Returning the Ball in Table Tennis

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm Judy Hoarfrost from Paddle Palace table tennis company, and our topic is returning the ball in table tennis. You know table tennis is a really complexed game. The ball is going at top speed, and there is a great variation of spin. And a novice can have difficulty even returning one ball. So are you being thrown by a loop? Or maybe your opponent is pushing you around or driving you crazy. Well there is something you can do about that, and here is a few tips. Number one, learn about spins. The basic spins in table tennis are top spin, and under spin. Now if your opponent gives you a top spin shot, and all you do is block it. That ball is going to pop up or go off the end of the table. If your opponent gives you an under spin shot, and you just block it. It's going to, the ball is going to go down into the table. It won't go over the net. So what you have to watch for is which direction is the racket going when they strike the ball. If they are going up over the ball like this it is going to have top spin. If they are going down with an open racket under the ball like this it is going to have under spin. If they go side like this it is going to, and they are striking this direction, it is going to make you hit the ball that way. If the racket is going this direction like on a serve, and it is going to tend to make you hit the ball that direction. So what do you do about that? If the ball has top spin it is going to make you pop it up, what do you do? Okay, a top spin shot if it makes you pop it up you are going to want to cover over the top of the ball like this with a closed racket. This is what we called a closed racket, this is what we called an open racket. So you are going to close the racket like this so that the ball will tend to go down more. So let's say there is a top spin shot the easiest thing to do is to just stroke it back with a top spin like that. Let's say it has under spin on it, and they are going under the ball like this like on a push. It is going to tend to make you hit it down. What you are going to want to do is the easiest thing to do would be to push it back with a similar open racket like this. So if they are hitting a side spin shot that makes you hit that way you are going to want to angle your racket the other direction. So if it is going to make you go that way you are going to angle it this way. And if they are trying to make you go the opposite direction you angle it the other way. Anyway it takes a lot of practice, but the number one thing to do when you are playing against a tricky serve in particular that has the side spin on it is to watch carefully. Whichever direction they are hitting their racket is going when it hits the ball then that is the direction it is going to try to make you hit it. Like if it has got an under spin on it on a serve the easiest thing to do would be to push it back. If it has got top spin on it the easiest thing would be to top spin it back like this. However, if you are like me you might be a little more offensive minded, and if you are playing in a pushing match it is defensive, it is a little slower you might want to open up it up a bit. And instead of pushing back you might want to get counter active with your own stroke of top spin. You are going to have to get more lift. So let me show you. Here he is giving me an under spin shot, and I am just going to lift it up more like that. Anyway I hope you get the idea. The main thing is develop some good strokes, get some good coaching. Maybe check out a DVD at our website paddlepalace.com, and practice, practice, practice."