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Table Tennis Basic Concepts

As a new player, there are many essentials that must be understood before you can become an accomplished ping-pong player. I have listed these basic concepts in one place here for your convenience, in order of which concepts you should deal with first.

Important Rules

The first of these essentials that are of interest to a beginner is the most important rules to learn. All the rules are important of course, but it can take a while to absorb every aspect of the laws of table tennis. To make things a little easier for you, I have highlighted what I consider to be the rules you simply must know to begin with. Consider it a crash course in the rules of table tennis. Don’t forget to eventually come back and check all the laws of table tennis though!

How to Score / How to Umpire

Once you have got a grasp of these rules, take a refresher course on how to score in ping-pong. The days of 5 serves each and games to 21 points are gone, now it is 2 serves apiece and games to 11 points. Make sure that you can score the modern way before starting to compete.

And now that you know the basic rules and how to score, get ready for when you are called to sit in the umpire’s chair by browsing my article on how to be a better umpire.

There are certain errors that are repeated over and over again by new table tennis players. I’ve written down what they are and how to avoid them, so make sure that you don’t get caught by any of these ping-pong pitfalls!

Grip Types

With these theoretical aspects out of the way, you will find it worthwhile to check out the many types of ping-pong grips that are available. Each grip has different advantages and disadvantages, and it is not that easy to change between grips, so taking some time to decide upon the right grip for you is always time well spent.

Table Tennis Styles

Following on from the grip types, an examination of the different styles of play that are used in modern table tennis is next. Although there is overlap between some styles, many styles are dependent upon the type of grip that you have chosen. Your own personal style is something you will develop over time, but it helps to know what possible styles you can develop using a particular grip.

Choose Your First Racket

Having decided upon a grip, and given a little thought to what type of style you may want to play in the future, you will need to choose your first table tennis racket. It’s important to get the right type of ping-pong paddle to start with – using the wrong equipment to begin with can slow down your progress a lot.

Spin in Table Tennis

Next up is an in-depth discussion of spin in table tennis. More than anything else, the endless varieties of spin (and the sheer amount of spin) available to a ping-pong player is what sets this fascinating sport apart from all other racket sports. No player can progress from beginner to intermediate status without coming to grips with spin – how it works, how to use it, how to read it, how to apply it, and how to deal with your opponent’s spin!

Basic Strokes

Once you start to understand about the importance of spin, you are ready to look at the basic strokes used in table tennis, and how to put them together to play good ping-pong. I’ll be covering all the strokes than you need to know, and a couple that you don’t need straight away but are fun to try!

Training

With all this information under your belt, it’s time to get out on the table and do some training. Many beginners neglect this aspect of the sport, preferring to just play games at clubs instead, but if you are serious about improving then you’ll need to train properly. Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of ideas and tips on areas such as beginning training, creating drills and footwork to help you make the most of your training time. I’ve also got guides on How to Play Against Antispin and How to Play Against Long Pimples to help you learn to handle these ‘funny’ rubbers that some players use. Not to mention a Guide to Playing With Long Pimples and Guide to Playing with Antispin if you are one of those players! And finally, some advice on How to Play with Short Pimples for users of the vertically challenged pips.

Matchplay Advice

Finally, after you’ve done your training, you will want to get out and show everybody how much you’ve improved in competition. I’ve got you covered there as well, with plenty of advice on how to play your best ping-pong when the pressure is on. And remember to check out my tips on playing better doubles if you are planning to partner up!

Source — http://tabletennis.about.com/od/basicconcepts/a/basic_concepts.htm

Top 10 Mistakes Made by Table Tennis Beginners

As a coach and player of many years, there are certain common errors that I see repeated many times by players new to the sport of ping-pong. On the basis that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, I’ve put together my list of the 10 most common mistakes made by new table tennis players. Read on and make sure that you are not falling victim to these ping-pong pitfalls.

1. Getting a Grip

Gripping the paddle incorrectly is one of the most common mistakes made by beginners. A poor grip can hinder your ability to play certain strokes, use your wrist properly, and ultimately limit your playing standard. I’d recommend starting and sticking with one of the conventional ping-pong grips.

2. Don’t Poke it – Stroke it

Another mistake made by table tennis newbies is trying to guide the ball over the net and onto the table, instead of stroking the ball. This tends to happen when new players first begin to compete. They get worried about making mistakes, and try to steer the ball, instead of hitting the ball just like they do in practice. When you try to guide the ball, you are not giving yourself the best chance to make a good return. Just relax and hit it!

3. Obey the Speed Limits

The flip side of guiding the ball is when new players try to whack the ball way too hard. The result is the same though – you’ll make lots of mistakes! Remember that for each stroke, there is a maximum amount of speed that you can use, or else the ball won’t land on the other side of the table. Just like Goldilocks, don’t hit too hard, or too soft, but just right.

4. Move it or Lose it

Some new players seem to hate moving their feet – so they stretch and lean all over the place, when a small step in the right direction would allow them to play their best stroke more often. Then, when the ball is out of reach, these players finally move their feet, but often move too far, ending up way too close to the ball and cramping their stroke. So don’t be afraid to move your feet – but the idea is to move towards or away from the ball, so you can hit it at your best range.

5. Get Some Help

Time and time again I see players come to the clubs at which I play, with bad habits they have developed while playing at home. Then these players have to spend many hours getting rid of these bad habits in order to improve. Take it from me – even if you are only planning to play for fun at home, a lesson or two for the family from a table tennis coach will help you learn the basic strokes, and can save you a lot of time later on if you decide to get serious.

6. Getting Too Much Help

Ping-pong players are a pretty friendly lot, so you can guarantee that if you are a new player, you’ll get plenty of advice from your fellow enthusiasts. But remember to use your own common sense as well when listening to advice – not every nugget of wisdom you hear will suit the way you play. And you’ll get conflicting advice fairly often too! So remember to listen to the tip, think about what you have been told, and if you don’t think it makes sense for you, feel free to ignore it.

7. Buying Too Much Bat

After using a cheap pre-made bat to begin with, many beginners then go to a club, and see what advanced players can do to a table tennis ball with their custom made rackets. Then the newbies go out and buy the fastest, most expensive paddle they can get, and find that they can’t use it! Before buying your first serious paddle, get some advice from a coach or experienced player as to what sort of bat you should start with – an allround blade with classic rubbers should do the trick.

8. Stick With Your Bat

Many new players, just introduced to the world of custom made paddles, suddenly treat it like the dating game – they try many new rubbers and blades, mixing and matching like there is no tomorrow. Don’t do this – once you have got your first serious paddle (after getting some good advice on what to buy), stick with it for at least 4-6 months before looking for something new. By that time, you’ll probably just need some newer versions of your rubbers, and you’ll be good for another 4-6 months.

9. Know the Rules

At home, you can play any rules you like – bouncing the ball off the pot plants and onto the table can count for double points if you want! But once you go to the clubs and competitions, make sure you are familiar with the official rules of ping-pong/ table tennis, so that you avoid any nasty surprises when your killer serve is called a fault by the umpire, because your opponent can’t see it!

10. Be Patient

Table tennis is a game that is very easy to play but incredibly difficult to master. Many new players expect to play like experts after just a year or two. Trust me on this – it is not going to happen to you! Ping-pong is a very complex sport, requiring concentration, fitness, skill and perserverance. On the plus side, you can still be playing table tennis well into your eighties – so relax, enjoy the sport, and the improvement will come. Time is on your side – trust me!

Source — http://tabletennis.about.com/od/beginnersguide/tp/top10mistakes.htm