Last updated: August 11, 2023Acquiring the necessary ping pong playing skills is not as complicated as some people make it out to be. It’s a matter of learning and understanding important ping pong tips to improve your game. Before you know it, you’re a skilled player! At the same time, you must be ready to put in the work.
Whether you’re a beginner or you’re looking to advance your playing skills, you’ve found yourself at the right place. We’ve put together the best ping pong tips and tricks you need to become a top player. Read on to learn how to get good at ping pong.
It’s not unusual for beginners to get frustrated at their poor performances at first. The good thing is, they can quickly turn things around and start winning once they hone their skills and learn some important tricks. Below, we’ll provide table tennis tips for beginners:
There’s no way you win a game of ping pong if you can’t hold the racket properly. The implication of holding the racket in the wrong way is miscuing your shots and consequently, losing. Therefore, you must learn to hold the racket properly, so that you can hit and return the ball efficiently.
Besides, investing in the best ping pong paddles for beginners can go a long way in helping you to hold the racket properly. Their blade construction, rubbers, and grip are often designed to help beginners.
You’ve probably noticed that we take practice very seriously. As the reality in other sports, there’s absolutely no way to get good at table tennis if you suck at practicing. To get the better of your opponents, you must have a practice schedule. During practice, you get to overcome weaknesses that can hamper your chances and develop skills that can help you win.
As Chen Bin, the personal coach of Ding Ning, the Olympic and World champion, told the ITTF website Trusted Source Preparation in all aspects, key to success - International Table Tennis Federation Born in Huangshi City in Hubei, Province; 50 year old Chen Bin is very much the person on whom eyes are focused for the three day training camp at the ITTF World Cadet Challenge which commenced in the Chinese city of Shanghai on Friday 21st October. www.ittf.com , preparation is key to success.
One effective way to get one over your opponent is spinning although it’s a bit difficult to learn. However, you must learn the spin if you want to beat any player that comes your way.
Moreover, learning the spin helps you to counter it. You’ll need some important ping pong spin tips: It’s a topspin when your opponent’s paddle is moving low to high and backspin when their paddle is moving high to low. Plus, it’s right sidespin when the paddle is moving left to right.
Also, you can gauge the speed of a spin by checking how quickly the logo on the ball is spinning. A blurry logo means the spin will have a greater effect, so you’ll need to be ready for it.
Additionally, it helps to have the best ping pong paddle for any style of play in your arsenal. The paddle’s construction, design, and materials will combine to provide excellent control, speed, and spin.
Another very important part of learning how to improve at ping pong is the serve. An excellent serve wins points and even the game in some cases. For that reason, we’ll give you some ping pong serve tips: Learn one serve and become very good at it. After all, you’re still a beginner. We recommend short serves because they protect you from any kind of disadvantage.
Additionally, you must learn to serve within the rules. You must strike the ball in such a way that it bounces first on your side of the table before bouncing over the net to your opponent’s side as stated on the Olympics website. Trusted Source Table tennis rules: Everything you need to know A complete guide on how to play table tennis, rules, regulations and scoring. Know the equipment, including table size and racquet along with basic laws of the game. olympics.com
You can get pretty good at playing ping pong in no time if you learn how to calculate the ball’s height. There are three common heights you should learn for easy points. Height 1 refers to when the ball has bounced and is going up. You can catch your opponent unprepared by hitting the ball just before it gets to the maximum height.
Furthermore, height 2 refers to when the ball has bounced and reached its highest point. We recommend a relaxed technique here for the perfect effect. Finally, height 3 refers to when the ball has bounced and is close to hitting the table. The forehand loop is perfect for this height as it adds additional speed and spins to the basic forehand.
One mistake you don’t want to make when playing table tennis is taking a long swing; this isn’t tennis or basketball. While a long swing leaves more room for error, a short swing gets you back in place more quickly. Plus, it lets you be more accurate and precise in the direction you want the ball to go. Except you’re performing offensive topspin shots, always go for short swings.
You probably know this life hack already: Being with like-minded people improves you. Regardless of what you do, staying connected with like-minded enthusiasts is always a sure bet to improve yourself.
Likewise, to get good at ping pong, we recommend frequenting a table tennis club where you can find better opponents that will push you to recognize your weaknesses, improve your strengths, learn new skills, and constantly aim higher.
You don’t win a game of ping pong by being static; you need your whole body to be in the game. Rotating your upper body and lowering yourself a little on the side with your paddle help to maximize the power output. Essentially, don’t let your hand do the whole work, get your whole body involved too.
Frankly, most beginners tend to lean backward to compensate for their relatively slow reaction time. However, if you want to get good at winning, you shouldn’t make that rookie error. Rather, always try to lean forward on the tip of your feet when you’re hitting the ball. This move provides you with more power because your whole body will move toward the ball during contact.
Any successful ping pong player must have great footwork. You might not need to move too much when playing amateur players. But when you meet an advanced opponent, you won’t have any choice but to move more quickly. And that, you can’t do, if your footwork is bad.
Therefore, we strongly advise that you always pay close attention to your feet while playing so you can place yourself in the perfect position to hit the ball properly.
If you’re no longer a beginner and you’re looking to advance your skills, we’ve got the right guide to help you out. Below, we’ll discuss the best advanced ping pong tips to improve your gameplay:
One of the best ways to be like the best players is to study the best players. You can’t deny the fact pro players have mastered the best skills to win them points and games. Hence, they’re great examples to follow if you want to take your game to the next level. We advise that you watch pro players frequently to learn from them and consequently, improve your game.
Table tennis is not just about hitting the ball, you also need to be tricky to catch your opponent unaware and win points as a result. The serve offers one of the best opportunities to trick your opponent. You can pretend as if your serve will be ordinary before putting a spin on the ball. There’s a huge chance your opponent won’t be expecting the spin, thus gaining you a point.
There are several other ways to deceive your competition and we advise you to learn as many tricks as possible.
When playing ping pong, you have to be ready always. Being in a good ready position helps you move quickly in any direction and catch your opponent unprepared frequently. If you want to get really good at playing table tennis, always try to speed up at the last moment to return the ball, catching your opponent off-guard.
Even though speed is a great skill to add to your arsenal, it shouldn’t make you lose your cool. Always keep your cool and be patient while playing, so that you don’t make rash decisions that can lose you the game.
When learning how to win at ping pong, you can’t leave out the place of good equipment. Instead of shopping for a cheap $10 racket, why not spend more and go for the best ping pong paddles for intermediate players? These high-quality options possess excellent blade construction and handle that can impact spin and control.
According to several reviews, the JOOLA Omega Speed Racket fits the bill. This racket features the Torrent 33 table tennis rubber that provides great control and speed to help develop your strokes.
Another top addition to your arsenal is the high-quality tournament-ready JOOLA Tour 2500 which boasts competition net and post. Plus, it’s almost preassembled with two different stand-alone halves on a trundle system. Frankly, nothing should stop you from spending more on equipment if you’re committed to taking your game to the next level.
While it can be beneficial to keep your eyes on the ball, keeping an eye on your opponent’s paddle is even more beneficial. When you keep an eye on their paddle as they return the ball, you’re able to read their spin and counter it because the ball will usually bounce off in the same direction when your racket touches it.
Remember that we said one good serve is enough for a beginner, the same advice does not apply to advanced players. As an advanced player, you should add different types of serve to your arsenal. Mixing up your serves makes you unpredictable and hard to read by your opponent.
Ping pong is not a very difficult game to play but it can get unnecessarily hard when the right work or right skills are absent. As we’ve emphasized in this article, you can’t become good at table tennis if you don’t put in the right level of work, more specifically, consistent practice. It’s during practice sessions you’re able to learn new serves and new tricks to get better at playing.
As a beginner or an advanced player, you need to keep improving your game every day. Even pros don’t rest on their oars, so you don’t get to slack if you want to get better at the game. With our comprehensive list of ping pong tips, learning how to play ping pong better is a breeze!
