Watching professional table tennis continues to gain popularity, and it's no wonder because the sport is fin, exciting, and cerebral. If you're interested in the game and decide the play more seriously yourself, you'll want to learn more about the four essential shots. They're the basis of the play, and if you're going to be competitive, you'll need a mastery of each one. Therefore, you'll need to learn about the forehand drive and push and the backhand drive and push. Being able to land each shot effectively and consistently is crucial to winning. Your opponent will try to do the same – and you want to be better.
In both practice matches and training drills, give yourself some latitude when experimenting with the forehand drive shot in table tennis. If you ask a coach for specifics, most will tell you it takes about five hours of practice play to begin feeling comfortable. Coaches working with competitive players want them to land as many as 100 forehand drives in a row, without mistakes, to demonstrate mastery. Once you have the forehand working well, it's time to work on backhand drives. Surprisingly, many players find it easier to learn and master. You'll move your thumb slightly but otherwise the same grip.
Playing backhand drives with a natural and relaxed grip is always best. During practice, alternate between forehand and backhand shots – it's a helpful drill because it closely mimics what you'll be doing when you play competitive games. Playing table tennis well requires moving among the four essential shots with ease. Developing an excellent game comes down to drive and topspin shots that are accurate, controlled, and consistent. The push shots come next, and many players start with the backhand. You can pick it up quickly, and it will work to your advantage to add backspin to your shots.
If you can devote long hours of practice play to your table tennis push shots, work the most on adding a heavy backspin to the ball. You'll want heavy backspin on your serves as well. It's a competitive advantage, and you also need to learn to play well against other players who use it. The last of the four shots you'll learn is the forehand push. Nearly everyone agrees it is the most difficult to master. Players try to use the backhand push wherever possible, but there are times the ball lands in a spot where a forehand return is the only possibility. Therefore, mastering the forehand drive shot is required.
