Are Left-Handed Table Tennis Players Better Than Righties?

Last Updated on April 24, 2024 by Alex Horscroft

Having studied world table tennis rankings dating back to 1990, it is clear that lefties have an advantage over right-handed players. While approximately just 10% of the population is left-handed, they account for 24% of players in the top 10.

Reasons for this overrepresentation include superior match-up experience against right-handers and better tactics. But even so, I found this figure surprising, especially at the top of the sport. Below I discuss the statistics in detail and give my thoughts on why left-handed players are so strong.

Lefties Account for 24% of Players in the Top 10

To fairly represent the figures for lefties, I knew I wanted to span a few decades with the data. This ensures the same names weren’t coming up and skewing the figures. By starting back in 1990, we get a nice broad dataset that sees the comings and goings of many elite players. I figured taking the top 10 rankings every 5 years was the best way to go, and as I can’t see into the future, we’ll have to settle for 2024 as the endpoint (sorry).

As you can see, there was only one year where no lefties featured in the top 10 (2000), and besides this year, either two or more lefties were present. The peak of left-handed players was back in 1990, and the figures have remained fairly consistent over time — especially over the last 14 years where either three of four lefties have sat in the top 10.

Overall, the figures show that lefties account for 24% of players in the top 10 which is well above the 10% estimate of people who are left handed.

Why Do Lefties Have An Advantage Over Right-Handed Players?

1. More Match-up Experience

The main reason left-handed players have an edge over their right-handed counterparts is simply match-up experience.

As right-handers are far more common, lefties, like us righties, frequently find themselves practicing against right-handers. This helps them practice the intricacies of the matchup which gives them a big advantage in matches. Unfortunately, most righties lack experience playing against left-handers.

At my club we don’t have any lefties, so I always go into matches against left-handed players feeling unprepared like most.

That being said, I find it somewhat strange that lefties are so dominant at the top of the game. Prof e ssionals have a surplus of players to play against, lefties included, so a lack of experience isn’t the explanation for lefty success here.

2. Superior Tactics

With more experience comes improved tactics, and sometimes it is this rather than skill that is the deciding factor in a match’s outcome.

Lefties know exactly how most right-handed players perform so they are able to exploit weaknesses much easier. Right-handed players, on the other hand, will have a tougher time adapting. For starters, they might not be able to discern the appropriate strategy, but also, they may lack the ability to execute it.

As an example, lefties tend to have very strong forehand loops. A good strategy is to play the majority of balls down the line to the backhand side to keep yourself safe. However, lefties also have good footwork, so you really have to play the ball wide in this situation. The difficulty is that few right-handed players drill down-the-line backhand exchanges. Yet you can bet your bottom dollar that lefties are drilling this very exchange, giving them an edge.

Something I have noticed is that many players try changing their strategy but ultimately fail. They then revert to their usual tactics as if they were competing against a righty. You don’t need me to tell you that this is a bad idea…

3. Better Understanding of Placement & Angles

Like right-handed players, most lefties prefer their forehand. In fact, I find they are even more forehand dominant. This means they stand wider on their backhand flank.

This radically changes all elements of the game, placement in particular. Lefties will look to attack almost all long balls with their forehand, and it’s up to you to shut this strategy down. To do this, you have to be very careful with your placement and work angles.

Playing the ball wide on the backhand and then switching to a wide forehand shot works a treat, but it’s fairly difficult to execute as there’s not a lot of room for error. You also need to take note of the kinds of shots they use. Remember, most players hit loops at the top of the bounce, yet block the ball as it is rising. Therefore if you hit a fast loop into a lefties backhand the ball may come back at you much quicker than you were expecting.

4. Tricky Spin

Everything is the opposite when you play left-handers which is very jarring. Not only do you need to switch up your placement, but you also need to account for the changes in spin.

This is most apparent for serves. Pendulum serves have the opposite kind of spin to usual. As a result, you have to return the ball as if you’re receiving a reverse pendulum serve from a righty. This can take a little while to adapt to.

I also find lefties add a little bit of sidespin to their loops. This makes the ball swerve out wide to your backhand which feels very strange as it’s not a shot you will be familiar with returning. This type of shot is like returning a fade from a righty, but I don’t know anyone who uses fades all that much, and I bet you don’t either.

Closing Thoughts

So do left-handed players have an advantage over right-handed players? Yes, they certainly do. Lefties on average account for 24% of players in the top 10 which is well above the estimated 10% of people who are left-handed. This explains why some of you feel like a fish out of water when playing a lefty.

In my opinion, this edge is largely explained by experience — the standard lefty plays against right-handed players more than the righties do lefties. This gives them increased experience and knowledge to draw upon in a match. However, I find it strange that lefties are so dominant at the top of the sport.

With plenty of lefties to practice against, and the fact that lefties largely have the same weaknesses as righties, it’s peculiar why they are performing so well. Nevertheless, the fact remains that they are, and the data displays that this is showing no signs of slowing down.