Starting out in a club

i have recently joined my local table tennis club.  I'm wondering what tips u can give someone who is relatively new to the sport and how long it is before i can play competitively.  Can i start playing in competitions at my age, I'm 28.

Hi Stuart,

It is great that you have joined a club.  This is an important step for players to make progress.

My biggest tip for new players is to try and get as many quality hours on the table as you can. If you can get some regular training and perhaps coaching you will find quick improvement.  Work on your technique first.  We have set out a whole lot of lesson on the Strokes & Technique in the Lessons area of our site.  Go through these and work on the skills involved.

I think once you feel comfortable with your basic strokes you can start to play in competitions.  Twenty eight is not too late to start playing competitions.   The good thing about Table Tennis is that you can always find someone to play competitively against.  Try to find a league that you are competitive in.  Ideally I think a league where you are in the middle of the pack.  This way you are playing some good players and also playing some players you can have wins against.  There is nothing like a win to boost your self esteem.  Organising to be in a league like this is not often possible so try to fit in where you can.  You will also learn a lot by playing in matches.