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Table of Contents
Advanced Techniques
Advanced Strokes
The
Loop
The
Chop
The
Flip
The
Lob
Advanced Service Techniques
Advanced
Strokes
The advanced strokes described within should be gradually
incorporated into a beginner's training regimen. After you have
solid control of the fundamentals, the experimentation of these
difficult strokes can begin. Again, no amount of written
instruction can show you exactly how to do these shots correctly.
Even if it is your playing partner with just as much experience as
yourself, have him/her critique the motions, and do the same for
him/her. And watch the professionals do it, be it on television,
exhibitions, or even competitions, should you be lucky enough to be
able to attend(tip:watch their bodies move, not the ball). Finally,
even if you don't readily have access to a table and training
partner, many serious players use shadow-practicing and it should
be a part of your training too. Good luck!
The loop drive is the primary attacking stroke of serious
players today. A loop is basically a spinny counterpart of a drive,
emphasizing topspin over forward motion. Likewise, a stronger
upward motion is required in the swing, grazing the ball instead of
hitting it. Despite the nature of the loop, they can go just as
fast as the drive-approaching 100mph for an over-the-table loop by
a talented player. If there were any doubts about the endurance
requirements of table tennis, try hitting decent loops against
extreme backspin time and time again. Players not used to this
stroke may find it the most tiring for the first time.
Depending on the characteristic of the incoming ball, the loop
must be modified to hit the ball correctly. If a ball is coming in
fast and high with heavy topspin, the paddle should be more closed
and the swing should go forward more. However, if a chop came
floating your way, then the correct thing to do would be to open
the paddle somewhat, and perform a strong upwards swing-think of it
as 'pulling the ball back up with the paddle'. This is especially
what makes the loop such a tough stroke. As the ball touches the
paddle for only a short time, as well as meeting on a more
perpendicular path(as opposed to the highly parallel paths during a
drive), good timing is critical to avoid completely missing the
ball altogether. This means keeping a sharp eye on the ball
throughout the stroke is important, as it is for all other
strokes.
FOREHAND LOOP: From the ready position, bring the right foot
slightly back(while transferring your weight to it). At the same
time, rotate your body backward, and the paddle should be brought
back and slightly down, depending on which spin you are hitting
against. Bend your knees slightly. Start the stroke by rotating the
waist and hips forward, and start straightening out the knees to
add more force. The forearms should gradually accelerate from the
backswing to contact, snapping for maximum speed when you meet the
ball. Hit topspin balls at the top of the bounce or while it is
dropping. Hit backspin balls while it is dropping. Follow-through
forward more for topspins and upward more for backspins. The weight
should be completely transferred back to the left foot at this
point.
BACKHAND LOOP: This time, the backswing goes in front of your legs,
and to do so you should drop your right shoulder somewhat. Remember
to keep the eye on the ball no matter what the other parts of your
body are doing. Rotate your waist to the left and transfer the
weight to the left foot. Against topspin, unwind your waist and hit
the ball at the top of the bounce(or during the drop) with a
forward motion, but remember to just graze the ball as opposed to
driving it. Snap your wrist at contact. Against backspin, remember
to apply more of an upward motion, but also add a bit of forward
force or you could hit your nose in the follow-through!(nothing
like defaulting due to a self-inflicted nosebleed eh?:)
Notes on the loop: Since a lot of paddle speed is required in this
stroke, the extra backswing, bending of the knees, and the usual
waist rotation and weight transfer are all needed, not to mention
the wrist snap at contact. A forward graze will produce higher
speeds, but they can only be used on relatively high balls at the
top of their bounce. Use something between the all-out topspin loop
and extreme backspin pull-up for most rallies. Killer topspins are
prone to the net or going off the endline, and excessive usage of
the high arcing loop can lead to a deadly smash by your alert
opponent. A relaxed posture is doubly important for loops, both
your speed and consistency will improve if you can go through the
swing 'naturally'. Keep your rubber in good condition; how much
spin and control you put on your loop depends upon the tackiness of
the rubber. Bad rubber=weak loops(if at all).
The chop is the mainstay of advanced defensive players.
Essentially an extreme backspin shot, the ball tends to travel in a
very flat trajectory and bounce low. Chops are always taken when
the ball is dropping, often below the table-up to 15 feet away!
Anything higher and the stroke becomes a push. Defensive players
who chop do so to force the other player into an error, and to do
so one may vary the amount of backspin or change the direction of
the shots. Matches against two equally skilled choppers used to be
an affair of many hours until the introduction of the expedite
rule. For an explanation of the expedite rule and other table
tennis terms, visit the terms page.
FOREHAND CHOP: Back up, depending upon the speed of the
incoming ball. At the same time put your weight on the back foot.
Bring the arm back and paddle up, while rotating your waist. When
the ball has dropped to about the table level(it has to go off the
end in order to execute a successful chop! Push short balls),
rotate your waist, bring the forearm down, and snap your wrist at
the point of contact, which should be at the bottom-back of the
ball. The paddle should be open at this point. When chopping,
remember to graze the ball barely enough to return it over the net.
Avoid extra impact that would take away the backspin or hit it too
long. The follow-through should be long enough that the arm nearly
straightens at the finish.
Notes on the chop: The point of contact will vary depending on the topspin present on the ball. The more topspin on a ball, the lower it should be taken during a chop. This means against a loop, one must bend his knees in order to get low enough to return the heavy topspin. Don't let this cause you to lose sight of the table. Also, the farther you are from the table, the harder you need to chop down on the ball. Be sure to relax and use a smooth stroke.
The
Flip
The flip is one alternative to the push in taking short balls.
By allowing one to return such balls faster, it can provide an
element of surprise. The nature of the flip requires a special foot
position for support. The right foot(for right-handers) goes
several feet ahead of the body, which often means sliding it under
the table. In case the table has a crossbar that prevents your leg
from getting through, just remember to brace yourself for the
sudden forward lunge and put the right foot as far ahead as
possible. The flip is a wrist shot. There is no room for anything
else, so make sure you strengthen the wrist as much as
possible.
FOREHAND FLIP: Bend the wrist back. Slide the right foot forward, then with the racket open, move it under a dropping short ball. When the ball touches the paddle, immediately rotate your wrist and move the arm forward and up, grazing it. Follow through, then immediately return to the ready position.
An exclusively defensive shot, the lob is almost always used
to return a smash far away from the table. A good lob will land
deep in the table, with plenty of topspin/sidespin. The trick to
lobbing is consistency. The opponent, provided he/she is skilled
enough, will relentlessly attempt to smash every lob that comes
his/her way. Occasionally they will try something else, but the
most common scenario is the lob/kill rally. A lob requires plenty
of anticipation and footspeed on the part of the lobber. Without
either of those, one could not possibly hope to play catch up with
a 100mph ball(although they do slow down considerably with
distance).
To execute a lob, first detect the opponent's movements: if he/she is well into a smash, move back fast! Get ready, and drop your paddle low, along with the shoulder. Move the weight to the back foot. Bend your knees a bit more. When the ball comes your way, watch it carefully and push off on your knees, while bringing the entire arm up in an upward swinging motion. Hit the ball of the drop, on the back-bottom surface. Follow through high, then get ready for the unexpected(another smash, smother kill, etc.)!
-Back to
top-
Advanced Service
Techniques
Advanced service differ from the basic service in the
following ways:
- The stroke is the same for all spins
- By controlling where you hit the ball on the paddle(tip, middle, near handle) you can control the rate of spin
- By controlling at which point in the stroke you hit the ball, the combination of spins is possible
- The toss is often higher to aid in speed, spin, and deception
- A variety of techniques, including high tosses and foot stamps, are used to prevent the opponent from anticipating the spin on the ball
There are two primary families of advanced serves: backhand
sidespin, and forehand pendulum. Each uses a different side of the
paddle, and both have variable points in the stroke that will
produce one or more of the spins.
BACKHAND SIDESPIN SERVE: From the backhand side of the table,
stand with the feet and shoulders 45 degrees to the left. This
helps the body block some of the stroke from your opponent's view.
Bend the wrist back. Bring the paddle, which is open, back and
upward, while the ball is tossed from an open palm in front of the
paddle. When the ball starts to drop, bring the paddle downward
with your elbow in a semicircular motion sideways. At contact, snap
the wrist. If you desire a sidespin serve with a little bit of
backspin, graze the ball in the first third of your semicircular
motion(downwards, right). For almost pure sidespin, contact the
ball at the bottommost part of the swing. For topspin/sidespin
serves, hit the ball at the last third, when the paddle is
travelling upwards in the semicircle. This last spin may be the
toughest to execute, but it can be done. Remember that topspin in
these serves is not at all like the basic topspin serve, where the
racket moved forward through the ball. The advanced topspin serve
is more of a lob, or loop against backspin, where the paddle 'tugs'
the ball upwards, causing spin. Thus it can still be executed with
an open paddle. Follow through is the same regardless of the spin
you chose, and this is important to complete the deceptive movement
of the serve.
