Nowadays table tennis has become quite popular among people as an outdoor sport. And why not? It’s easy to set up and fun to play. It brings a movement from grey boredom to a colorful fun ambiance within a short while.
If you are reading this article, that means you’re already into the game and are looking forward to work on your skills. That’s great! You’ve arrived at the right place. Most ping-pong players don’t really understand the tactics and strategies used by their opponents. They make the mistake of serving and attacking ineffectively.
Follow these table tennis techniques and commit yourself to some extra practice and you will surely be going to play table tennis better and give your opponent a hard time.
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Table Tennis Techniques:
We’ve got some essential tips to share, but before we proceed, let’s discuss the proper equipment needed for a successful game.
If you’re prioritizing improving your ping pong skills, firstly, you’ll need to invest on a fairly nice ping pong paddle. Most recreational players assume that the all paddles are the same, but sadly, that’s not the case. In fact, this means that you’ve never encountered the right ping pong paddle.
Using the proper ping pong paddle is highly important. It’s a spin game and that the paddle allows you to generate quite a lot of spins. So, it’s vital that you find a decent ping pong paddle that will allow you to use the correct strokes and techniques and not just a tap-tapping pong game. Once you have your ideal ping pong paddle, benefit yourself from these following tips:
Disclaimer: Please don’t get us wrong and assume that winning is everything and that the game is all about destroying the opponent. Our sole intention is to give everyone some little tips and enhance their knowledge than they already have.
1. Practice Consistently:
Firstly, we’d split people into two types: the attackers and the defenders.
How would you define your table tennis style? Aggressive or passive? Or as an easier definition, do you try to win a point with your own killer shots or through your opponent’s mistakes?
Well, your answer doesn’t quite make a difference. As a recreational player, all you need is to practice consistently and regularly. Just make sure that you can keep the ball on the table for longer than your opponent can. Most of the time, people try to impress with huge smashes and risky shots at a beginner level. But you know what we’d call that? We’d say it’s a “minus EV”.
This means that for every wonder shot you get on the table, it may be winning you points now, but you’re probably missing twice as much. You’ll get the tag of an impressive player but eventually, lose. Try to have control over your shots and don’t worry even if you hit the ball too hard. It’s all pretty straightforward. Focus on aiming your shots at three spots on your opponent’s side.
2. Become an Expert in the Basics:
Like any other game, the key to becoming an expert in ping pong is mastering the art of basics. Most players do know the tips and tricks, but they fail to get along well with some basic practices that will help them go a long way. Take all the time you need to learn how you can get a hold of the paddle properly, how and when you should move your feet and what are some of the different types of spin effects. Identify your inabilities and keep practicing until it starts to become your strength.
3. Vary Your Serves While Serving:
Are you aware that your opponent’s side of the table can be divided into nine squares? Make use of those squares by making the ball land in different places with every time you serve. It’s just another one of those tricks. Sometimes even some advanced players make the mistake of serving at the same place over and over again. You are one step ahead in the game if you can keep your opponent guessing.
If you can easily make them move for the ball, they will move from their position, and you can serve the ball into their previous position. Of course, do play along with the speed of the ball too whether it’s a long or short serve with the spin and height of the ball too. When you mix and match these tactics, you’ll surprise your opponent and win yourself points. While playing casually, don’t be afraid to try new moves. Give your opponent a hard time! These table tennis techniques may even help you to get the lead in critical times.
4. Eyes should be on the movement of the ball, not on the opponent:
This is probably the most common mistake that you do. You judge your opponent instead of the ball, while your opponent takes note of the ball’s movements and surprise you in return. Alternatively, what you could do is surprise your opponent, make them move, make them think that the ball has a certain spin, whereas it has a completely different spin.
Stay very focused, balanced and stable and observe the pong ball very closely. Do not move a bit until your opponent touches the ball with their paddle. Don’t crowd the table or else they will serve very fast right at you and win points. Try to use a short stroke and rest the ball to the middle of the table. Do keep in mind that you’ll learn to improve your skills on returning better shots as your judgment improves. In the beginning, you might miss most of the shots, but it will get better with consistent practice. There’s nothing better than giving back your opponent what they were about to give you and observing if they can handle it.
5. Possibly attack their serves:
Just like we mentioned, vary your serves. In that case, your opponent would also try to surprise you with spins and placements, which will be beneficial for you. You can’t possibly let them dominate the game. Make it interesting. They might drive you crazy but returning back to them as weak would just mean them winning the match. Therefore, learn from your mistakes and try to make improvements from them. For instance, even a high hit on the ball can force a mistake if the other person is not expecting it.
To make things interesting, step in close to the ball and pretend that you’re going to thrust the ball short. At the last moment, roll your paddle in and up and over direction – a small flip motion will float the ball right at your opponents. It may look like an easy ball, but in reality, it’s not that easy to hit it back effectively. Overall, try to keep the service return positive and fun, maintaining harmony by making sure that the other guy does not dominate the match.
6. Heavy Backspin:
This is by far one of the easiest table tennis techniques to win points in a ping pong game whereby you have to force your opponent to place the ball into the net. You can only achieve this if you master the art of whipping up heavy backspin. Most recreational players usually hit balls that have either very little topspin or no spin at all. This is a long-term training and has turned into a habit.
Adding heavy backspin during a match will leave your opponent clueless.
All you need to do is slice entirely underneath the ball, which experts would name it as a push. Surely, this is not possible if you’re using just one of those readymade paddles. Instead, trying to slice under the ball with an unprofessional paddle will simply slide straight over the rubber. A proper paddle with a tacky rubber will grip the ball and return back to the opponent with a heavy load of backspin. When a typical stroke is used by your opponent to hit this backspin, the ball is likely to get stuck into the net. If you can generate enough backspin, their return shot might even hit their own side of the table. Backspins are definitely a great way to increase your chances to win a match!
7. Employ Different Heights:
There are three different heights in a ping-pong game. Height 1 is when the ball has rebounded and is its way up. Use a bit of backswing coupled with a quick, short stroke to hit the ball at its maximum height. This has the impact of getting the other player unprepared of their next shot for which you’re most likely to win the point.
Height 2 is when the ball bounces and reaches its highest point. At that point, we’d suggest you use a very relaxed technique for the utmost effect. This is where the flat shots are best performed.
Height 3 is after the ball bounces and is about to hit the table. In order to combat this shot, you’ll need a large forearm swing before its effects. Forehand loops are considered to the most effective at this level of height.
8. Keep Your Moves Short, Unless Necessary:
You may have gotten used to taking longer swings while playing golf or basketball, but in the case of ping pong, a shorter swing brings in more victory. That’s because a longer swing allows for more mistakes to take place and it takes you out of action for more than required. Both your backhand and your forehand should be short and powerful for you to get back in action as fast as you can. Additionally, a shorter swing enables you to be more precise on your shots, having more room for accuracy in whichever direction you want the ball to move. We’d advice on using longer swings only when you know that you are going to perform aggressive topspin shots.
9. Aim for Low Returns:
Always remember that the lower you keep the pong ball in relation to the net, the more challenging it is going to be for your opponent to counter with different types of moves. Furthermore, aim to keep the ball at the farthest possible point at the edge of your opponent’s table. By doing so, he or she will be forced to step backward but may not have the proper reflexes to do so, winning you another point!
10. Keep Calm and Remain Patient:
Ping pong is just as psychological as physical. If it’s your first few times into this game, you often try to smash the ball every time it comes on to your end. Be patient and persistent. Wait for your opponent to return the ball too high or when he or she doesn’t have a good spin. While waiting for
the right moment, make sure that your strokes are quick, short and powerful and that the ball doesn’t go very high over the net.
Don’t lose your temper even if it has been quite a while for you making several mistakes in a row. Brace yourself, visualize winning the exact next point and look for opportunities where you can improve or switch your strategies and try to find the scope where you can apply these table tennis techniques. If you pause in between your match, make use of that time to think about your service strategy and the upcoming return shots.
11. Trick Your Opponent:
Of course, that’s what we’ve been mentioning all this while and again, to bring it into your notice about how important it is to trick your opponent, here’s some more advice. Don’t always serve with as much as spin possible. Sometimes, you should fake a spin just to trick your opponent, whereas, in reality, it is hardly a spin. You can even do this for one of those backspins serves for example. Swing your paddle normally and make it come in contact with the ball at the base of your paddle. By doing so, your opponent is likely to get the expectations of a heavy backspin. However, the ball will reciprocate high over the net, making it easier for you to make points. This table tennis technique is tricky but make some extra points for you.
12. Try to Hit with Your Whole Body:
Don’t just hit the ball with your arm when you’re about to perform a forehand stroke. Maximize this output by rotating your upper body and lowering yourself a little bit on the side with your paddle. This is the similar kind of instruction that you’ll see coaches give to boxers. Strike the ball from your hips, and it’s going to be tremendously powerful. We bet!
13. Speed up at the Last Moment:
This works best when you’re about to topspin the ball when it already has a backspin. Start by relaxing your hand, keeping it low near your knee. Move your paddle in a motion of upward and just bring an ashtonishing climax at the last part; accelerate quickly and stop right there. Imagine how you would use a whip, it’s the same concept. The paddle will affect the ball at a readily heavy speed and that, therefore, will simply lift the ball over the net.
14. Work on Your Footwork:
Footwork is feasibly the most important feature of table tennis. You may seem to enjoy beating your opponent without having to move too much, but when you are faced with an even better player, you’ll have no option to stand at one place for long. By moving yourself, you’ll place yourself in the best position to strike the ball. Standing still in one position and just twisting your arm will result in a sub-par shot, which you are likely to miss altogether. We hope now you know why you keep hitting the ball with only the sides of the paddle.
15. Move Forward:
Always try to lean forward, on the tips of your feet, when returning a shot. This is one of the pro moves that you could have and will also prevent you from leaning backward for your opponent’s slower reaction. Nonetheless, it will give you more power as your whole body would be putting strength into moving the ball.
Basic FAQs of Ping Pong Game:
You might enjoy ping pong occasionally, but are you sure that you know every rules and regulation? If you don’t have enough patience to start the game, then go through the FAQs to get the game easily. Let’s dive in!
Generally, a ping-pong game is played until one of the players score 11 points or if the difference between the points is two after the score was tied (10:10). It used to be played until 21 when the rules changed in 2001 by the ITTF.
It’s usually a best of any odd number of games; specifically, 3, 5, 7. however, most people play five games.
Each player gets two serves, and it keeps alternating until one of the players scores 11 points, except when there is a deuce (10:10). Only then each player gets one serve, and it keeps alternating until one of the players get a two-point lead.
If you’re playing singles, you just need to strike the ball so that it passes over the net and rests on your opponent’s half of the table. In the case of doubles, the ball needs to hit the right field of your opponent’s half.
If you are the one who’s serving, you will need to place yourself behind the end line of the ping pong table, and the ball needs to be visible and above the table surface. The receiver can stand wherever they feel comfortable. So, it’s perfectly alright to serve them from outside the sideline of the table, given that the ball remains behind the end line at the start of the serve. It has not been that of a popular move because it puts the server out of place for the rest of the rally.
If you touch the table surface with free hands (the one with which you are not holding the paddle) during a rally, your opponent gets awarded a point automatically. This is also relevant if you move the table with anything you are carrying or wearing during the rally.
Simply put, you should never hit the ball if it didn’t touch your side of the table. This shot is usually known as “obstruction” or valley, and it’s a complete illegal shot in ping pong.
Just to break it down more and make it easier for you to remember, let’s put it this way: you’re not to strike the ball while it’s on its way to the table. If you obstruct the way of the ball (whether with your paddle or any part of your body), your opponent automatically wins the point.
Whereas, if you hit the ball after it had already crossed the end line of the table, you’ll be awarded the point since your opponent could not make the ball hit your side of the at first. In any way, you shouldn’t do this altogether and, in that way, you wouldn’t hit the ball.
Final Words:
We are aware of how the table tennis rules can sometimes be a little daunting. Hence, we have just scratched the surface in this article. We’re sure you must have learned your own tricks and tactics for winning points. And we believe that the table tennis techniques mentioned above are fundamental and a very good start to your ping pong career.
Since we made it our mission to help fellow ping pong enthusiasts understand every bit of the game, stay tuned with us! And in the meantime, keep on practicing. Remember, consistent practice is the king! Leave your own tricks and tactics in the comments below and help others benefit from them too!
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