Are you looking to improve your table tennis skills? Success in table tennis requires ingenuity, aggressiveness and quick thinking. For many players, it helps to have an arsenal of tactic to go to when the game starts to get tough.
The following simple strategies can help even the weakest player snatch a victory:
Power
If you can get the ball flying at a jaw-dropping speed, you won’t need to worry about using fancier tactics. This technique is reserved for those with sufficient arm strength. Be sure that in your quest for power you don’t overshoot. It’s all about finding a healthy balance between power and accuracy. To provide opponents with a real challenge, practice returning the ball with some spin. It is unbelievable difficult to defend yourself against a serve that combines spin and power.
Vary Your Style
In table tennis is important to avoid predictability. If you use the same strokes and spin each time you hit the ball, your opponent will find defending his or her turf ridiculously easy. Varying your shots will keep opponents on their toes and make them more likely to lose control. You can hit the ball to the outside edges of the table to get your opponent working hard, or tap it lightly with your paddle so that the otherp layer has to reach way in to the net.
Adding a little spin to some of your serves may also help keep opponents on their toes. The most advanced players can get the ball going at 150 revolutions per second. It takes a lot of time and practice to achieve that kind of spin, but you can still add a little to your serves. To achieve spin, hold the racket at an angle and brush the ping pong ball instead of hitting it straight on. This will take a little practice. Once you can get some spin out of the ping pong ball, remember to keep it varied. If you use spin every time you launch the ball, opponents will quickly figure out how to defend themselves.
Weak Zones
Watch your opponent carefully to discover their weak zones on the table. When the weak zone is in the middle of the table, the player will struggle to swtich between forehanded and backhanded returns. On the other hand, if the weak zone is on the ends of the table, the player will find it difficult to cover a lot of ground. Knowing where the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents lie makes it much easier to anticipate their next moves. Anticipation is an amazing skill to have in table tennis, as it allows you to return almost any serve. If you figure out an opponent’s weak zone, you can capitalize on that knowledge for your own benefit.
Table tennis is one of the great recreational games. However, if you’re the competitive type, you may find it difficult to settle for a mediocre game of ping pong. By practicing a variety of skills and tactics, you can greatly improve your table tennis ability. To win a game, you need to be able to figure out your opponent’s weak spots and handle the ball with ease. It may not be easy, but the excitement of an intense table tennis battle is more than worth it.