How often have you thought that you had been the better player technically, but still managed to lose the game? In order to beat an opponent, you have to be more than technically proficient and learn how to apply your technique correctly through a better tactical appreciation of each game as it progresses. This book will show you how to do this, and it provides a thorough analysis of all the most important table tennis tactics. About the Book The book contains an age-appropriate collection of all aspects of table tennis tactics for young players. It helps you to read your opponent’s game and to decide how to play against forehand- or backhand-dominant players. There are also valuable tips on how playing tempo can be used as a tactical element, how to produce and read ball spin and how to influence it with a suitable racket surface, and how the service game is used to take tactical control of the game. With numerous photos and illustrations, a self-test questionnaire, profiles of the best table tennis players, the official rules and tactical know-how, this book will soon become your table tennis ‘bible’. ISBN 978-1-84126-299-4 $ 14.95 US/£ 9.95/A 14.95 www.m-m-sports.com The Grip Table according to Östh/Fellke The table below was compiled by the Swedish coaches Glenn Östh and Jens Fellke, a former Swedish first division player. It shows which grips are advantageous for which strokes and side changes. For example, a FH topspin is easier with the forehand About the Authors grip while the backhand grip is helpful for a FH-sidespin. They also indicate that by changing grip (also known as flipping the Klaus-M. Geske, 42, is a racket) during a rally, it is possible to change the grip in order qualified physical education to play as many strokes as possible with good technique. teacher. From 2000 to 2008, the elite level coach was national youth coach for the Flemish Table Tennis Association in Belgium. Alongside his coaching work in Hannover, Germany, he is also # actively involved in coaching training at regional Strokes Grip and international level. FH-topspin FH-grip BH-topspin BH-grip FH-smash BH-grip BH-smash FH-grip Jens Mueller, 39, was coach to the German FH-flip FH-grip national deaf table BH-flip BH-grip tennis team between Quick change from FH to BH BH-grip 1997 and 2004. The Quick change from BH to FH FH-grip high school teacher FH parallel from the FH corner FH-grip has been working as a lecturer at a German BH parallel from the FH corner BH-grip University since 2006. FH cross-court from the FH corner BH-grip BH cross-court from the BH corner FH-grip FH from mid-table FH-grip BH from mid-table BH-grip FH sidespin BH-grip Defensive FH-chop BH-grip Defensive BH-chop FH-grip Table-Tennis-Tactics neue Fassung 04.12.2009 13:09 Uhr Seite 1 Table Tennis Tactics – Your Path to Success! Table-Tennis-Tactics neue Fassung 04.12.2009 13:09 Uhr Seite 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, OR (TO QUOTE JOE COCKER) “WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS” The authors thank: The Butterfly company for their support. Timo Boll for his friendly and very professional collaboration on the photo shoots. Guido Schuchert for the great photos, without which our book would not have been so well illustrated. Oliver Sprigade for preparing the images. He had the difficult task of representing what we were not able to communicate via photos or the written word. He is also the creator of the ‘tactical fox.’ Another big THANK YOU to all those mentioned above. Table-Tennis-Tactics neue Fassung 04.12.2009 13:09 Uhr Seite 3 Klaus-M. Geske & Jens Mueller Table Tennis Tactics Your Path to Success Meyer & Meyer Sport Table-Tennis-Tactics neue Fassung 09.12.2009 12:38 Uhr Seite 4 Original title: Tischtennistaktik © Meyer & Meyer Verlag, 2009 Translated by Heather Ross Table Tennis Tactics Your Path to Success Klaus-M. Geske & Jens Mueller Maidenhead: Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2010 ISBN: 978-1-84126-299-4 All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means now known or hereafter invented without the prior written permission of the publisher. This book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form, binding or cover other than that which is published, without the prior written consent of the publisher. © 2010 by Meyer & Meyer Verlag, Aachen Aachen, Adelaide, Auckland, Budapest, Cape Town, Graz, Indianapolis, Maidenhead, Olten (CH), Singapore, Toronto Member of the World Sportpublishers’ Association (WSPA) www.w-s-p-a.org Printed by: B.O.S.S Druck und Medien GmbH ISBN: 978-1-84126-299-4 E-Mail: [email protected] www.m-m-sports.com Table-Tennis-Tactics neue Fassung 04.12.2009 13:09 Uhr Seite 5 CONTENTS Contents Greeting from Timo Boll . 9 Foreword . 10 Before We Start . 13 1 Ball Placement . 15 1.1 Elbow . 17 1.2 Scattering Angle . 20 1.2.1 Implications for Training and Competition . 21 1.2.2 Conclusion . 22 1.2.3 A Brief Glance Beyond Our Sport . 23 1.3 Racket Grip . 23 1.3.1 The Grip Table According to Östh and Fellke . 26 1.3.2 Implications for Training and Competition . 27 1.4 Game Types . 27 1.4.1 Characteristics of a forehand-dominant player . 27 1.4.1.1 Tips for Playing Against Forehand-dominant Players . 29 1.4.2 Characteristics of a backhand-dominant player . 31 1.4.2.1 Tips for Playing Against Backhand-dominant Players . 32 1.4.3 Summary . 33 1.5 Drills . 34 2 Pace . 37 2.1 Fast or Slow? . 37 2.2 Changes of Pace . 38 2.3 Drills . 39 3 Flight Height . 41 3.1 General . 41 3.2 Lobbing . 43 3.3 The Problem of Time . 44 3.4 Playing Against Defense . 44 3.5 Drills . 45 5 Table-Tennis-Tactics neue Fassung 04.12.2009 13:09 Uhr Seite 6 TABLE TENNIS TACTICS 4 Spin . 47 4.1 Producing Spin . 47 4.2 Identifying Spin . 50 4.2.1 Backspin . 50 4.2.2 Topspin . 53 4.2.3 Sidespin . 55 4.3 Drills . 59 4.3.1 Chop Drills . 59 4.3.2 Topspin and Block Drills . 59 4.3.3 Flip Drills . 60 4.4 Special Kinds of Rubbers . 61 4.4.1 Pips-In Rubbers . 62 4.4.1.1 Antis . 63 4.4.2 Pips-Out Rubbers . 64 4.4.2.1 Short Pips . 64 4.4.2.2 Long Pips . 66 4.4.2.3 Mid-length Pips . 69 5 Service Tactics . 71 5.1 Service Feints . 74 5.1.1 Feints With or Without Spin . 74 5.1.2 The ‘Windscreen Wiper’ Principle . 74 5.1.3 The Reversal Principle . 76 5.2 Tips for Service Training . 77 6 Risk Assessment . 78 6.1 Risk Phases . 79 7 Epilogue . 84 8 The Official Rules . 85 8.1 The Order of Serving, Receiving and Ends . 85 8.2 The Expedite System . 88 Table Tennis Rules . 90 6 Table-Tennis-Tactics neue Fassung 04.12.2009 13:09 Uhr Seite 7 CONTENTS 9 Final Questionnaire . 98 9.1 Answers . 101 10 Profiles of a Few Former and Current Table Tennis Stars (and those to come) . 102 10.1 Timo Boll . 102 10.2 Wang Hao . 103 10.3 Ma Long . 104 10.4 Ma Lin . 105 10.5 Wang Liqin . 206.