Helping a senior learn table tennis

Philip Samuel Asked 4 months ago

Hi Alois or Jeff

A senior (>70) has recently (3 months) taken up the game and playing only doubles in a senior's social club.

He has joined PingSkills as a free member on my advice and now watching your videos starting with the Beginner Basic Stroke section.

I am spending a bit of time helping out by getting him to learn the Backhand and the Forehand Counter Hit as a start. I have also referred him to Lesson 4 and Lesson 5 in Beginner Basic Strokes.

He has been able to do the Backhand Counter hit at a very basic level (a bit like Alois's backhand shot in Lesson 4, but with slightly more forward movement and light top spin).  However, although he is very familiar with Jeff's forehand counter hit videos, he is struggling with that movement.

Any advice on how to learn the Forehand Counter Hit from a very basic level and then progress to how Jeff or Alois play it will be greatly appreciated. I can spend a bit of time helping him and also get him to practice with the robot at our club.

Next year he will go to a coach for further development, just need to get him started for the moment to enjoy playing over Xmas at our social club.

Thank you as always.

Alois Rosario Answered 3 months ago

Hi Philip,

It's fantastic to hear about your senior friend taking up table tennis and making good use of the PingSkills resources. It’s great that you’re there to support his learning journey, especially with the basic strokes.

For the Forehand Counterhit, it's common for beginners, to struggle a bit. I think that to stat with when you are focusing on technique the most important part is the end of the stroke.  As strange as it sounds, by getting the finish correct, the rest of the stroke starts to fall into place.

Try getting him to focus on this, even if the stroke is in two parts where he hits the ball and then moves the racket into the finish position.  It may feel strange for both of you but give it a try.  Give him plenty of time between each shot by using multi-ball or feeding the ball extra slowly to him.

Since he plans to see a coach next year, these foundational skills will be invaluable for making the most out of professional coaching. In the meantime, encourage him to watch the strokes in slow motion (if available) on the videos and try to mimic the relaxed, controlled motions that Jeff demonstrates. Thanks for supporting your friend's journey and spreading the game.