Table Tennis Guide for Beginners

February 27, 2020

Just like in any sport, it takes time to master the techniques and learn to execute them confidently in table tennis. There are ten different strokes that any beginner in table tennis should know.

Table Tennis Strokes

There are 10 table tennis strokes that beginners should understand. These are the 10 commandments or the ten fundamental shots that any table tennis player will play in his game.

Forehand drive technique
Backhand topspin close to the table
Forehand push and backhand push
Forehand flick
Backhand flick
Backhand loop the underspin ball
Forehand attack the semi-long ball
Learn Forehand fast serve
Forehand pendulum serve
Backhand sidespin serve

Once you learn these strokes, the next thing to do is follow the best practices which help you to be a good player. There is a difference between a successful player and a good player. A good player is the one who enjoys the game whereas a successful player is the one who plays to win over the opponent.

Table Tennis Techniques

If you are starting out in the sport, these fundamental tips may be helpful to you:

If you are passionate about table tennis and want to join a table tennis training center to get better, I’d recommend joining a sports academy in JLT and other locations in Dubai.

Find a partner to practice

The best way to develop your game is to find a partner to practice with. Sure, practising on the walls helps, but you cannot improve your strategy-making skill out of it.

Practice different ball-spinning techniques

Ball spinning is the trick many professionals rely on when it comes to trick their opponents. When you learn to play initially, you will spend hours hitting the ball one-bounce on the wall. You could do different kinds of practice. A warm-up of 30 minutes with all the basic strokes such as counter-hits and top-spins on both sides. Pushes and placement of those pushes. Then you could combine to play one fore-hand and one back-hand. Just be as creative as possible.

To get the feel of the ball on your racket and to get control, you need to practice and practice. You will and you should commit mistakes. People will point it out and you may feel extremely out of sorts. But that’s the signal that you will turn the corner eventually.

Strengthen your legs

Leg power is instrumental in improving your agility which, in turn, helps you improve your game. Do leg exercises such as frog jumps and squat walks to strengthen your legs. Footwork is key to making progress and sustaining excellence in TT. Players must learn to move to the ball, rather than reach for the ball.

Watch and Improve

The more duration of table tennis you watch, the more you will feel compelled to try it out at the table. You need not understand tactics and everything initially, you just have to watch and mirror them on the table.
Additionally, one of the best ways to improve your anticipation skills is to play with different people. When you play with different people, you get to understand the varieties of techniques and strategies other players use.

Onkar Bhanarkar