Some players play for a long time, but they don’t know how to improve their current level to the next level. They don’t know how to jump the level gap.
level gap in table tennis exist between every improvement stage
One of the main reasons is they don’t identify their mistakes, and they don’t know how to fix the mistakes.
If you repeat the same mistake, again, and again. You never improve to the next level.
It’s all about the most common mistakes that you should avoid.
Here are the 10 classic mistakes that you should fix as soon as possible. Learn from your own mistakes and others is one of the best ways to improve your level. I also explain the best tips to correct these beginner’s mistakes.
table tennis mistakes need to avoid – better player
1. Stand too close to the table
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Some players just stand too close to the table. So they don’t have enough time to react, to make a strong stroke.
stand too close to the table
Standing too close is very bad. It’s only good for blockers. So you can’t learn the proper footwork, you can’t make a good forehand topspin or a backhand loop. It’s all because you stand so close to the table.
Look at the pro players. They always have a sufficient distance to attack the long ball.
Pro players keep a good distance in table tennis
It’s better to stay further from the table to be ready to attack the long ball. To deal with the short ball, you just step forward. Why? Because of the human movement mechanism, moving forward is much faster than moving backward.
So it’s better to stand at a good distance than to stand too close to the table.
Please watch this video. I have all explained here.
How can you make a good shot if you hold the racket wrongly? Have a bad grip is like trying to learn guitar with the wrong finger position.
having a wrong grip is a very bad table tennis mistake
You will never improve with that. The grip is so important in table tennis.
It’s the place that you can “accelerate into” the ball. You can apply the pressure, and increase the speed and spin of the shots. With the wrong grip, you can’t topspin efficiently.
Zhang Jike has a very good shakehand grip. You should learn from him.Learn the correct shakehand gripFrom a straight line with the correct grip
3. Hold the racket too tight
Holding the racket too tight is the common error of beginners. New players are always too tense.
Tense muscle is very bad for your table tennis
It’s very bad too. You can’t accelerate! Your racket’s speed is slow. Too tense muscle will hurt and can make injury. Do you remember “Relax, Explode and Relax“? Your feeling and your capacity to return the spinny serve also reduce.
The pro players hold the racket loosely. That’s the reason why they can accelerate easily. The shot’s quality is very high, with a lot of power, and spin.
Pro players hold the racket loosely
How to fix: Relax more. Relax more! Change your grip!
Only apply the pressure on the index finger (Forehand topspin loop)
4. Forget the “Spin”
The spin is the “heart” of table tennis. The slogan of PingSunday is “In Spin We Trust”. Without the spin, you don’t have the Magnus effect on your ball. The Magnus effect is the only force that pulls the ball down during your topspin.
Magnus effect is the heart of table tennis
How to fix: In every shot, think about “spin”.
Think about spin in every table tennis shots
Try to add spin in every shot: your service, your push, your topspin, your sidespin chop, etc. Learn how to impact spin: with the right timing, good acceleration, and the right contact point.
Spin capacity on hard and tacky Chinese rubber versus ESN Tensor rubber
5. Bad footwork
Many players just “reach” but not “move”. It’s very bad! You get stuck at the same level because of this very common mistake. Don’t lean and reach, but please move your feet. There are already 4 patterns that help you move (great footwork that you should learn).
Please move your feet before making a stroke
Bad footwork or hate moving the feet is the #2 enemy that you will never improve!
Just look for equipment but forget about learning the right techniques
The common “disease” of table tennis players. They change the equipment too often. Just focus on equipment, and don’t focus enough on techniques. This is very bad! #3 enemy of your table tennis. Constantly changing paddles will “remove” all of your good feeling of the blade. It is like dating.
You need to get used to your weapon! Get the feeling, the confidence!
Here is a comment about a Vietnamese player. He said that:
I just keep changing the blade. But I can’t improve.
By watching your video, I just use an ALL+ blade, and focus on technique.
And then I improved very fast.
Stop EJ, that the technique will decide 80% your level
New players just hit the wrong contact point from day to day. They don’t know where to impact force on the ball.
One day, they hit the good contact position, and feel, “I’m so good. I play like Ma Long”.
Another day, they hit on a different point, and were so disappointed. “Today, I play like $%#$“. They want to blame and throw their rackets. Is it your case? 🙂
Where to serve to counter backhand dominant player? Red points are the weak points of backhand playersRead points are the Weak Spots of the Forehand dominant player
How can you win the point? If you continue to feed the ball that the opponent love? Or you just attack the ball to his backhand side (and he is a good blocker)?
Do you know the 80-20 rules of table tennis? Do you know that on the table, there are 3 positions that you should always aim for?
How to fix: Start learning about the tactics. This will open your eye. You will now understand that “table tennis is the chess game with the speed of light”. Know where to serve, and where to attack.
Strategy at table tennis: Serve and Attack
10. Don’t have your own style
And the final but not last mistake is not “having your own style”. It could due to your coach! That he didn’t guide you correctly! Maybe your coach didn’t know in the long run, how to develop your skill and your style.
It’s better to have your own style
You can not play like “Ma Long” and “Zhang Jike” at the same time. They have a different style, and “micro-adjustments”. Some players have a good forehand topspin, but they don’t have a good “set-up” serve to attack.
Some players have a good tricky serve but don’t have a good weapon like a forehand smash, or forehand loop kill to finish the point.
Or some players are backhand dominant players but don’t have a good reverse pendulum serve system to incorporate with. Or you have a one-wing forehand attacker, but your backhand flick is so weak.
How to fix: Learn from the pro, the best players. They are the best “combo-style” that worked! That’s the reason they are the top players! Because their style works great and helps them win! So develop your own style with a good coach, and copy the pro’s style.
Learn from the pro style but develop your own playing style
Should I copy pro's playing style in table tennis? Nguyễn Anh Tú (Tú Mẩu)
Watch this video.
Conclusion
So there are the top 10 most common mistakes in table tennis. There are also many more mistakes. In general, to correct these deadly mistakes, you need to:
Avoid and fix these mistakes as soon as possible. You will find a new horizon for your table tennis. Please share the article and support us. I hope that they can help you improve to the next level. If you find my tutorial helpful, you can support me by searching “Patreon emratthich”.
Table tennis coach in France since 2012, founder of pingsunday.com (the best online coaching program for table tennis players). Born in Vietnam in 1983, Ph.D. in Université Pierre Marie Curie. Read more about him.
4 thoughts on “Top 10 table tennis mistakes and how to fix”
Great outline of ten tips to focus on.
hi
Good Article Coach Emratthich
Thank you coach. It is really important to change the bad habit of the beginners. Correcting these mistakes help us learn quicker.