Here are some basic table tennis tips for beginners that can help develop your techniques and improve your game…
- Use the right grip
- Use the right equipment
- Know the rules
- Learn the basic techniques
- Be patient
- Be focused
- Be realistic
- Do not try too hard
- Make mistakes and correct them
- Practice
If you are keen to learn the skill of table tennis, you can take your time to read and understand each of these table tennis tips for beginners explained in this article and make sure you apply them to your game. It will help you to improve your game in the faster possible way.
Use the right grip – as a beginner. You must first know the different types of grip and how to use the right grip that can help you develop your game quickly.
The shakehand grip is highly recommended for beginners because it is the most common and easy to use among the different grip styles. A wrong grip style will make it difficult for you to develop your techniques.
Use the right equipment – one of the problems beginners face is choosing the wrong equipment. Especially the table tennis rackets. There are different types and categories of rubbers and blades that make up the table tennis racket.
It is recommended that you start with a racket that consists of all-round blade and rubbers. Avoid buying the fastest and most expensive racket because you cannot use it if you are still a beginner. There are many quality blades and rubbers made from Butterfly’s brand. If you are not sure which one to go for, you can always start with Butterfly.
Know the rules – one of the most important tips for beginners is to know and understand the basic rules of the sport. You have to know the rules of table tennis if you want to improve your game. There is a big difference between basement rules and the official rules of table tennis.
Learn the basic techniques – as a beginner, you should concentrate more on learning the basic techniques in table tennis, including the basic serves, the basic strokes, and the basic footwork for beginners. Do not try to learn any advanced techniques until you can master the basic techniques.
Stay focused – as a beginner. You need to focus and listen to your coach, follow instructions you read, or watch videos from the internet or DVDs. Always focus on improving your game and avoid any distractions.
You must be realistic – you must have realistic goals, do not have unrealistic expectations about improving your game. There are no magic ways to improve your skills. You have to follow the normal process, and the only thing you can do is work hard and focus on improving your game.
Do not work too hard – as a beginner. You do not need to try too hard but practice according to your ability. If your coach tells you to do something, you do not need to kill yourself to do it. However, do your best but do not do more than yourself, because you will be doing more harm than good.
Make mistakes and correct them – in table tennis, you can make mistakes, like every other sport, but your ability to learn from your mistake is essential. If your stroke gets stopped by the net, play it a little bit high next time.
Constant practice – this is the most important table tennis tip for beginners mentioned above. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. It would be best if you practiced every technique you learned for you to get it right. The more you practice a new technique, the more it becomes part of you.
Table Tennis Training Drills to Practice for the Beginner
We will get more specific and look at the different drills you can practice during your training. From my own experience, most players have their personal preference on what type of drills they wish to practice.
For the basis of this article, I will talk about two specific drills that are particularly beneficial for the beginning table tennis player. If you feel that these drills are too simplistic or undemanding, I suggest you read my higher-level table tennis drills article.
Drill 1 – The Forehand/Backhand Counter-Hit
The counter-hit is the most common practice drill for table tennis players, both beginner and advanced. In this drill, you are hitting the ball from the right side of the table to the opponent’s right-hand side of the table (diagonally).
Drill 2 – Forehand and Backhand Looping
Once you have mastered the basic counter-hit, it is time to practice one of the fundamental shots in table tennis – the forehand loop. If you’re unsure what the forehand loop is, I strongly suggest you read this before continuing.
For further practice on your forehand loop, you can then move around to the backhand side and use your forehand loop against your partner’s backhand. This is another popular warm-up drill.
I recommend spending at least 2 minutes counter-hitting and 3 minutes looping for each partner (5 minutes for backhand and forehand).
My final advice is to be courteous to your partner. Don’t spend 10 minutes looping yourself and forget to give your partner a turn. Try to be considerate by allocating a certain time for each player to practice their warm-up drills.
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