Positioning to return a smash

Hi alois and jeff,

i am a regular table tennis player, what i find most difficult is how to anticipate where the smash is gonna come? i play with many players at my club and they all have the habit of smashing at both of my side(i am a right hander). i just can't guess where the ball is gonna come, when i move to my BH side thinking that the ball would come here,it goes the other way and when i move towards my FH it goes the other way. if i stand in the middle, the smashes are too fast and in a position which is always curling away and far from me, is there any way i can master myself in returning all those? My opponents mix up their smashes very well, i tend to return some of those which are within my reach or when i correctly judge it, but most of the time i miss it. your help is greatly needed :)

Hi Samad,

Firstly if they are smashing you are only a small chance of winning the point from there so just do your best.

To try to improve your chances position yourself in an area where it is most likely they will hit the ball.  Think about the angles of where they can hit the ball and position yourself in the middle of that area.

The other thing you can do is try to watch the ball more closely during the rally.  By watching the ball really closely you will pick up a little bit earlier the direction of the ball coming to you which might buy you a little bit of time.