TRAINING

PROGRAM FOR
TABLE TENNIS
M/3CL RAQUION, JARVIE JOHN G.
AFRICA SECTION
Introduction
■ Table Tennis training is a wide area. It is, of course,
impossible to cover all information about effective
training in a text like this. Here I give a bit — one
view on how to make your Table Tennis training
effective, based on modern research.
■ Based on studies, facts, and statistics, how should you
prioritize your training activities? What to focus on?
What can you remove, or do different, better?
Basic training needs
Generally speaking, there are
particularly three things you need
to practice on:
■ All-around technical strengths
— varied Service, Service
return, Attack, and Defense.
■ Develop exceptional skills — a
unique technique, a personal
style with remarkable features,
and a unique winning stroke.
Basic training needs
■ Tactical strengths — have the capacity to,
dynamically and tactically, adjust the game to
different opponents, playing styles, revised
opponent tactics, and changed competition
conditions.
Prioritizing
How do you make priorities in your all-around technical
training?
What about the following priority order?
■ Service
■ Service return
■ Third ball attack
■ Everything else
Rally length
Research shows that,
■ Many rallies are very short.
Depending on the style of
play of the two contestants, it
is only a few long rallies in
each game.
■ 70% of all rallies settle within
three strokes.
Rally length
■ Each rally starts with a service, almost every rally
(85%) contains a service return, and most (65%)
containing a third ball, etc.
■ See the below chart with examples of statistical
outcomes {100%, 85%, 65%, 30%, 13%, 5%, 2%,
0.8%}.
■ Half of the services are yours, with 100% influence
over the outcome.
Frequency and effect
Research shows that,
■ If we exclude the service and return, then half of
all strokes are either
■ forehand topspin,
■ forehand counterattack (with topspin), or
■ backhand block.
Frequency and effect
The most common stroke series is:
■ a short forehand service, returned by
■ a short forehand push (with one-step footwork), followed by
■ a forehand topspin (with multi-step footwork).
■ If the point is then not won, the player who received the service either
hits
■ a backhand block (with almost no footwork), or
■ a forehand counterattack (with topspin and multi-step footwork).
Frequency and effect
If we exclude the service, then the
two most effective (leading to a
point won) strokes are
■ forehand topspin, and
■ forehand counterattack (with
topspin).
■ At the same time, the forehand
counterattack (with topspin, and
with multi-step footwork) is the
stroke leading to the most
mistakes and lost points.
Frequency and effect
These facts say it might be a good idea to practice,
■ Forehand counterattack (with topspin)
■ Forehand topspin attack
■ Backhand block
■ The most common stroke series
■ If possible, in that priority order.
The importance of service and return
of service
Research studies of the top players at the
London Olympics showed that there is a
statistically significant correlation between
the service and overall performance. Won
matches are strongly related to success\ful
services and successful service returns.
■ A player that scores a point by his
service has a higher chance to win the
game, and thus the match.
■ Likewise, a player that scores a point by his
service return has a higher chance to win the
game, and thus the match.
The importance of service and return
of service
■ A good quality of the service enables you to score
points directly on the service, and this is a great
advantage. But a good quality of the service also
enables you to take command of the gameplay,
because your tactics become easier to implement. And
this might be equally important.
Focused training
1. Practicing the loop drive for hours is great fun. But it gives little effect on your playing strength.
Instead, to give you a competitive edge, you might consider the following training focus.
■ The start of the rally. This means,
■ service (stroke №1),
■ return of service (stroke №2),
■ forehand attack (stroke №3), and
■ a response to it (stroke №4), either with a backhand (block or topspin counterattack) or a forehand
topspin counterattack.
■ The service return (stroke №2) should link the placement and the spin with the desired stroke №4.
■ The forehand attack (stroke №3) should link the placement and the spin with the desired stroke
№5.
2. The score 9–9 (or you might want to start at 7–7).
Simulated matches
We know that the point score affects the mental and tactical strengths. Thus,
it is important for you to expose yourself to different environments. And this
at different point scores and various mental pressures.
■ You can practice this by simulated games, or by training tournaments.
■ The idea is to focus on mental strength in simulated matches. Here,
mental strength means “psychological competitive capacity”. This will
make the player, that is you, used to high pressure. You can then easier
exercise your technical and tactical strength in real matches. And this
increases your chances of winning.
Personal style
■ It is a good idea to develop your own style of play. Your own, unique playing style can be a competitive
advantage.
■ But because of that, there is something you need to consider, and that is that you must ensure that you are
all-around. You should have a high level of skills and a good playing strength, no matter what style your
opponent has. Even with your own playing style, you’ll have to master all kinds of strokes and be capable
of varying your game.
■ A simplified example: Suppose your own style of play is to block the opponent’s attack game. This playing
style might work great against most offensive players. But when you meet a player who never attacks and
who plays safer and have more control than you do, this does not work. You must then also master the
attack game.
■ In fact, you must master all kinds of games and all styles. To be able to play your tactics, you should have
the ability to step outside the frame, outside your comfort zone. And so it is for all players, also your
opponents.
Summary
■ It is good to have an individual strategic development plan.
■ Research can help you make your training more effective.
■ You need all-around technical strengths.
■ Develop exceptional skills and your own unique playing style.
■ Service and return of service are important.
■ Practice the start of the rally.
■ Practice the fh topspin and the bh block.
■ Simulated matches and 9–9 practice helps you with tactical training under pressure.
Takeaway
■ Think about what you should focus on in
your training to make it more effective.