Table tennis rules are relatively simple. However, it requires hours of practice to improve your table tennis skills. To help you out, here are different ways on how to improve your table tennis skills so that you can be the best player on the court:
1) Develop a Pre-Game Routine
Every great athlete has a trusted set of rituals they perform before every big competition. This helps them to relax, refocus and concentrate on winning the match at hand rather than worrying about things beyond their control, such as how loud the fans are cheering or what kind of sports drink is available in the locker room after the game is over.
To help improve your table tennis skills, it would be beneficial for you to create a pre-game routine that puts you in a peak performance state immediately before a match begins. It does not have to be anything fancy or complicated, just a series of actions you go through before every game to help get your body focused, calm your nerves, and clear your mind.
2) Train with Proper Equipment and Balls
Whether you are practicing alone or playing against another player in table tennis, using the correct equipment is very important to improve your skills. Picking the right racket (bat), for example, is very important in choosing what kind of shots to execute while playing. If it is too heavy, you will not be able to react quickly while trying for short balls.
However, if it is too light, you might find yourself swinging at thin air when attempting an overhand stroke on a drop shot. The same principle applies when selecting which type of ball to use. If the ball is too hard, you’ll have a hard time controlling it while trying to get your opponent out of position for a return shot. On the other hand, if it is too soft, you might find chasing after a long service, or a drop shot useless and frustrating.
3) Do Footwork Drills Every Day before Practice or Training.
One common mistake many amateur players make when starting with table tennis is spending more time hitting the ball against the wall than doing any kind of floor work to improve their skills. This often leads to slow play because they haven’t built up enough speed and stamina yet to keep playing that way for an extended period.
To be at peak performance when attempting to improve your table tennis skills, you need to do a series of footwork drills every day before practice or training. This will help ensure that you have the speed and endurance needed for a short rally with another player or a long match against multiple opponents.
4) Strive for Continuous Improvement in Your Gameplay
One of the biggest mistakes most beginners make when trying to learn how to play better at table tennis is not improving their weaknesses. It’s easy to find plenty of videos online about how someone has used spin to hit an amazing winner past their opponent. Still, it doesn’t do any good if your normal shots aren’t consistent enough yet to win points against other players on a basis. To see results and improvement in your gameplay, you need to identify your skill gaps (what you’re good at and what you’re not-so-good at), develop a road map on improving on them, and follow through with implementing drills designed for that purpose.
5) Have Patience and Self-Control while Playing the Game
Many table tennis players get frustrated when they make mistakes or cannot return their opponent’s shots throughout the game. Although some mistakes are inevitable, it is important to always remain focused, calm, and patient even during long matches. This will help ensure that you can get into position better instead of rushing for every shot, which will result in more unforced errors than anything else. Furthermore, if you begin losing control over your temper, it will only make matters worse and compound the mistakes you’ve made already.
Conclusion:
To improve your table tennis skills, you need to focus on drills that will help boost speed and endurance. Furthermore, practice makes perfect, so always work hard in training to see results in the long run.