attack your opponent successfully, try to tempt your opponent to
attack you by giving him balls that look tempting but are still difficult to attack.
Examples would be a ball that is higher but with more backspin, or balls that are
floated but just out of reach, making him move or stretch when attacking. Aiming at
his playing elbow and giving him a tempting ball can also be a good strategy.
Hopefully his attack will be weak and you can counterattack successfully.
• Try to use your favorite or best shot to take control of the point - this will maximize
your chances of doing it successfully. Use your rallying strokes to set yourself up for
your best shot whenever you can.
• Play to your opponent's weaknesses. Try to get your opponent to give you a return
that is easier to attack. Occasionally put a more difficult ball to his strength to tempt
him to attack it, and hopefully he will make a mistake with his attack.
General Rallying Tips
• Be realistic about what you can and cannot do. Use your training time to improve
your shots and push your boundaries a little, and get a clear picture about what your
limitations are. Then stay within those limitations when playing matches.
• Don't make guesses about where the ball is going - hold the bat in a neutral position
and watch your opponent closely. Don't commit to hitting a forehand or backhand
until you see in what direction your opponent has hit the ball. By watching your
opponent closely, you will train your anticipation to work faster, and you will move
more quickly to the ball.
• When you hit the ball, take note of where you have hit it, and move to where you
are in the middle of the possible angles your opponent can hit.
• Too many beginners make the mistake of playing within the sidelines of the table.
Cut the sidelines more often, and use the wide angles to make your opponent move
to reach the ball.
• Training a few favorite serve and follow up patterns, or serve return and follow up
patterns, can be handy and make your life easier. Just remember not to use the
same patterns every time. A little variation here and there will help keep your
opponent on his toes and make your favorite patterns more effective.
Table Tennis Drills - Degrees of Complexity
Getting the Third Degree...
First Degree Drills

The simplest drills are when you know everything about what is going to happen, and no
footwork or movement is involved. Examples of such drills are forehand counterhit to
forehand counterhit, or backhand counterhit to forehand block. In these type of drills, you
know exactly what stroke is going to be played, where the ball is going, roughly how hard
your opponent is going to hit it, approximately what spin he will put on the ball, and little or
no footwork is required. Think of these as first degree difficulty.
Most of the drills you begin training with as a beginner should be first degree drills. Aim to
hit 10 successful shots in a row. Once you can do this consistently, try for 20, then 30 and
so on. When you are consistently doing over 50 in a row with good technique you will be
ready to move to drills with an extra degree of complexity.
Second Degree Drills

There are many ways to increase the complexity of a drill by one degree. Using the
forehand to forehand counterhit drill as an example, you can change any of the following
factors to make this drill a second degree drill.
• Change the side to side placement. Have your partner hit the ball to your forehand
corner, then the middle of the table, then back to the forehand corner again. You
must move your feet to hit the balls with your normal forehand stroke.
• Change the stroke. Have your partner block one ball, then counterhit the next.
• Change the spin. Have your partner hit a normal counterhit for one ball, then a
spinnier counterhit, then a normal counterhit, and so on.
• Change the pace. Have your partner counterhit one ball softly, the next normally,
the next hard, then back to softly, and so on.
• Change the depth of the ball. Have your partner hit one ball short, the next deep,
then short again, and so on.
Third Degree Drills

To add another degree of complexity, you can combine two of the above factors, or add an
element of uncertainty to the drill, by varying one of the factors at random. Randomness in
drills is very useful when used correctly, since it greatly adds to the difficulty of the drill for
the person who is on the receiving end, while the person who is using random variations
doesn't have to work any harder. This can be very handy for when a weaker player has to
train with a better player.
I would recommend not using random elements in your training until you are comfortable
using second degree drills. Being able to perform second degree drills 50 times in a row
consistently before adding a random component would be a reasonable rule of thumb.
Using the forehand to forehand counterhit drill as an example, a good use of randomness
would be to have your training partner hit to your forehand most of the time, but every so
often hit the ball to your backhand (say approximately 1 ball out of 5). Sometimes he will
hit more often to the backhand side, sometimes less, but on average about 1 ball out of 5
will go to your backhand.
This drill is a good use of random ball placement. You will be able to practice your
forehand counterhit most of the time, while having to stay alert for the ball that is hit to your
backhand. You can't afford to get lazy with your footwork or recovery or you will be likely to
miss the ball on the backhand. You must also keep your concentration up so that you are
ready when the feeder changes the placement. It also more closely simulates a match
situation than a standard drill where the ball placement is known in advance.
Beginners should not use drills with more than one random element. For example, using a
forehand to forehand counterhit drill where your opponent randomly hits the ball to your
backhand, and also occasionally chops the ball instead of counterhitting, is probably a bit
too much for a beginner to handle. You'll miss the ball so often that you won't be getting
any benefit from the drill. Stick to a good second degree drill with one random element
added at most.
Table Tennis - Getting Out of a Rut
How to Improve When Your Game is as Flat as a Pancake...

Have you had a bit of a plateau in your table tennis level recently? Been looking for a way
to break out of that rut and get a lift in your rating, but don't have any more spare time to
train? Then read on, for today I'm writing about one aspect of your training that could be
holding you back - the point of no return.
What is the Point of No Return?

Well, technically I'm really talking about the law of diminishing returns, but it doesn't have
quite the same ring to it, does it? The point of no return is when you have reached
equilibrium, where the training you are doing is enough to maintain your level but not
enough to improve it.
If you are a typical ping-pong player, you have probably got a routine that you follow week
after week, with the occasional tournament thrown in. Now and again you try some new
equipment in the hope that it will be the miracle cure for your table tennis woes. You get a
lift for a short while as you adapt to the new blade or rubber, and then you drift back into
the table tennis doldrums. You want to improve, but you just can't train any more than you
are doing already, and you can't think of any other options. Sound familiar?
Since you can't just do more training to solve your problem, you are going to have to look
at how you can use your training time more efficiently in order to improve your game. I'll
assume for the moment that you aren't currently wasting time during your training sessions
(if you are, consider yourself smacked upside the head - <smack!> - pull the lead out and
stop stuffing around!).
Recommendation #1 - Is Your Strength Really a Weakness?

The first thing I would recommend is to look at the amount of time you spend training your
strengths. While it is true that every player needs some strengths in his game, it's probable
that you are spending too much training time indulging in the shots you like - you have hit
the point of little or no return for that stroke.
Your strengths are already highly developed, so the amount of effort you need to improve
them by say 5%, is much more than the amount of effort you would need to improve the
biggest game weakness that you have. Try cutting the time you spend training your
favorite shot by 30%, and spend that time training the biggest flaw you have that is costing
you matches. Do this for a month and see the difference!
I'm going to qualify the above recommendation a little, and ask you to use your common
sense here. If you are a two winged attacker, you are probably terrible at chopping, but this
does not mean you should spend this time training your defense! Look for the weakness in
your game that costs you points, such as the inability to open up off a backspin ball, or an
unreliable flick return of serve. Train the relevant weaknesses to your style.
Recommendation #2 - Keep It Real
The second recommendation I would make is to not try to bring your weaknesses up too
high. Remember, you have only a limited amount of time, and there is a reason it is a
weakness in the first place. You will hit the point of no return at a much lower level for a
flaw, simply because you are not naturally any good at it. Trying to raise it too much further
will take too much time that could be valuably used elsewhere. Don't try to make it a
strength - just make it hard for an opponent to exploit.
Recommendation #3 - Think About It

The third recommendation is to use your brain. Is there any way you can use different
tactics in your game that will make the most of your strengths and minimize your
weaknesses? For example, if you are bad at forehand looping from your backhand corner,
either: (i) don't use the standard forehand pendulum serve that naturally kicks the
opponent's return towards your backhand; or (ii) use the serve but be ready to open with
your backhand, rather than running around to hit a forehand.
There may be a point of no return with using your brain - but it's unlikely that you will hit it -
and I mean that in the nicest possible way! <g>
Recommendation #4 - What He Said

The fourth recommendation is to practice your serve and serve return. <Yawn!> Everybody
says that, you say! Only because none of you are doing it!
Find a partner who you are willing to show your best serves, and who is willing to show
you his. Then spend at least 25% of your training time practicing serves and serve returns.
It's an efficient use of your time if you want to win. It'll also probably be the weakest part of
your game if you are a typical player - and one of the areas that you can improve in most
easily.
It will take a long time to reach the point of no return in your serve and serve receive. How
can you compete against the best if you are already at a huge disadvantage as soon as
your opponent serves or returns serve?
Recommendation #5 - Shake Things Up

The fifth recommendation I would make is to include more random elements in your
training routine. Once you have improved your basic technique and footwork to the point
where you would have to train longer for much further progress, bring in a random basis to
your training drills. Just having the occasional ball go in an unexpected direction or with
different speed or spin will force you to concentrate and make sure that you can actually
use that grooved technique and footwork under match conditions. Don't overdo it - as you
get better you can increase the amount of randomness - start small and work up.
Don't be one of those players who looks like a million dollars warming up but falls apart
once the match starts.
Recommendation #6 - Seek Professional Advice
The sixth and final recommendation is to get yourself a coach. A coach will be able to
watch you train and pick up your strengths and weaknesses much faster than you or your
training partner will be able to, since he can focus on you alone during the training. He will
be able to correct your mistakes before they become habits, and encourage you to keep
doing those things that you are doing right.
Conclusion
So there you are, a cool half-dozen ways to bring a plateau to an end (in the right
direction!). If you are in danger of flat-lining in your table tennis level, use these techniques
faithfully for a month and I'll bet dollars to donuts that you'll have improved in level by the
end of that time. And don't skip the service practice!!

3 Basic Principles of Table Tennis Strokes

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3 Basic Principles of Table Tennis Strokes

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3 Basic Principals of All Table Tennis Strokes

1. Timing—When To Touch The Ball

•There are three possible timing possibilities

2. Application of Force and Friction—How to Touch the Ball

3. Ball Contact—Where to Touch the Ball

•Most important of the 3 principals.

Definition of "Front" and "Center" of Ball

Relationship Between the “Front” of the Ball and Stroke Timing

Keep Your Eyes (and Your Mind) Open

Sean's Advice for Players

Refocus on Your Opponent

Beginners vs Advanced Players

You put your left foot in...

Basic Ready Position From Right Side

What is Good Footwork?

Footwork - the Basic Ready Position

Serve and Serve Return Footwork

All Your Base Are Belong to Us...

Basic Ready Position

Why Base Positioning?

Base Positioning - Basic(!) Concepts

• What stroke you are about to play

What Stroke You Are About to Play

What Stroke You Have Just Played

Where You Put the Ball On the Table

What Shot Your Opponent Is Likely to Play

Comfortable Angle of Play

Comfortable Angle of Play 1

Line of Play - Facing the Ball

Line of Play - Facing the Ball 1

The Neutral Position in Table Tennis

Pointing Your Bat at the Ball - The Problem

Adjusting Your Base Position 1

Adjusting Your Base Position 3

Table Tennis - Why is Returning Serve Important?

• As we discussed previously, the serve is used by smart opponents to help set up

How To Improve Your Return of Serve - Theory

How To Improve Your Return of Serve - Practical

How To Troubleshoot Your Return of Serve

Putting Your Strokes Together

Should You Stay (Calm) or Should You Go (for It)?

Arguments Against a Safety First Approach

Arguments Against an Aggressive Attitude

Serve and Return of Serve

Also Known As: crossover point, area of indecision

The Crossover Point and Power Zones

Crossover Point and Power Zones

Aim at Playing Elbow Simple Drill

Performing the Drill

Benefits of the Drill

• Serving to any location.

Player B can still practice his serve return, however.

Keeping the Ball Low - Net Post Extensions

What You Need to Make the Net Post Extensions

Making the Net Post Extensions

Backhand Serving Across the Playing Elbow Table Tennis/Ping-Pong Tactic

Backhand Serve Tactics 1 - Crossing the Playing Elbow - Right Hander

Execution of Backhand Serve Tactic - vs Right Hander

Backhand Serve Tactics 2 - Crossing the Playing Elbow - Right Hander

Backhand Serve Across the Playing Elbow 2

Backhand Serve Tactics 3 - Crossing the Playing Elbow - Right Hander

As mentioned in the previous diagram's explanation, if Player B misjudges the placement