Basic stokes

David Metcalfe Unknown Asked 15 years ago

Hi Alois,

As a beginner I play all my attacking strokes as fast as I can either purely brushing or hitting straight through. Consistency is my main aim and wonder if counterhitting is easier to be consistent with as I havent tried to hit slightly upward and mostly forward through the ball and should I have a slow stroke as I usually hit or stroke hard.

Alois Rosario Answered 15 years ago

Hi David,

For consistency definitely a counterhit is easier.

Try hitting the ball slowly first and aim to get a certain number of balls on the table without a mistake. Build this up until you can easily hit 100 balls on without even thinking about it.

This level of consistency is important to develop good control of the ball.

← a number of question.. sorry... Fine Topspin Contact →

Recommended Video

Building Block 1: Master the Basic Strokes of Table Tennis

The first building block of table tennis is mastering your basic strokes, the foundation of every great player’s game. This starts with learning how to hold the bat correctly and developing control over the ball on the table.

From there, focus on building your technique with essential strokes:

Forehand and Backhand Counterhit
Forehand and Backhand Push
Forehand and Backhand Topspin
Blocks to Counter Topspin Strokes

Finally, learn to play topspin effectively against backspin balls, a crucial skill for handling challenging rallies. By mastering these fundamentals, you’ll develop the control and precision needed to advance your game with confidence.

For developing this skill watch our basic strokes module.

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David Metcalfe Unknown Posted 15 years ago

Thank you for the answer. After afew games I resorted to blocking without moving the bat which was quite consistent but hit the net because my bat angle was slightly closed. I watched the forehand blocking video and noticed that the blocks have a small counterhit. Is this to generate power or would it help with consistency against different amounts of spin?

Ji-Soo Woo Posted 15 years ago

G'day David

from my understanding the amount of follow through on a block would depend both on the degree of power (speed + topspin) on the opponent's ball as well as how much power you want on your own block.

Obviously the more power is on the opponent's ball, the less follow through you will need since you can use the opponent's pace. Also, if you want a gentle block (perhaps the opponent is further back from the table) you would block with little follow through and a very gentle grip. If you want to do a more aggressive block, you can add pace to the opponent's ball with more follow through (if you do this enough I guess it stops becoming a block and becomes a punch).