In today’s article, we are going to talk about a few ping pong techniques made especially for beginners to cover all the sections of the game. These well-designed tactics for beginners or you can say practice menu will develop your game fast.
(There is a downloadable 2 hours practice routine provided down in the article. Don’t miss that out.)
Techniques/practice methods
Develop a sense of playing and spinning
For those who started table tennis, it is a good idea to begin training by developing the senses. By incorporating play into your daily practice menu, you can improve your table tennis speed.
The important sensations of table tennis are the “feeling of flipping” and the “sensation of applying rotation.” Introducing a game where you can easily learn these two sensations.
Develop the sensation of flipping the ball up and down on the racket to cultivate the sensation of playing, and when you get used to it, rub the bottom of the ball and rev up to develop the sensation of spinning.
One course
When learning a new technique, iterative practice is important. This is the same whether you are a beginner or an advanced player. One-course repetitive practice is the basis of the technique in table tennis.
The one-course practice menu is an indispensable practice in the basics. However, it is not recommended to practice only one course.
Let’s mix more complicated practice menus even if you are a beginner who started from junior high school or you are not used to it.
By touching various practice menus at the beginning, you can clearly identify your strengths and weaknesses and speed up your progress.
Forecross and Fore Straight
One-course practice at forecross is the most basic practice menu. It’s a foreground discussion before the match.
If you are a beginner, first of all, let’s aim for a stable rally with forecross. Once you are used to the forecross, let’s practice the fore straight one course.
Back cross / back straight
If the rally continues on the forecross and forestraight, switch to the back this time. Backhand cross. And let’s add straight one-course practice to the menu.
It may be said that this backhand practice menu is what the beginner stumbles on first. It’s important to do repeated exercises first so that you don’t feel uncomfortable.
Tsutsuki’s one course
It is a must for beginners as it is used a lot in games and is easy to learn.
Let’s improve Tsutsuki with one-course practice. Starting from the lower rotary serve.
Shorten the rally and continue with one-course practice
If the forehand and backhand one-course seem tough, do not continue, shorten the distance and practice. By gradually increasing the distance, you can get the knack of rallying.
Dividing the course
When the one-course rally continues, let’s add “course selection” to the practice menu.
If you can beat the course, you will have more control over the ball. Even beginners want to clear the course practice menu as soon as possible. The reason is that if you can separate the course, the ball will be stable.
Two points
The opponent’s foreside and backside are alternately returned. You will not change your standing position, only the course you hit.
Divide by 3 points
Practice with three points: foreside, middle, and backside. You will be able to divide the course more finely.
Try changing the length and height
It is also recommended to include long, short, high, and low course classifications in the practice menu.
For example, hitting short balls and long balls in the forehand, and hitting high balls and low balls in the forehand. It is also possible to combine the courses that I am not good at creating an original practice menu.
Footwork practice
Once you have mastered the control of the ball, it’s time to combine footwork. Footwork practice is a practice menu where you strike while changing the strike position.
It’s a practice menu that uses feet, so it’s pretty tiring.
2 point footwork
Have a person with a ball hit the fore and back alternately. Move the ball while moving between the fore and back positions.
3 point footwork
Practice to get the ball out to three points: fore, middle, and back. Move the three points in order and return the ball. Fore → Middle → Back → Middle → Fore
Burdening
If the footwork practice continues without error, gradually increase the load. You can train your footwork more effectively by shortening the feel of the ball and increasing the load by increasing the range of movement.
Two person can also practice footwork at the same time
You can increase the number of people practicing to two while leaving the ball alone. For example, with 2-point footwork, one person hits the fore and back, and then falls back. Then the other person hits fore and back.
By practicing around the person, you can practice footwork at the same time. It is also possible for three people to practice at the same time using three-point footwork.
Foreback switching practice
As its name suggests, it is a practice menu to switch between forehand and backhand and return the ball. It is a practice that is more like a real battle.
However, If you stumbled backhand. Especially when it came to switching, you may got confused and struggle.
Practice switching between both hands
Ask the fore side and the back to throw the ball on the side. The forehand side returns the ball with a forehand. The back side returns with a backhand.
Back & wrap around fore
The ball is only on the back side. Alternately, “return ball with back” and “turn around and return ball with fore”.
More practices
One is a cross and one is a straight return. Returning ball while switching between fore and back. Swap crosses and straights, separated by time. Estimated time is 5 to 10 minutes.
Practice switching with 3 points
There are 3 balls, fore, middle and back. The ball on the fore side is a forehand return ball. The middle ball is a forehand or backhand ball. The back ball will be returned with the backhand.
It is a practice menu that you can switch and footwork at the same time.
3 points to jump
There are two balls on the back side and one on the fore side. The first ball on the back side is returned with a backhand. The second ball wraps around and returns in the forehand. The third ball jumps and returns in the forehand.
It’s a more realistic practice menu.
Random practice
This is a practice menu where you can play balls randomly without specifying a course. It is a more realistic practice menu that is closer to the actual game. If you are doing only one course, you may get stuck in the random practice menu.A word from the former table tennis clubRandom exercises that require a quick decision. Instantaneous power is acquired.
Foreground only random
Ask the player to randomly return balls by focusing on the opposite side (right half of the table). All hit balls will be returned in the forehand.
Random fore in the backhand one course
During the backhand-to-backhand one-course practice, we sometimes ask the fore side to return the ball. Return it to the forehand and return to the back one course.
It is a practice menu that you do not know when the fore will come.
Random with both hands
Ask the opponent to randomly return a ball with your backhand. I return the ball of the course that comes randomly while switching between the forehand and the backhand. Collect the balls in your opponent’s backhand.
Multiball practice
The multi-ball practice is a practice menu where you can hit a large number of balls in a short time. This is a practice I would like to recommend especially to junior high school students and beginners who are still immature in skills and need repetitive practice.
The person in charge of the ball will prepare a large number of balls aside. Continue to throw the ball continuously. Even if the opponent makes a mistake, the ball continues to play. It’s a knocking practice in baseball.
Let’s overcome the courses you are not good at and the methods you are not good at by repeating exercises with multiball practice.
The combination with footwork practice also matches well. Drive practice of downward rotation is also suitable for multi-ball practice.
Serve practice
It is a practice menu that can be done by one person. You can improve your skills by practicing a good balance between your own good serve and poor serve.
When practicing a serve, it is recommended that you practice the task of strengthening. For example, strengthen the shorter lower rotation serve and strengthen the longer knuckle serve.
When aiming at the course in the serve practice, it will be easier to aim if there is any target.
Receive practice
If you cannot return the receive, you cannot develop the match. Have the serve you think you are not good at and strengthen the receive.
The point that beginners can improve is to gradually advance the practice menu. At first, we have the same course, the same serve, and repeat exercises.
“Same course, same serve” → “Course is random and same serve” → “Course and serve are random”. So let’s gradually improve the level of practice.
3rd ball practice
The third ball attack is an important scoring pattern in the match.
Your own serve (1st ball), your opponent’s receive (2nd ball), and return to your receive (3rd ball).
The third ball when you have the right to serve can be said to be a chance of scoring because you can predict the opponent’s way out to some extent depending on the serve you play.
By adding such a third-ball attack to the practice menu, you can increase your score in the match.
Lower rotation serve (1st ball), receive with Tsutsuki (2nd ball), return with drive (3rd ball)
Give a lower rotation serve and have the opponent return with Tsuttsuki (down rotation). Return a ball to the Tsutsuki with a drive. It is a practice menu assuming that you will attack the third ball.
Initially, the receive is designated as one course. Next, it is also an effective practice menu to gradually improve the level, such as randomizing the receive course.
4th ball from the receive
Just like the third ball on the serve, the fourth ball on the receive has an important scoring pattern. The following is an example of the practice menu for the fourth attack.
Lower rotation serve (1st ball), receive with Tsutsuki (2nd ball), return with Tsutsuki (3rd ball), attack with drive (4th ball).
Task practice
This is a menu that focuses on your own tasks. Courses that you are not good at, pitches that you are not good at, serve that you are not good at, etc. Focus on overcoming your weaknesses.
In addition, it is effective to practice the tasks not only in areas where you are not good, but in areas where you are good at.
Match format
Match-style practice menu starting with serve. By scoring points, you can feel more excited and practice in a more game-like manner.
One game match is acceptable, and there are also cases where the match is short, such as a five-point match or a three-point match.
Elevator
It is a match-type practice practiced by multiple people. The more you win, the higher the stage goes up. You can arrange multiple table tennis tables and play a game on each table.
The person who wins the game moves to the next table. The losing person moves in the opposite direction. The one who won the top stage remains the same. Those who lost on the bottom stage are still there.
It’s a practice menu aiming for the top stage.
King game
This is also a match-style practice performed by multiple people (3 to 4 person). Unlike the elevator method, only one is used.
First, select one king among the participants. Others will be challengers. The king and one of the challengers will play a two-point match.
If the King wins, the King will continue to play the match. If the challenger wins, the challenger becomes the new king, and the losing king is in line with the challenger.
Exercise menu for non-beginners
Fore drive repeated hits
The more you start out as a beginner, the more likely you have to drive in a match. For beginners, the ball that was returned with a forehand (no rotation) is basically returned with a fore drive (upward rotation).
Therefore, you need a practice menu to enhance foredrive.
First, one-course practice of fore drive and block. Next time, I think it’s good to add some changes to the practice menu, such as two foredrive hits.
Block the third ball with both hands
In the game when you start as a beginner, the concern would be How to prevent the attack, but as the level rises, How to defend when being attacked becomes the point.
In other words, you need a practice menu to defend your opponent’s third-ball attack.It is a practice to have the opponent hit the third ball (drive) and return that attack in blocks.
Since it is a practice menu that requires lower rotation serve, Tsutsuki, and blocks, it can be said that it is exactly a beginner’s practice menu.
Robbing vs Smash
One is in charge of lobing, and the other is in charge of smash. The robbing player will continue to return the smash. The smashing player will continue to hit the smash.
The difficulty is that you can’t do it in tight spaces. It’s a practice menu that you need to play in a gymnasium, etc., where the space is rather large and the ceiling is high.
Practice schedule example
Above, I have introduced the practice menu. It is also important how to set up the above practice menu in a routine.
Below is an example of a 2-hour practice menu. You can use this as a reference to create an original practice menu.
Download the practice menu here
You can customize the practice menu according to your need.
How should a practice menu be?
Whether you’re a junior high school student or a beginner, the points for creating a practice menu are the same. A practice menu that should be balanced and provide variety.
If you focus on the practice menu such as only forehand and backhand, it will be difficult to win the game. This is because the skill required for the opponent will change time after time.
If the practice menu is biased, you will lose when you play against someone you are not good at. In that sense, it is important that the practice menu is balanced. This is especially true when the technique is immature.
Conclusion
It is very important from the very beginning to learn the correct formulation of the game, which with the least expenditure of time and energy will allow you to master all the basic techniques.
Only good technique enables the athlete to play accurately, at a fast pace, using a variety of attacks that are unexpected for the opponent, both in attack and in defense.
3 thoughts on “Ping pong techniques for beginners- develop your game fast”