Swing and a Miss
Table Tennis Strokes and Technique
Last updated 9 years ago
Gordon L Asked 9 years ago
Every so often in a game, when I try to execute a loop/topspin drive, I swing and miss. Doesn't happen during drilling practice, just during a game. I think what's happening is the ball comes at me at various speeds and I'm not compensating for it in my stroke i.e. my stroke is geared towards a particular speed. I try to keep my eyes on the ball but it still happens. It seems like my timing is off? Any tips for how to minimize the swing and a miss?
Alois Rosario Answered 9 years ago
Hi Gordon,
A couple of things. Watching the ball like you are attempting to do is a good first step. Perhaps during a game situation, you are distracted or your concentration isn’t quite the same with the added pressure of the match. This can happen very easily. The more you practice watching the ball during training, the better you will get in games as well.
The other thing is to open the angle of your racket on contact. If you try for a very fine contact you are more likely to miss the ball especially in pressure situations. So think first about making a good contact with a flatter bat and then build on that by adding spin with the upward movement of your arm. Also on contact get your bat to come through forward a little more rather than upward to get the contact right.
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adam brown Posted 9 years ago
Great advice! Thanks Alois.
I find most of my misses are when I am way too aggressive and trying to kill the ball as hard as possible. Which will often lead to frustration and more misses. Instead I really try to focus on placement and playing a smart stroke rather than a kill shot. Let them pop the ball up high after my well-placed return gets them off balance - then give it a good smash, but still not an all out swing to ensure I don't whiff it again.