Whether you're a competitive tournament player or a serious recreation player, "Winning Table Tennis: Skills, Drills and Strategies" will help you to improve your game at higher levels. Dan Seemiller, 5-time U.S singles and 11-time doubles champion, shows you in this book all the shots and strategies for top-level play.
Buy these books to improve your game.
Winning Table Tennis: "Skills, Drills and Strategies"
"Steps To Success" book from Larry Hodges is for beginners, intermediate and advanced TT players. You'll find there many steps that it takes to become a good TT player.
I recommend both these books to any table tennis player who have that deep-down desire to be a TT Champion also to those who are in it mostly for fun.
There are basically two ways to play tactically early in a match. You can either feel your opponent out to see what he can do and then adjust your tactics based on this ("The Explorer"); or you can force your game on the opponent right from the start, making tactical adjustments as you go on ("The Dominator").
The Explorer uses a variety of tactics early on as he tests his opponent. He uses all his shots - pushes, blocks, loops hard and soft, counter drives, etc. – and puts the ball all over the table at various speeds. He uses all of his serves and receives as he judges the best tactics to use in the match. Some players in this category fall into the trap of over-adjusting to an opponent, and end up letting the opponent do what he wants. Being an Explorer doesn't mean you simply adjust to the opponent's shots; it means you are willing to risk falling behind early on as you search for the best tactics. Ideally, the explorer will find a way to use his strengths against the opponent's weaknesses.
The Dominator comes in with his best shots right from the start, trying to force the opponent to adjust to his shots. Some players in this category fall into the trap of not adjusting to an opponent's adjustments, and often lose due to this lack of flexibility. Being a Dominator does not mean you simply throw your best shots at the opponent and hope for the best; it means you start off with your best game, and then make tactical adjustments.
Are you an Explorer or a Dominator? Whichever you are, perhaps you should experiment with a little of the other. To be at your best, you need some of both.
BALL PLACEMENT (ADVANCED) Ball placement is more important than the speed or spin you impart on the ball: being able to keep opponents off the balance by pinpoint placements sets you up for power shots and loop kills.
Stay away from opponents' power zones. Power zones are those areas of the table where players can can make strong forehand and backhand shots with little or no movement at all.
Place balls outside opponents' power zones. Wide placements force them outside the power zones because of the foot-work required.
Play in the middle, whether attacking or defending, is the most effective zone.
THE SHORT GAME (ADVANCED) As players improve, they invariably notice they have more difficulty initiating the attack. This is because the lower levels of Table Tennis, short net play is mostly nonexistent. Better players serve short most of the time and return short serves that are also close to the net, thereby making the attack more difficult.
Playing close to the net requires fitness and fine touch.
Short serves and drop shots make it difficult for opponents to attack.
Serve the ball so it barely crosses the net and is able to bounce twice on your opponents's side. Your aim is to keep your opponent from attacking.
The drop-shot game is designed to draw in defensive minded opponents who are away from the table to make a forced error.
VARYING THE SPIN (ADVANCED) By mixing the spin during your attack and varying the amount of wrist you use at contact, your opponents will have more difficulty reading your shots, forcing them to play cautiously.
Vary the type and degree of spin shots.
When playing against players who use spin well, you must play alertly. If you cannot read the spin surely, wait longer before making your return.
Against underspin serves and shots, use both heavy topspin and heavy underspin for varied effect.When pushing against underspin, vary heavy, light, and no-spin pushes and move these around the table.
STROKING DRILLS - CROSSCOURT COUNTERDRIVE (ADVANCED) What type of physical conditioning should you do to improve your game? The drills - is the answer. We see almost all of the players on the Warehouse Centre doing training like they play in the game without starting the drills first or not practicing them at all during their whole training session.
Practice Crosscourt Counterdrive Drills. Forehand-to-forehand or backhand-to-backhand fashion is the most popular stroking drill.
Practice drills before the match or make the crosscourt hitting part of your training.
These crosscourt push drills are standard ones for honing the push strokes.
Practice down-the-line variations (forehand to backhand, backhand to forehand)
Use full strokes.
Change the depth and amount of spin on each ball while maintaining consistency.
Tip: How to change your table tennis rubbers?
1. The first step is to remove the old table tennis rubber. Begin by peeling up the edge of the rubber. Once the edge is lifted up a bit, place the cotton swab (dipped in fingernail polish remover) between the blade and the rubber to help dissolve the glue.
2. Gently pull the ping pong rubber off the blade in one direction while continuing to apply the dipped cotton swap.
3. Once the table tennis rubber is completely off, do the same to the other side and take the sandpaper and remove any left-over glue on the face of the blade.
4. Open up the new sheet of rubber and apply one thin layer of glue to the sponge and on one side of the blade. Make even brush strokes and don´t miss any spots.
5. Let both dry and then give the rubber an additional light and even coat.
6. Pick up the rubber by the side edges and gently lay it flush against the edge of the handle. Make sure not to trap any air bubbles in. Use the small rolling pin (or any type of cylinder) to gently roll the rubber firmly onto the blade.
7. Cut the excess rubber with the scissors along the edge of the blade.
8. Open up the second sheet and repeat steps 4 thru 7.
9. Place the heavy stack of books on top of the racket for a couple hours to ensure a level glue job.
STROKING DRILLS - LOOP TO BLOCK DRILLS (ADVANCED)
Play the forehand version extensively, being able to sustain many loop-block combinations in a row.
Practice the backhand version and be capable of sustaining a strong backhand loop against weaker topspin shots like a block or soft counter.
Vary the speed and spin of the loops and your partner (blocker) may vary the blocks to short and deep.
Vary you timing when looping.
STROKING DRILLS - LOOP AND COUNTER TO BLOCK AND COUNTER DRILL (ADVANCED)
Alternate one loop with one counter, crosscourt, while your partner alternates one block with one counter.
Make it possible to switch from counter drills to loop drills.
You must master the drill to be flexible and unpredictable from your forehand side.
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