What Is the Fastest Way to Level Up Your Table Tennis?
About This Column
This is a brand-new, technique-focused column in Q&A format. The experts answering your questions are two former national team players — veteran coaches who prefer to stay anonymous. They just want a quiet life and a good night’s sleep, with no interest in fame.
I Can’t Get Any Power Into My Loop — What Should I Do?
To loop a fast topspin with quality, the first thing you must do is transfer your weight forward and lean into the ball. Feel the weight shift. Your body traces a circular arc, your arm traces a circular arc, your wrist snaps and follows through. At the exact moment of contact, your fingers tighten, your core contracts, and the force from your whole body converges into one point.
Keep your weight loaded and make sure you’re striking the ball in front of your body — not off to the right side. If you get caught on the side, you can’t generate force.
What Is the Fastest Way to Level Up?
Multi-ball training — no question. Nothing else comes close. But feeding multi-ball well takes real skill, especially when you’re running combinations. The rhythm, speed, height, and angle of every feed demand a high level of coaching. Combinations like push-loop-drive, push-loop-attack, push-loop-sidespin, or continuous looping sequences all require the feeds to simulate match conditions as closely as possible in terms of pace and timing.
How Do I Block an Opponent’s Penhold Sidespin Loop to My Forehand?
The blade needs to be more vertical — around 65 degrees relative to the table. When your forearm and body are at around 45 degrees, redirect the ball in front of your body. Keep your hand relaxed; use your body rotation to guide the ball. For a shakehand grip, your index finger drives the paddle face; then slowly draw the forearm back. You can practice this movement pattern repeatedly.
If the incoming loop is too fast and you get jammed, don’t overthink the arm action. Use your body weight to push the ball back.
At the moment of contact, variety and disguise are key. To maximize disguise, minimize your visible motion — specifically, shorten the time gap right before contact. The closer the ball is to your paddle before you start moving, the less preparation time you give the opponent, and the more errors you force.
For example with a short touch, wait until the ball is around 10 centimeters from your paddle before initiating. If you start too early, the opponent reads you. Within that tiny window, you can play the rising ball and choose a short nudge, a sidespin cut, a push long, or a flick — whatever you like. Of course, the prerequisite is that your feet are already in position, your weight is settled, you’ve read where the ball will land, and you’re waiting there for it. In that case, you can even watch the opponent’s position before deciding how to return.
Regardless of whether the ball is heavy or explosive, always keep your arm relaxed.