10 Tips to Become Advance Table Tennis Player

You have to master your grip on your racket, understand how to serve, learn to anticipate your opponent's moves, all while trying to score more points..

This article will focus on 10 key techniques that will help you make quick progress in terms of table tennis skills. Please note that nothing can replace constant practice and there are no shortcuts to greatness.

10 Tips On How To Get Better At Table Tennis

 

Know Your Racket

The way you hold your racket plays a pivotal role (pun intended) on how the match progresses. Also, every racket feels and performs differently. What seems like the best table tennis racket for beginners may not be the best table tennis racket for an intermediate player. In fact, the best table tennis racket is the one that responds best to your game style. If you constantly experiment with different rackets, you will hold back your progress owing to varying performances.

Build Your Own Racket

In conjunction with the previous point, assuming you have a basic grip on the basics of table tennis, it is a good practice to create your own custom table tennis rackets. This way, you have better control over the direction of the match, and you become better accustomed to your racket even when your skill progresses. Pair the custom table tennis blade with appropriate anti-spin rubber, soft-grip tape to create something unique to you.

Play Against A Variety Of Players

Every table tennis player has a unique gameplay style. Some may variate their service, and some have a nuance while returning a serve. Challenge your skills by playing against a diverse range of players. When you play against someone with advanced skills, you learn to anticipate your opponent's multiple actions better. Irrespective of the outcome of the match, observe and learn something new that you may not know before the match.

Observe other players

Life is too short for committing all the mistakes possible, and hence you should also learn from the experience of others. Attend and spectate matches between other players. Observe their stances, hand movement patterns, the returns to different types of shots, etc to understand the different methods to play. You may not necessarily copy their style but can surely adopt a couple of pointers yourself.

Watch Your Step

Even though playing a table tennis match makes most of your torso area, your footwork is essential for maintaining the stance. By mastering and switching your footwork techniques based on the need, you make the most of the play area without becoming predictable. Professional level table tennis matches are fast-paced; hence, accurately predicting shots & ball placement needs you to be at the correct place and time. Excellent footwork helps you get into the best position to hit a shot and get back into your regular stance to predict the next hit.

Read More: How To Get Better At Table Tennis

Best Table Tennis Racket For Beginners/ Intermediate Players

Table tennis is a popular indoor sport in the world. The International Table Tennis Federation has more than 222 countries participating. Table tennis can be played anywhere provided that you have a table, a divider net, and at least two table tennis rackets.

A good table tennis match relies heavily on the skills of both players and the type of racket plays a pivotal role in how the game progresses.

You may not want to buy the best of the best table tennis racket unless you are a professional player. Although table tennis rackets are not cheap, it is advisable to steer clear of the bottom feeders as you may be compromising on the quality and the longevity of the racket.

In this article, we shall look into Best Table Tennis Rackets for beginners and intermediate players.

Best Table Tennis Racket for Intermediate

 

As the skills improve and reach an intermediate level, the focus changes to implementing spin to the gameplay. The rubber mats should be such that it absorbs impacts and has a grippy surface that can manipulate the spin of the ball. The racket base needs to provide the appropriate grip that feels natural. At an intermediate stage, it is advisable to create a custom table tennis racket by choosing a separate blade and sticking relevant rubber mats on both sides.

Some of the most popular table tennis blades are:

Butterfly Viscaria

A beautiful wooden blade that combines Arylate fiber with Carbon fiber for a lightweight yet high elasticity base. Available in both flared as well as straight handle, the Butterfly Viscaria blade is ideal for quick re-looping right off the bounce.

Yasaka Blades Range

You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to Yasaka Table Tennis Blades. The multiple layers of best-quality laminated wood provide enough tensile strength & springiness as well as damping the shocks. Available in flared, straight as well as anatomic handle style, these blades are ideal to match your game to your skill.

Yasaka Mark V racket

Yasaka Mark V Racket is a top-quality tournament bat for intermediate players that comes pre-assembled. It has the Mark V wooden base with Mark V 2.0 mm red and black rubber on either side. It compromises the control to greatly improve the speed and spin factor. The flared handle ensures maximum grip with improved wrist movement.

Wrapping Up

When it comes to table tennis bats, depending on your skill level, it is advisable to opt for Yasaka Original Racket for beginners and choosing a Custom Table Tennis Blade, paired with the rubber style that suits your style, is suited for those who want to move from store-bought rackets to personalized equipment.

 Know more about Table tennis rackets beginners.

Newgy Robot Comparison : Which Table Tennis Robot You Should Buy

The Newgy Robo-Pong table tennis robots are currently available in four different models. The older-style 540, 1040, 1050, 2040 and 2050 robots have been replaced by the 1040+, 2040+, 2055 and 3050XL. Which one is right for you? Which one should you buy? In this article, I will complete a Newgy Robots comparison to help you to make that decision.

Newgy Industries is a US company that is well-known for producing high-quality table tennis robots. Newgy have their own factory in China and all their robots are exclusive to them – they aren’t sticking their logos on other Chinese robots.

The Best Newgy Robo-Pong Robot

 

There are four Newgy Robo-Pong robots currently on sale (they seem to update their models quite regularly) and they vary significantly in price and features.

1. Newgy Robo-Pong 1040+ = $399
2. Newgy Robo-Pong 2040+ = $679
3. Newgy Robo-Pong 2055 = $799
4. Newgy Robo-Pong 3050XL = $1,499

The 1040+ and 2040+ are both “old-style” analogue table tennis robots. The 2055 is a newer digital version of the 2040+. It can remember drills and be connected to a computer. The 3050XL is the super fancy 2018 model that can be linked via Bluetooth to the Newgy app.
The 1040+ is a tabletop robot. The other three attach to the end of the table and are able to recycle the balls using the built-in net.

Which Newgy Robot Should I Buy?

 

I believe the answer to this question comes down to whether you are simply looking for a “cheap” robot or a “good” robot.

• If you want a cheap robot, I would recommend the Robo-Pong 1040+.
• If you’re looking for a “proper” robot, I would suggest the Robo-Pong 2055.
• Unfortunately, the Robo-Pong 3050XL has really bad reviews online, so I would steer clear of this one!

I will now quickly run through my thoughts on all four Newgy Robo-Pong robots.

Newgy Robo-Pong 1040+

The Robo-Pong 1040+ is a fairly basic robot but it can do everything you would want from a simple machine.

It doesn’t recycle balls, and this might be a deal-breaker for some. But as far as table-top robots go, this one can hold over 200 balls – so you don’t have to spend all your time collecting and refilling the robot.
The best feature of the Robo Pong 1040+ is its price. It’s very reasonably priced at $499. And you know it’ll be a decent robot as Newgy have been selling these for decades!

Newgy Robo-Pong 2040+

The Robo-Pong 2040+ robot is able to recycle balls like a “proper” robot but it is still very basic in features. It’s an old-school analogue table tennis robot. The kind I used to use 20 years ago as a kid.

In fact, I think it might be exactly the same robot they had at my club 20 years ago!
The Robo-Pong 2040+ is identical to the Robo-Pong 1040+ in features, so you’re basically paying an extra $300 just to get the ball net and ball recycling! This doesn’t really make any sense to me.
If you’re interested in the Robo-Pong 2040+ you really should spend an extra $200 and get the 2055 model instead.

Newgy Robo-Pong 2055

The Robo-Pong 2055 is the updated version of the 2050+ and it’s exactly what you would expect from a $1,000 table tennis robot. A really solid robot that is able to do practically everything.

It has a built-in memory that can save your favourite exercises/drills. It has the net to recycle balls. And it can give you random drills.
The Robo-Pong 2055 is much more advanced than the Robo-Pong 2040+ and really doesn’t cost that much more. That’s why I like the Robo-Pong 2050 – $999 is actually very good value!

Newgy Robo-Pong 3050XL

The Robo-Pong 3050XL sounds incredible. It was designed to be as close to playing with an actual human opponent as possible.

It’s got all the top-of-the-range features you would expect; two throw wheels, drills, advanced placement options, it can serve at you, it’s controlled via the Newgy app you download onto your phone/tablet, and it looks nicer than the other Newgy models.
The only problem is… the customer reviews are all awful!

When you’re spending $2,000 on a table tennis robot you expect all of the reviews to be glowing. But they aren’t.

From the sounds of it, the 3050XL is too clever for its own good. The technology can end up having a mind of its own, sending balls straight into the net, or randomly all over the place. And once it starts going funny, it’s not easy to fix!

Or on second thoughts. Maybe don’t! If you’re thinking about spending $2,000 on a table tennis robot you’d be much better off buying a Butterfly Amicus Prime.

Originally Publishes at experttabletennis.com