Table Tennis Tactics: 65 Bite-size Tactics, Strategies and Top Tips

I learnt the hard way...

At the tender age of 11, I started playing in the lower levels of my local table tennis league and I found myself competing against players who were much older than me. But they weren't as good as me.

Well, that's what I thought at the time.

But they kept beating me!

I just couldn't understand it.

After all, I'd had the benefit of receiving expert table tennis coaching and I'd been taught how to play all the strokes correctly. I could play backhand and forehand pushes, backhand and forehand drives, as well as backhand and forehand defensive strokes. I even had a forehand loop that received high praise from a visiting International coach.

And the badges I wore with pride on my shirt made everyone aware that I'd achieved the level of skill required to pass the nationally-set skill tests.

So it was only natural that I thought my superior strokes would lead me to victory every time in the local league. After all, these older players only had their unconventional, idiosyncratic styles to rely on.

But I was wrong. Big time.

And it was only years later that I discovered why they kept beating me.

What I didn't know at the time, and what I hadn't been taught, was how important the use of tactics and strategies were to winning matches. And that's what I'd come up against when I encountered my first "real" opponents in the local league.

They knew that by using the right strategies and tactics, it's possible for a player of lesser ability to beat a stronger opponent. They knew that it wasn't just about whether you can play better shots than your opponent. It's whether you know the little tactics, strategies and top tips that'll give you the slight advantage.

Well, since those early days of playing in my local table tennis league, I've been playing the game for more than 40 years. During that time I've been fortunate enough to benefit from the help and advice of some top International coaches who were happy to pass on their knowledge and expertise to me.

So if you're a beginner or intermediate player and you'd like to get the edge over your opponents, I've put together 65 tactics, strategies and top tips that have helped me over the years, and which I think are worth passing on.

They're all brief, bite-sized nuggets of information but I think they'll help you to elevate your game to the next level.

They're simple techniques and easy to use, but they can be very effective against opponents who have not had the benefit of individual coaching.

So I hope they'll help you and I look forward to hearing about your future successes.


5,900 words. No photos.

About The Author

Martin Hughes lives in England and has been involved in table tennis for over 40 years as a player, administrator, organiser and writer.
He currently writes about table tennis on his web site www.AllAboutTableTennis.com