First stroke and serve to learn for beginner

Abhinav Upadhyay Asked 10 years ago

Hi Alois,

Which is the first stroke that you try to teach your students who are just starting up table tennis? Is it forehand/backhand push or a counterhit? Ditto for their serve? Also, what is the progression level like? For example things to focus on after learning their first basic serve and stroke.

Alois Rosario Answered 10 years ago

Hi Abhinav,

I tend to yeah them first to be able to control the ball on the table with a flat hit stroke as we show in the lesson on The Most Important Skill.  Then I move onto the forehand and backhand counterhit.

For serving I get then to be able to do a flat serve and making sure they have the mechanics of throwing the ball up and co-ordinating that correctly.  then move on to learning to do a basic spin such as backspin or sidespin.