I started playing local league table tennis in 2007. I have worked my way up from the bottom of the bottom division to the top of the top division (nearly). During this time I have developed a number of easy ways of winning points. There are hundreds of tactics which can potentially be used. Any tactic could work, in any given scenario, but I have found there are a few which consistently work far more often than not.
As I share my list with you, please bear in mind we are talking about local league table tennis. This is the amateur game, where the standard is good, but not world class. What works well in local league, may not be very effective at a much higher level.
But since 99.9% of us playing table tennis are NOT professional players, and are competing at a lower level, the tactics below should work just fine.
Ok, on with my list. In no particular order…
1. Serve long and fast
Long serves can be devastating in local league. Aim to get the ball very deep on your opponent’s side of the table, with decent speed. It’s easier to do this with topspin serves and sidespin serves. But it’s also possible with backspin serves too. Players don’t expect long, fast serves to have backspin, so will often dump these into the net. If your opponent struggles with long serves, keep using them again and again. You will win a lot of easy points.
2. Hit the crossover
Footwork can be a big weakness for amateur players (including me). This means most players struggle with balls which are aimed at their right hip (for right handed players). This is the position where a player has to cross over between backhand and forehand strokes. If your opponent doesn’t move, you will jam him up and win an easy point. Sometimes a player will still get the ball back, but will lose balance. For your next shot, aim to a corner. The player will have almost no chance of recovering to return this ball.
3. Loop with heavy topspin
Players usually struggle with very heavy topspin. Your loop doesn’t need to be that fast or low, just loaded with lots and lots of topspin. If your opponent has poor blocking skills, he will keep returning the ball off the end of the table again and again. Other players try to fight fire with fire and will try to slam your loop back. But unless they get the timing and bat angle just right, they will hit these way past the end of the table.
4. Switch from forehand to backhand
Most players are more comfortable moving from backhand to forehand. It’s an easier transition, as you can use a little reach when moving to a wide ball to your forehand. It’s generally harder to transition from your forehand to the wider backhand position. You can’t reach as far, so you have to move quite a lot to get into position. So the simple tactic is to play one ball to the forehand and then try to play the next ball to the wide backhand position. This can often be a winning shot combination. Even if the player does get to the ball, it’s not usually a strong return, so you can continue to dominate the rally.
5. Hack at the ball
A push is considered a bit of a negative shot. But there is a huge difference between a steady push with little backspin and an aggressive push, where you really hack at the ball. The heavy backspin push – shorter or longer – is difficult to deal with. An opponent needs very good looping technique to attack. If the technique is lacking, the loop will go into the net. If a player doesn’t fancy attacking your heavy push, he may be content with returning the ball with his own push. But often a player can underestimate how much backspin there is and still dump the ball into the net.
6. Return attacks with quick blocks
In the lower divisions of local league, few players have the ability to string together 2, 3, 4, 5 strong attacks in the same rally. If you can return the first attack with a quick block, your opponent is likely to mess up the next attack or be forced into playing a more passive shot. For the block to be effective, you should stay low, use a short motion and contact the ball early, as it is rising to the peak of the bounce. This will return the attack quickly, taking time away from your opponent. He will feel rushed and will often mess up the next shot.
7. Attack down the line
Most amateur players are far more used to hitting shots (and receiving shots) cross-court. You can take advantage of this over-familiarity with cross-court balls, by hitting attacks down the line. In particular, I find hitting forehand attacks down the line to my opponent’s backhand (if right-handed), is such an easy way of winning a point. You are using the shorter part of the table, so your opponent has less reaction time. Most players are also a little weaker on their backhand side, so often struggle to get their feet and bat in the right position to deal with a quick attack down the line.
8. Vary between side-back and side-top serves
Sidespin serves are always challenging to return. You can make your sidespin serves even more effective by varying between sidespin / topspin and sidespin / backspin. Ideally you would use a similar action for both spins. If your opponent isn’t concentrating, you can cause some serious damage. Against some players, this simple tactic alone could get you 4, 5, 6 points every game.
9. Flick short serves
Flicks are the most underused shot in local league table tennis. Few players flick short serves, even in the higher divisions. Because so few players flick short serves, it means you gain an instant advantage if you can flick. You can catch your opponent by surprise. Your opponent isn’t used to this quick, positive return and often is rushed into making an error. It doesn’t even have to be a high quality flick. Just a medium paced flick with medium level spin, can cause lots of problems. The backhand flick is probably easier to execute for most players, so I would recommend adding this shot into your game.
10. Keep the ball on the table
Finally, most players in local league table tennis are not that consistent. They struggle to play points where they hit 5, 6, 7, 8 shots. If you are more consistent than your opponent – and keep the ball on the table for longer – you will generally have more success. This doesn’t mean just plopping the ball on the table, inviting your opponent to smash the ball past you. You still need to play decent shots, with decent placement and decent spin – but you don’t need to take massive risks. Aim to play a lot of shots at 70% of your power potential and test your opponent’s ability to rally with you. If your opponent is less consistent, he will break down first again and again. Easy!
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There are many more tactics I could share. But these are the ones which I have found to be the most effective for me. None of the tactics are particularly complicated. Simple is often the best. Some will work better against particular opponents and less so against other opponents. But if you have a few tactics in your tool box, you can usually find something which causes every opponent a few problems. Try them out and see what works best for you.
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