Jenny Heaton - TABLE TENNIS: Skills, Techniques, Tactics

First published in 2009 by The Crowood Press Ltd, Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book edition first published in 2012

The Crowood Press Ltd 2009

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

ISBN 978 1 84797 438 9

Dedication

To my husband John for his help with the proof reading and support throughout the project.

Acknowledgements

The author and publishers would like to thank the following for their help in the production of this book: Jill Parker MBE and Don Parker, the players at the National Centre for their time and expertise, and the ETTA and ITTF.

The photographs that appear in the book were taken by David Wearn. Line drawings by Keith Field.

Disclaimer

Please note that the author and the publisher of this book are not responsible or liable, in any manner whatsoever, for any damage, or injury of any kind, that may result from practising, or applying, the techniques and methods and/or following the instructions described in this publication. Since the exercises and other physical activities described in this book may be too strenuous in nature for some readers to engage in safely, it is essential that a doctor is consulted before undertaking such exercises and activities.

Table tennis is a fun and exciting game enjoyed by people of all ages and from all walks of life. Anyone can enjoy playing table tennis, but to be good at table tennis like any other sport requires dedication, coaching and training. It is a very accessible sport and it is widely played throughout the world. The International Table Tennis Federation started with only five countries in 1926, England being one of these. Now there are over 200 member-country associations.

Table tennis has been an Olympic sport for both singles and doubles events since the Seoul games in 1988; in 2008 in Beijing , team events were included for both mens and womens national teams.

Table tennis can be played in most leisure centres and there are leagues in nearly every major town. There are over 150 premier clubs registered in England. Some clubs are still based in church halls or business facilities, but all of the premier clubs are table tennis specific clubs, which have their own premises or are based in leisure centres. Even the Members of Parliament have their own team at the House of Commons.

Table tennis is classed as a high fidelity sport, which means that once a person has become involved they are likely to remain involved for longer than in many other sports. In other words, once you are hooked youll stay hooked!

Table tennis is often a lifelong sport; in the World Veteran Championships there are people competing in over-40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80 and over-85 age categories.

At the top level, table tennis is one of the fastest games to play and involves an enormous amount and variety of spin. At this level more than two strokes can be played in one second, at speeds over 100mph (160kph) and the ball can rotate up to 100 times per second. It is also a very tactical game, involving trying to out-manoeuvre and deceive an opponent in order to win a point. It has often been referred to as being like playing chess at 100 miles an hour. So to play table tennis at this level you need to be smart as well as sharp!

Whether you just want to have some fun hitting the ball once in a while, or you want to be really good, then as in any sport you need to train in a systematic way. This book aims to provide the necessary information to help both beginners and existing players to do just that. A good technique will result in a better player and make it more rewarding and challenging. This guide provides all the technical and tactical information needed to enable a beginner or an experienced player to improve their game and reach their full potential. The physical requirements of the game are also included as these are an integral part of playing any sport to the full.

This guide will also appeal to coaches, as it provides a good resource of technical, tactical and on- and off-the-table training information that will be useful to them in their coaching work.