Broward Table Tennis

PLAYING TIPS

  
 
 Tour Date    
  PLAYING TIPS :: Posted November, 2009


GENERAL RULES TO TRAINING AND PLAYING MATCHES
These rules should apply to all strokes
by: Terese Terranova
    
 
1. NEVER NEVER train without ADEQUATE stretching 1st.

2. Legs COMFORTABLY far apart.

3. Knees and back COMFORTABLY down.

4. First relax, then relax some more, then become a complete limp noodle – remember that a loose, relaxed set of muscles will respond 1,000% better than a tight, constricted, forced set of muscles.


Alexander Karakasevic
6/29/08, Coral Springs, FL
Courtesy boutbox.com

5. ANY pingpong stroke that you do will be done SMOOTHLY, SOFTLY AND COMPLETELY RELAXED as opposed to HARD, FORCED AND CONSTRICTED movements

6. Always remember that GOOD Ping-Pong technique is getting a MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF RESULT from a MINIMUM AMOUNT OF EFFORT – POOR technique is getting a MINIMUM AMOUNT OF RESULT from a MAXIMUM OF EFFORT!

7. Remember that your left arm will either help you or hurt you. The PROPER BALANCING usage of your left arm so that it remains perfectly in synch with your right arm is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

8. Trying to drive your (table tennis) car at 90-100 mph without being able to control it at 30-40mph is a complete waste of time. ONLY when you are completely comfortable with your ability to control your car at 30-40mph are you ready to test the waters at 40-50 then 50-60 etc. Don’t ever move to the higher speed until you’re completely comfortable with the lower speed.

9. Remember that the world champion IS world champion because he kept one more ball on the table than anyone else. Whether you win or lose will not be determined by how hard, how fast, how spinney you hit the ball, rather the winning or losing of your matches will be determined by how many balls you can keep on the table.

Additions to General Rules

In the case of all forehand strokes, except blocking, the rotation of the entire body (upper + lower parts working in synch) IS the forehand. Without this rotation you are ARMING the ball and have no stroke. THE ROTATION IS THE FOREHAND!!! NEVER NEVER try to FORCE spin, power or speed on the ball, this will naturally develop as your timing and skill level increase and as you begin to practice EFFORTLESS ACCELERATION.

Remember that each stroke, except blocking must have a well defined beginning (backstroke), middle (contact point) + end (follow through).

All backhands- Behind the ball - All forehands- A comfortable arms distance from the ball. Don’t cheat by REACHING to maintain these relationships, but make sure you constantly MOVE to accomplish this. ALWAYS REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF FINISHING YOU STROKE. The follow through will always be the NATURAL conclusion of your swing. TO GO CROSS COURT FACE A LITTLE TO THE RIGHT. TO GO DOWN THE LINE TURN A LITTLE TO THE LEFT.

Size Matters. Really Matters...
(How important is it to train in good conditions, versus on older tables,
or enclosed quarters?)
by Roman Teller
BoutBox.com

It is extremely important to train in conditions as closely resembling tournament conditions as possible. This includes playing on similar floors, similar room size, similar lighting, with a similar ball, in similar elevation and temperature, and on similar tables and floors. Although, important in any racket sport, in no other game is this as important as in table tennis.
 
And this is because of size -- and size is very important. An ant can go right up a wall. A human can't. An ant can lift hundreds of magnitudes his weight. A human can't. A human is ether precisely here, or there. An electron isn't -- it's everywhere at once. Every object in the physical universe has characteristics consistent with particles and of waves. The smaller the object, the less it behaves like a particle, and the more it undertakes characteristics consistent with waves.

There is a big difference between spin that can be imparted onto, and the resulting behavior of a volleyball, versus a tennis ball, versus a table tennis ball. There is a similar difference in what happens when these various balls hit the surface of their respective courts. Since a table tennis ball travels much faster and is much smaller, the uncertainty principle (see: Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle) applies to it much, much more than to the rest -- probably in a ratio of the square root of the diameter, if traveling at the same speed, that is. So, if one is twice the size of another, the effect would be squared, not doubled. When things get really small, as in quantum physics, for example, if you walked into a tiny subatomic bar and asked the tiny bartender for orange juice, you may get orange juice or you may get a steak -- it's a matter of probability rather than certainty. Hence, the effect of some playing condition that is outside the norm, in table tennis, will effect the player as in no other game.
 

Incidentally, when a table tennis ball hits the surface of the table, all spin stops and is translated into motion as the ball deforms and hops. Then after impact, it begins to spin again, as the spin is re-translated and some energy is lost and dissipated into and by the table. So, if you're fast enough and don't like spin, you should attempt to hit the ball precisely when it bounces. Remember though, at that point the ball must deform, so be very careful, you're not striking a completely round ball.

If the table surface is worn out, it is unable to hold the ball for an adequate period of time and is unable to translate spin and/or ball velocity adequately into a proper bounce. The ball will abruptly go through  the physical laws it must follow, and slide off the table, typically under the ark of a proper backhand stroke. Since players don't have the distance nor the time to get under the ball to generate adequate topspin, unless they can adjust by waiting, the option of  striking the ball on the backhand, right off the bounce, or along the used to trajectory,  is not a likely possibility -- could happen though, remember the ball is small, so some probability exists. If you train on worn out tables, come tournament time, you might find yourself playing a completely different game.

Playing under different conditions will always provide an alternate perspective and deeper understanding of the game and is recommended. However, a player should always try to match training and tournament playing conditions and should always try to understand their immediate surroundings while performing the ritual training exercises prior to a match, preferably until the player can predict the environment and play at ease, not straining to compute various differences and being overwhelmed, having no time to even think about strategy. Factors like air density is extremely important, as also the table surface, the floor, the background, and the ball itself. Any minute change from the norm is of paramount importance because size really does matter. And in table tennis, the fastest game on earth,  it matters a lot.