Tactics

Mental toughness in table tennis may not be something you give much thought to, but a weak mentality can significantly hurt your performance.  Over the years I’ve witnessed many skilled players crumble in the face of adversity. Just last year I beat a player who I consider to be better than myself. His response was […]

At the surface level, playing a lobber feels like an easy task. They’re simply feeding the ball up high for you to smash, what’s so difficult about that? Quite a lot actually.  Lobbers are very consistent table tennis players, and most have refined their lob shots to limit the quality of your attack. By understanding

While table tennis is very male-dominated, there are plenty of female players around. I’ve been releasing strategy guides for a while now on how to beat particular styles, and it dawned on me that I haven’t yet created one for female players. It may seem strange to target gender here, but trust me, men and

Blockers are some of the most frustrating players to play against. Whatever you throw at them, the ball just seems to come right back at you! It’s like you’re playing a brick wall!  While they may seem difficult to overcome at first glance, blockers are some of the easiest types of players to beat in

Like lefties, penholders can be a little intimidating to play against. With their spinny serves and powerful forehand, they are particularly strong on their service. Yet you need not place penholders on such a pedestal. The shakehand grip is far more well-rounded, and penholders have simple flaws that you can exploit. Join me as I

Do you hear that wooden knocking sound your opponent’s paddle makes? Take a closer look at the rubbers, there may just be a long pips sheet in the mix! To many players, this will instill panic. Long pips are so unpredictable! I never know what spin is on the ball! But do not fret. This

Do you see that? That’s the sight of your fellow teammates quaking in fear. They’ve seen your opponents starting to knock up and something’s up with one of the players. You take a closer look. He hits a push, and the ball has… topspin?! Oh no. He’s got anti. You’re all doomed.  Sound familiar? That’s

You step up to the table to begin your knock for the match. What style are they going to have? Looper? Short pips? Hang on a minute… they’re holding their paddle in their left hand! Looks like you’re up against a lefty! The horror!  If there’s one style that’s universally hated by all, it’s left-handed

If there’s one type of player that you are going to face in your local league it’s the pusher. These folks are everywhere and seem to multiplying. This seems to be in part because players slow down as they get older — some of them used to be attackers like us! A weird thought I

Choppers are a tricky bunch. While chopping is a blanket style, they are many sub-styles within it, and this heavily affects how they play and what you should do to counter them. Many players hate facing choppers, but I have to say, I’m all for it. In a game that is ever-narrowing towards the looping