In table tennis, everyone has a particular style that they use.

Sometimes, their playing style maybe similar to yours. Other times, they can be radically different.

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When you start playing opponents with a higher skill set, it becomes more difficult to react to all the different shots they can throw at you.

However, every player has tendencies, and you can start to pick up hints and clues in their preparation for shots and their swings.

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Last weekend, I was having lunch with a friend of mine as we discussed the state of table tennis players in our group.

Among many other topics, the subject on being a tactical player came up. An interesting point was illustrated. “How can anyone become one if they haven’t learned?”

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The object of table tennis is to hit the ball away from your opponent.

Wrong.

The object is to hit the ball so your opponent can’t return it, or can’t return it well.

If you’re playing a good player the chance of getting a winner in normal back and forth play is slim. The opponent would have to make a mistake that you could pounce on, striking it hard enough to hit a passing shot.

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Anticipating shots is obviously very important in table tennis, as it gives you that extra millisecond to react in the best way possible to your opponent’s shot.

It’s something that occupies a large portion of the way the game’s played. Another large portion is reacting to shots that you did not anticipate, or have little time to prepare for.

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In nearly all sports, power is valued: the hardest pitch in baseball, the hardest shot in hockey, the sharpest punch in boxing, the strongest serve in tennis.

It probably isn’t a coincidence either that the top players in each sport often exhibit that trait of raw power. Nonetheless, finesse players succeed at all levels in every sport – with table tennis being no different.

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Table tennis is the ultimate recreational sport. So it makes a lot of sense to classify players into two very broad categories:

-The casual, once a week table-in-my-basement players that only really play semi-competitive games with family and friends (which are the super majority of all people who ever play ping pong), and…

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When playing against a blocker or chopper, the object of their game is to tire you out.

They want you to make mistakes, and they will do everything they can to try and make you sweat.

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Have you ever had a moment when everything was working well in a match until your opponent taps the ball short?

When I first began playing table tennis, I used to have major trouble when the ball barely grazes over the net and seems to die right on the spot.

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The proper use of footwork when playing table tennis has to be one of the most crucial steps towards having a successful match.

Footwork allows for a player to maintain proper balance. It also allows for the player to execute the shot effectively without error due to unbalance.

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