Table Tennis Training with a Robot

Top rated table tennis athletes dedicate a significant amount of time to training. They understand the benefit of putting in hours of practice time and know that the players at the top of the game are there because of their commitment to training. Athletes will generally train with a partner, coach, or training robot. Repetition is a good way to isolate any mistakes that need to be corrected. Repeatedly practicing the same stroke, such as your backhand or your table tennis serve, will enable a player to get a feel for the correct way to respond to the ball.

Backhand training is an essential aspect of any training program. Without a solid backhand, an athlete will find it difficult to advance beyond an intermediate level of play. A number of coaches believe the backhand push is one of the first strokes a player should learn. This stroke can stop your opponent from making an attacking stroke against you.

Try to make your shot short over the net, resulting in two bounces before the ball reaches your opponent. To prepare for the backhand push, position yourself close to the table and face the line of play. Your racket arm will move from the elbow in a short stroke while your free arm points towards the ball, helping you to keep your balance. Return the ball when it is at its highest point using half of your stroke action before striking the ball and half after making contact. Hitting the ball on the back bottom area will give a small amount of backspin.

Another aggressive stroke intended to prevent your opponent from attacking is the backhand drive. This shot is a good return when your opponent’s serve approaches you with height or depth. To stop your opponent, try to make sure your shot lands next to your opponent’s sideline or baseline.  To prepare for this stroke, position yourself close to the table and face the line of play. Move your racket arm forward and slightly up towards the direction the ball will travel. Point your free arm towards the ball to help maintain balance. Keep your racket angle slightly closed and your wrist loose in order to create topspin when you move your arm forward. Strike the ball at its highest point using half of your stroke action before striking the ball and half after making contact.

The backhand loop is another stroke used to prevent your opponent from attacking. When you first attempt the backhand loop you should position yourself close to the table, facing the line of play. Once you get comfortable with the backhand loop, you will be able to stand further from the table, giving yourself additional reaction time to respond to your opponent’s serve. The backhand loop stroke utilizes a medium stroke speed. Move your racket forward and up in the direction you want the ball to travel. Keep your free arm pointed toward the ball to help you maintain your balance and assist with your body turn. Use all three joints of your racket arm to create maximum spin. Push strongly with your legs to put emphasis on your body movement. Keep racket angle slightly closed to add topspin. Keeping your wrist loose will help to generate additional spin. Strike the ball when it is at its highest point, exerting half of your stroke action before hitting the ball and the other half after you strike. Direct your hit so that the ball lands by your opponent’s sideline or baseline.

Many training materials exist to help you make the most of your game. Whichever training method you decide to try it is important to remain positive and practice regularly. Focus on the strokes that turn out well and train yourself to remember what you did that resulted in the successful stroke. Do not waste energy dwelling on mistakes. Enjoy yourself, focus, commit, and you will find your table tennis skills improving.

Popularity: 50%

The basic rules of casual table tennis are quite simple; two or four players hit a ball back and forth over a net. Points are earned when an opponent fails to return the ball. The first side to score eleven points, with a two point lead, is declared the winner. Once players decide to play at a more competitive level, the rules become more complex and are enforced with more consistency. In an effort to keep the game fair, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) constantly reviews and makes changes to the rules. For the most up-to-date guidelines be sure the visit the ITTF website.

A player’s racket must be black on one side and red on the other. This is true whether the player is using rubber on one side or both sides of their blade. Rubber sheets must be approved by the ITTF. These are authenticated by having both the ITTF logo and the manufacturer’s logo or trademark visible on the blade, typically above the handle. The rubber must be free of tears and chips that could significantly affect game play. Tears and chips may be acceptable as long as they do not impact the way the ball plays after it hits the imperfection in question. The umpire of the match has the discretion to determine if a rubber is legal or illegal. If you challenge his ruling the referee will make the final decision about eligibility. Once your table tennis racket is selected for a match, you cannot change rackets unless it becomes badly damaged, at which point you will need permission to make a substitution. When a change is made after a game has started, you will be required to present the new racket for review by your opponent and the umpire.

The net used for a match must consistently measure 15.25 cm above the playing surface from one end of the net to the other. The bottom of the net should be as close to the playing surface as possible. The ends of the net should be as close to the supporting posts as possible. The playing surface is to be rectangular and measure 2.74m long and 1.525m wide. It is to be positioned horizontally 76cm above the floor. The playing surface can be constructed of any material as long as it yields a uniform bounce of approximately 23cm when a table tennis ball is dropped onto the table from a height of 30cm. The playing surface must be uniformly dark colored with white side lines and must have a matte finish.

A regulation table tennis ball must be a sphere with a diameter of 40mm. It must weigh 2.7g. Balls are to be constructed of celluloid or similar plastic material. They can be orange or white but must have a matte finish.

Official rules specify that the winner of a match is the player who wins three out of five games. To be proclaimed the winner of a game, a player must score eleven points and have a two point lead. A point is awarded if a player’s opponent does not make a good service or a good return; if after a good service or good return, the ball touches anything other than the net assembly before being hit by the opponent; if the ball goes beyond his end line and does not touch the court after being hit by the opponent; if the opponent obstructs the ball or double hits the or hits with a side of the racket with a surface that does not meet requirements; if the opponent or anything the opponent wears or carries moves the playing surface or touches the net assembly; if the opponent’s free hand touches the playing surface while the ball is in play; or if the doubles opponent strikes the ball out of the sequence that was established by the first server and first receiver. No point is awarded if the rally results in a let. A let results when a ball is served and the other player and his partner, if playing doubles, are not ready and do not attempt to hit the ball; a ball that is served well hits the net assembly; if failure to successfully complete a service or return is the result of a disturbance which is outside of the player’s control; or if play is interrupted by the umpire or referee.

Each player serves two points in a row before serving position changes. If a game is tied with a score of 10-10, each player will serve one point before serving position changes. After each game the players change table sides. In the final game, players rotate sides when the first player earns five points. For a serve to be considered legal the ball must remain above the level of the playing surface and in view of the server’s opponent. The ball must rest in the server’s stationary palm and be tossed in the air at least six inches before being struck. The ball can only be struck when it is on the way down from the toss and must be struck so that it first bounces on the server’s side and then the opponent’s side. If a serve is not legal the umpire can call a fault against the server. The umpire is not required to issue a warning but if they do, they will only issue one.

Want to train to be the best table tennis player you can be?  Consider adding a table tennis robot to your table tennis training regimen.  When you have a robot to practice with, you will always have a partner, and your partner will always challenge you to be a better player.  View our videos to the right and visit Table Tennis Bargains for more information on how to take your training to the next level!

Popularity: 65%

The following tip comes from US Table Tennis Champion Eric Owens.

When playing a point, always keep your racket up high and on top of the ball. This will save a lot of time and will be very effective because the vast majority of shots during a point are topspin in nature. It is ok to drop the racket when looping or lifting underspin; in fact, it is a necessity. But once you have lifted that first underspin, the rest of the point will consist of topspin balls.  So keep that racket up high and on top of the ball.

Thanks Eric!

Popularity: 43%

Popularity: 34%

Switching From Hardbat to Sponge Rubber – Question #4: Part 2

By Larry Thoman

This series of blog posts consists of questions about table tennis accessories that have been asked of some of the experts and the corresponding answers those experts gave.

QUESTION #4 Part 2:

There is a problem though. I looked around for 1.5mm Flextra, but it seems Butterfly doesn’t sell any thing in 1.5mm anymore. The thinnest Flextra is 1.7mm. I tried to look around for other low speed/spin rubber and it seems Juic Dany III sells in 1.5mm, but I don’t know whether it has similar characteristics as Flextra. Should I stay with Flextra and play 1.7mm or would you recommend something similar from another brand in 1.5mm?

Regarding  the blade, I have three all round Butterfly blades in mind—please suggest which one will suit me best:

Grubba Pro (ALL-). It has the most control of all Butterfly blades, relatively slower, oversized and the product description fits my mostly-close-to-table style—”Excellent for touch blocks, high-spin loops at the table, consistent mid-range play and the chop game from long distances”. Cons: is it too slow?

2)        Andrzej Grubba (ALL+). Allround blade described as good for everything. Lightest/thinnest Butterfly wood—I liked the lightness of thin hardbats, and generally have always preferred lighter equipment in all sports I played.

3)        Primorac (OFF-). Supposedly the most popular Butterfly beginner wood, considered all-round by most even though rated OFF- by Butterfly. Some people suggested that since this is a tad faster than the Grubbas, I would probably like playing with it for a much longer time. Cons: Heaviest & least control among the three. Too fast for me?

For more table tennis accessories tips and options, visit www.tabletennis.com.

Popularity: 33%

Switching From Hardbat to Sponge Rubber – Question #4: Part 1

By Larry Thoman

This series of blog posts consists of questions about table tennis accessories that have been asked of some of the experts and the corresponding answers those experts gave.

QUESTION #4 Part 1:

I am trying to locate a coach or clinic or something—but it is proving difficult in my city (Pittsburgh). A friend has loaned me Scott Priess’ training video. I’m trying to learn about footwork and returning to “ready” position after a shot. I chose this as my first task because I figure I can do it while playing with my current recreational paddle. Your reply was extremely helpful—especially your explanations of different types of rubbers and why I should use a less tacky soft rubber for my transition to inverted.

I had the pleasure to meet Dan Seemiller yesterday at my local club (before I read your reply) and asked him the same questions. He suggested I use plain Sriver 1.7mm on both sides on ANY blade I feel comfortable holding—his opinion was that blade is not as important as rubber and that I would get used to the extra speed & tackiness of Sriver pretty fast. I have received similar advice from several other people at the club.

However, I felt that this advice, though well meaning, is very generic and does not take my particular problems into account. After reading your email, I am now feeling much more comfortable about why I should use Flextra and not Sriver. I have received the exact same advice (using Flextra) from Scott Gordon of hardbat.com. More over, since rubber inevitably needs to be changed with time, I can upgrade to Sriver for my next rubber if I need to.

For more table tennis accessories tips and options, visit www.tabletennis.com.

Popularity: 26%

Switching From Hardbat to Sponge Rubber – Question #4: Part 1

By Larry Thoman

This series of blog posts consists of questions about table tennis accessories that have been asked of some of the experts and the corresponding answers those experts gave.

QUESTION #4 Part 1:

I am trying to locate a coach or clinic or something

Popularity: 24%

Switching From Hardbat to Sponge Rubber – Answer to Q#2: Part 3

By Larry Thoman

This series of blog posts consists of questions about table tennis accessories that have been asked of some of the experts and the corresponding answers those experts gave.

ANSWER to Q#2 Part 3:

Do not use speed glue at this stage of development. Regular rubber cement should be used to attach the rubbers to the blade. If you only want to buy a single racket, then I would stay with my recommendation of an all-round type of blade covered in 1.5mm high control style inverted rubber (Flextra would be best, Sriver FX would be acceptable but not ideal). Please be aware that regardless of the type of inverted you choose, you will be much more susceptible to the effects of spin on your rubber than you were with hard rubber. I would stay away from “tacky” inverted rubbers like Tackifire and Tackiness. Their grippiness will only make the transition more difficult.

The last problem you have to deal with is altering your strokes from hard rubber to inverted. This is where the real work begins. It would help tremendously to have a knowledgeable coach to guide the transition process and demonstrate correct form. In addition to a coach, studying instructional books and tapes or learning from online coaching resources will help tremendously. (Our Coaching Forum contains many good articles.) Shadow stroking at home is a time-proven, low-cost method to speed up the learning process.

If you want to buy an instructional book or tape, be sure they were published at least after 1990 to make sure you get instruction that is not outdated. Some more recent publications include:

• Table Tennis From A to Z by Dimosthenis E. Messinis
• Table Tennis, Steps to Success by Larry Hodges
• Table Tennis 2000: Technique With Vladimir Samsonov by Radivoj Hudetz

But even with a coach, you must spend as much time practicing as possible. I would forget about playing games entirely at this stage. I recommend you concentrate fully on perfecting your form and “grooving” your new strokes. Worrying about winning or losing will only slow your progress; worry about that after you have gotten through this initial transition stage. Regular robot and/or multi-ball drills will help speed up your progress because of the large number of balls you get to return in a short period of time. If playing with a human practice partner, work on consistency first and keep the ball in play with fluid, firm strokes. Power is always developed after your medium strokes become consistent.

For more table tennis accessories tips and options, visit www.tabletennis.com.

Popularity: 23%

Popularity: 27%

Modern Table Tennis Styles – Part 8 – The Close to the Table Defender

By Richard McAfee, USATT International Coach

This series of articles will provide you with the strengths and weaknesses of each style, along with some suggested robot drills to help you develop your game. In reading the descriptions you may find that your personal style will have attributes from more than one. However, you should be able to recognize your dominant style (”A” style) and your secondary style (”B” style). Each article will also give you some suggestions on tactics to use against the other styles of play. Hopefully the style descriptions will serve as a guide in analyzing your own.

Part 8 – The Close to the Table Defender

Description:

This style is built around a chop/block executed from close to the table. Players of this style most often use combination rackets with long-pips or anti-spin on one side and inverted rubber on the other. Players of this style use underspin blocks to force weak topspin shots from their opponents. They will then attack the weak topspin with a well-placed drive or loop. This style is often the master of placement but lacks real finishing power.

Strengths:

• Very consistent close-to-the-table chop/blocks.
• Excellent serve and receive game.
• Very accurate forehand drives.
• Excellent short game using pushes and drop shots.
• The ability to absorb their opponent’s strong opening shots.
• Often use the speed and spin of oncoming shots to make their returns stronger.

Weaknesses:

• No real power.
• High looping balls directed to the backhand.
• Hard balls directed towards the wide forehand.
• No spin serves, loops, and pushes will often cause errors.

For more ping pong tips and training opportunities, visit TableTennis.com.

Popularity: 22%