How to Beat Female Table Tennis Players

Last Updated on April 26, 2024 by Alex Horscroft

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 women play very differently. So much so, that I often use more or less the same strategy for all female players. 

What Is the Difference Between Male and Female Table Tennis?

The main difference is that female players play a more direct game that is less spin-focused. They stick close to the table and primarily use counter-drives as their means of attack. On the other hand, male players yearn for high spin and speed. To enable this, they take a few steps back to hit powerful loops.

While female players can certainly overcome male opponents, the spin and speed disparity can make this difficult. Male players also tend to have better serves which sets them up for a solid attack. 

*I’m talking in generalisations here. Of course, not all women play the same. But we can say the exact same thing about penholders, for instance. Therefore, it’s a good idea to take note of the major trends, and then adapt your strategy depending on how well your opponent fits within the typical style. 

Strengths of Female Table Tennis Players

1. Counter-driving

As female players stand so close to the table, they don’t have enough time to loop the ball. As such, most opt to counter-drive instead. While counter-drives usually lack the pace and spin of loops, they can still be very difficult to deal with — especially if the player is thoughtful with their placement. 

2. Consistency

The heavy use of counter-drives and blocks makes female players very consistent. As such, it may not be a good idea to try and initiate a war of attrition. Their consistency could be better than yours — especially if they cause you to deviate from your usual style of play.

3. Proficient on Both Sides

Where male players generally have a much better forehand than backhand, the lines are a little more blurred for female players. In my experience, they are solid on both backhand and forehand. This is, in part, because the inherent strengths of forehand over backhand are more apparent for looping compared to driving. 

Therefore, against female players, you may not be able to target a “weak side” like you can for most opponents. 

How to Beat Female Table Tennis Players

1. Hit the Ball Fast… Really Fast

Female players are comfortable playing a more controlled attacking game, and when faced against a player who hits the ball really hard, they struggle. 

My favorite route to pace is fast loops. The spin on the ball makes it difficult to counter-drive — especially close to the table, which is where most female players stand. If the ball is high enough, you can also smash too. 

2. Heavy Spin

Generally speaking, male players are far better at dealing with spin than female players. This is predominantly because male players are trying to produce heavy spin themselves, and the more you can produce, usually, the better you are at receiving it.

Two easy ways to exploit players who struggle with spin are heavy spin serves, and slow spinny loops. If you’re good at producing spin, these shots will win you many points outright. If not, they will likely set you up for a powerful loop or smash to end the rally.

3. Force Them Away From the Table

Female players like to stick tight and counter-drive, so take them out of their element and force them away from the table. When they’re a few steps away, their lack of power should become apparent. Looping dominates over counter-drives here.

Good ways to force players away from the table include playing the ball deep, using heavy topspin, and hitting the ball fast. 

4. Attack Serves If Possible

I’ve found that female serves are much easier to return than male serves. This is often because there is less spin on the ball. Therefore, this presents a good opportunity to seize the first attack and take control of the rally. 

If they serve short, try and use a banana flick, and if it’s long, it’s straight to looping baby!

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Lob (If You’re Good at It)

It’s never a good idea to be in a position where your opponent is smashing, the odds are quite literally stacked against you. However, as mentioned earlier, women don’t hit the ball as hard as male opponents. I have also found that their smashing technique is generally notably worse than male players.

As a result, if you find yourself far away from the table, don’t feel the need to go for a Hail Mary. Instead, play a high and deep lob with lots of topspin. You might be surprised with how poorly your opponent deals with it. 

Female Table Tennis Player Video Analysis

Here is a good example of a typical female table tennis player against a typical male player. Neil favors his forehand and has quite a powerful forehand loop: he’s not afraid to take a few steps back or come around on his backhand side to use his forehand. He also has a better serve than Annie to facilitate his first attack.

Annie, on the other hand, is a much more rounded player. She has solid attacks on both flanks, and while she can produce a high level of topspin, most of the time she is content playing more directly, opting for speed over spin. Annie is also very capable at blocking, and Neil often struggles to hit the ball past her.  

Closing Thoughts

While there’s plenty of variation among female players, there are a tonne of tendencies. You may notice that they use less spin than male players, stick closer to the table, and favor counter-driving and blocking over looping. 

Give some of the strategies outlined in this guide a go and see how you get on! 

*Cover image provided by XIAOYU TANG under a CC BY_SA 2.0 license | unedited

Next Lessons

Two of the best strokes for tackling female players are your forehand loop and backhand loop, so I recommend you give my how-to guides a read.

As for other styles, you may find some useful information in my strategy guides for counter-drivers and flat hitters. Female players often conform to one of these styles.