I know how difficult it has been for table tennis players the past 8 months and having very few opportunities to practice and play matches. It can feel frustrating that weeks or even months have gone by since you last picked up your paddle. With such limited time on the table it is important to embrace the time you have and utilize every minute, because who knows when the next time you will get the opportunity to play again! Below I am going to go through how to set up and execute a great 2-hour practice session, including GAMES.
1. Practice Partner
Find a practice partner(s) that have the same desire to practice as you do. There are a lot of times I see two people playing together that have completely opposite goals while playing together. It is comical watching one player trying to go forehand to forehand and the other is hitting winners! Once you have a partner, set up practice guidelines like the duration, frequency, and what each of you are looking to get out of the practice.
2. Theme and Drills
Before going to practice, write down or have in your head a theme and 3 drills you want to accomplish with your practice partner (they should also do the same thing).
The theme could really be about anything, it could be specific or general. Specific themes could be forehand footwork, looping around the corner, or stepping in/out on the forehand. A few general themes could be pushing, looping, footwork, or serve and attack. If you are having trouble finding drills for what you are working on, a simple way to find drills is searching table tennis drills in google. You will have endless drills at your fingertips. You can also seek advice from your coach who should be able to help.
The theme should help dictate what your drills are going to be. Your drills should generally build and get a little more challenging as you go on to the next. Here is a general example:
- Drill 1 controlled footwork
- Drill 2 semi-random footwork
- Drill 3 controlled serve and attack
You do not have to do it this way, but it is a great way to challenge yourself. I encourage modifying the drill if you end up struggling with completing what you set out to do. If you are not playing very much, it might be better to accomplish 3 drills that work on the core of your game. At the bottom of my coaching article you will find two different examples of practice sessions. One that has a specific theme and drills that build off one another and another theme is more to maintain your game.
The drills should be 7 minutes long for each person, rotating every 7 minutes from one person to the other. In between drills it is important for the person doing the drill to communicate to the person controlling/blocking what the drill is and what they are supposed to do. I want to clarify that when it is not your 7 minute drill, this is the time to be more focused on controlling/blocking than it is when you are executing the drill. You should give your practice partner the best opportunity to succeed. Also, it is extremely important to get controlling/blocking practice. You can work on your footwork during this time, staying low, and placement.
3. GAMES
The reason I have capitalized GAMES is to highlight how important they are are in your practice session. Games help you understand your strengths, areas you need to improve, and keeping your competitive edge. In your practice session you will want to play a few practice games to incorporate what you worked on and also competitive games to work on strategy.
4. Structure
The structure of the 2-hour practice session with GAMES should look like this:
- 5 minutes light warm up off the table – jogging, running in place, jump rope, ladder. Get the blood flowing!
- 15 minutes warm up on the table – This consists of cross court warm up of forehand/backhand drives and loops (if you can or are a looper), forehand/backhand pushing. Do each of these things 2-3 minutes.
- 1 hour and 10 minutes for drills – 3 drills for each person. The total time for the drills is about 45 minutes. The reason for the extra time is you will need to take short breaks in between drills to get water and pick up balls. Make sure to alternate from the person doing the drill to the person controlling/blocking.
- 25 minutes for GAMES – Play the first couple games as practice matches. Incorporate the things you had worked on in the drills. Then play a serious 3 games out of 5 match where you are trying to win. During this time do NOT think about anything else other than strategy and how you are going to beat your opponent. You cannot play at your best if you are thinking about your forehand technique.
- 5 minutes for stretching – it’s ALWAYS good after playing any sport or physical activity to get in a good stretch
General Theme Practice Session Example - Serve & Attack
- Drill 1 Footwork– 1 Forehand and then 1 backhand all to blockers backhand. Repeat until someone misses.
- Drill 2 Serve and Attack – Deep Pendulum serve to blockers backhand, blocker either drives topspin back to backhand or pushes to the backhand, loop or hit topspin or underspin ball. Play the point out.
- Drill 3 Return of Serve – Blocker serves pendulum serve sidespin/underspin deep anywhere, Loop/hit ball anywhere. Play out point.
Specific Theme Practice Session Example - Wide Forehand
- Drill 1 Footwork – 1 Forehand wide to the forehand, shuffle to the middle of the table, and 1 forehand in the middle. Hit all balls to blockers forehand. Repeat until someone misses.
- Drill 2 Semi-Random Footwork – Backhands down the line to blockers forehand, blocker randomly hits one ball wide to the forehand. Hit all balls to blockers forehand. Repeat until someone misses.
- Drill 3 Serve and Attack – Underspin serve to blockers forehand, blocker pushes wide to forehand, loop/hit wide forehand, then blocker blocks one to the backhand and one to the forehand. Repeat until someone misses.
About Joe Podvin
Joe is a JOOLA-sponsored coach. His career is filled with many highlights and accomplishments like 4-time Minnesota State Champion and 5-time Minnesota State Doubles Champion. Joe started coaching table tennis on a part-time basis in 2015. He ended a successful banking career in January 2018. Since then, Joe has devoted all his time and energy to developing his skills as both a player and a full-time coach. He coaches players of all ages and skill levels. Joe has spent ample time working with Minnesota’s juniors and conducting weekly clinics, summer camps, and tournaments
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