How to progress in table tennis?

This is the question that many table tennis players ask themselves: How do you improve at table tennis? The NACTT has tried to answer these questions by offering you 10 tips / exercises to improve your game and win your matches !

# 1 - Review the basics

It is important to have a good grasp of the basics in order to then learn more complex strokes. You just need to make regular trades forehand on forehand or backhand on backhand. There's no point in going too fast in the rally, you have to focus more on the right touch, the right body position and the right movement .

It is essential to spend time on these regular exercises to master them correctly and to be able to learn other more technical strokes.

Table tennis in China is a perfect example, players spend many hours training on the basics of table tennis to perfect their techniques.

To know how to perform a forehand in table tennis you can watch this video:

And to achieve a backhand in table tennis:

# 2 - touchdown

In table tennis, the touch of the ball is a very important element to take into account. If you do not master the touch of the ball, it will be difficult for you to place your attacks well or to put the desired power in your rally. The touch of the ball will allow you to perform various effects, more or less pronounced, during your exchanges.

The first step in improving your touch of the ball is to feel the ball . To feel the ball, a simple exercise: take a ball, make it bounce in front of you and at the top of its bounce, come and rub it with your forehand while making a movement from the bottom to the top.

The second exercise to improve your touch of the ball will consist of a table exercise. In exchange forehand on forehand, you will adjust your power: always by rubbing the ball in forehand, (thus making a top right spin) you will rub it with a different speed. For the first ball, rub it with 30% speed. The second with 60% speed and the last at 90%. This exercise will allow you to perfectly control the speed and the touch that you want to give to the ball.

In table tennis, it is very important to control the speed and the effect that we want to put in our exchanges, this makes it possible to accelerate or slow down the game as desired during the matches.

# 3 - use your body

In table tennis, technique is important. But there is one parameter that many players overlook: the use of the body .

There are several ways you can use your body to improve your game. The first tip is to play with your legs bent and your upper body forward . This is going to put to use the weight of your body to give more engagement in your exchanges. A second tip for making the most of your body in table tennis: use your pelvis during your forehand strikes. When you are positioned parallel to the table to perform your forehand, as you strike, rotate your pelvis towards the table to add power to your strike.

By using your body during your table tennis matches, you will greatly improve your level of play and the quality of your balls .

# 4 - footwork and foot placement

Just like the body, footwork and foot placement are important factors in winning your table tennis rally.

In forehand, the placement of the feet must be shifted to best achieve a forehand attack. For a right-hander, the right leg should end up behind. For a left-hander, it will be the left leg that should end up behind.

For the backhand, the feet must be parallel to the table so as not to be hampered to perform a backhand attack.

Also check:

• the great gama
• the great Khali
• tiger woods
• Usain bolt
• Vasily Alekseev
• Viswanathan Anand
• Yuvraj Singh

Check out this video which illustrates our advice on positioning the body and legs:

# 5 - the importance of timing

This is the mistake of many table tennis players: timing. Too often, table tennis players catch the ball too late and fail to properly control the ball and put overlap on it.

In a forehand strike, the ball should be taken in front of you , not to the side or behind your body. The ball must be taken at the top of its bounce, which gives us time to position ourselves. The effect of the ball is least important at the top of its rebound.

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# 6 - train with pressure

Table tennis players often overlook an important element in training: playing with pressure .

When you train, in practice match or, remember to set yourself goals and challenges (do not make more than 10 faults, win 5 points on a serve,…). This makes it possible to put a stake, a stake that we will find in competition against opponents.

# 7 - video analysis

Video analysis is a great way to progress in your game . Filming and reviewing his matches allows the table tennis player to analyze his performances and dissect the mistakes made. It is always better to have that external perspective because sometimes it is difficult to know what was wrong during a competition.

A cell phone on a tripod may be enough!

# 8 - have a game plan

Many table tennis players do not have a game plan when competing. However, it is very important to have a tactic to anticipate blows and win your exchanges . This game plan will solicit your strengths. It is not necessary to have a ready-made game plan but to have a philosophy of play, an idea of ​​how to play your balls during the rally or when you encounter difficulties. This game plan must obviously be adapted according to the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent to win the match.

# 9 - improve your strength

It is very important to have a strong point , to work on it and improve it regularly. It is this strong point that will allow you to make the difference during your matches . 

This strong blow can be your serve, your top spin or your block for example. 

# 10 - Have fun!

Last but most important advice: have fun. Table tennis is above all a sport that we practice out of passion. There is no point in wanting to improve if first and foremost you don't enjoy kicking the ball. You shouldn't be too serious and always play with pleasure. It is this desire that will give you the motivation to improve yourself!

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