Some Tips:

• Mix up serves of different length and spin. Some examples of advanced serves include medium-long, deep, short, down-the-line, pure spin, pure speed, etc. Serves to the elbow tend to be very effective, since the receiver must quickly decide  to use a forehand or backhand.
• Develop a third ball attack. This is where you serve, the receiver receives, and you nail one in for a winner. An example is a short backspin serve, followed by a long push, then a powerful loop.
• Attack whenever you can, primarily on a long serve. It has been proven that the player to open the offence most often wins the point.
• When receiving a serve, keep your eyes mostly on the ball.  If you keep your eyes on the bat, the server will baffle you with his deceptions.
• When receiving, mix up your returns. Most players too often tend to push, allowing their opponents to start the offence. Mixing up loops, drives, pushes, chops, etc. provides for excellent variation and a bewildered opponent.
• If you are fairly new to the sport, begin with a medium-fast blade (rather than fast). A medium-fast blade allows you to rely more on technique than on equipment to get the ball over the net. It will also provide optimum control. The most important consideration for a blade, however, is that it provides good "feeling." As for rubber try to get one designed with less spin and speed as this translates into easier returns of spinny balls. Trying to return a sidespin serve will be a hair-pulling experience for a beginner if he/she uses an overly spinny rubber. So you think forehands are the way to go. To hit forehands wherever you are on the table, you will need to develop good side-to-side footwork. It never hurts to work extra on your backhand so that your opponent won't know what hit him/her when you blast that backhand smash down the line. The best players are always two-winged - being able to attack almost equally well on both hands.
• Find some cool serves to experiment with. Examples include a high, heavy backspin serve that bounces on your side near the net, on the opponent's side near the net, and goes back over to your side. Or you can go several feet to the side of the table and, standing sideways, nail the ball on the side so that it arcs back to the table and opponent. Not only is it a heck of a lot of fun, trying these serves it also promotes the development of 'touch' and spin.
• When you are losing in a match, or have missed several shots in a row, don't get mad, get even. Ask yourself what needs to be done in order to beat the problem that is plaguing your game. Then try the solution. If it doesn't work, do it again. Until the match is over, you should never give up. If it is your turn to serve, then you are allotted a reasonable amount of time per serve to wait and think things over before you toss the ball. Take advantage of it.

Did you know...

 

• Back in the days of unregulated rackets, all sorts of strange materials were at the tables. Among the stranger ones include: 5 inch think sponge, pure wood, and sandpaper.

 

• Certain world-class players can put up to 9000 rpm of spin on table tennis balls.

 

• Table tennis balls aren't really hollow. They are pressurized slightly with a gas.

 

• More than 30 table tennis companies exist around the world, making a full line of accessories from bats to warm-up suits.

 

• In Europe and Asia, table tennis is big business and is very popular overall. Top players are endorsed by shoe and apparel companies.

 

• Certain governments (like Sweden and China), actually pay their top players just to practice.

 

• In China, most children are evaluated for certain inherent talents early on. If they are found to be particularly proficient at something, like gymnastics or table tennis, they receive rigorous training in that area.

 

• The ping-pong diplomacy was preceded by a secret trip by Henry Kissinger to China, and was followed by a first-ever presidential trip to China (by Nixon).

 

About bats, balls and tables...

 

Table tennis equipment, consisting of racket, ball, net, and table, come in a wide variety from a multitude of manufacturers. Choosing the correct equipment to fit your skill level and playing style is very important. Luckily, there are standards/ratings in table tennis equipment that takes much of the guesswork out of determining the characteristics of a particular blade (the main body of the bat) and rubber (the playing surface)-the most personal items.

 

 Guide to Blades and Rubber

 

If you are just starting out, you will want to buy a decent blade and rubber-you do not want to end up with low quality equipment that hinders progress.

 

Blades

 

A medium-speed model will help you practice ball control while maintaining a reasonable topspin game. Blades are denoted in the following fashion according to their speed:

 

• DEF- to DEF  :  slow blades with maximum control; best suited for primarily defensive players e.g. choppers
• ALL  : a n all-around blade for an all-around player who mixes offence and defence in equal amounts
• OFF- to OFF+  :  the fastest blades available, many trade control for speed; not recommended for beginning players

Note: The speed of a bat comes from a combination of rubber and blade. This gives extra flexibility in the selection of equipment because a defensive bat could have an offensive rubber on one side and a slow but spinny rubber on the other.

Many shop bought bats (fully-assembled) do not come with these notations. Many instead offer their own system of speed and spin notations or none at all. Be careful when purchasing such equipment.

 

Blades can be made from a variety of materials, but the rules stipulate wood must be the majority material in any one blade. Carbon and other materials can be used as a thin layer in the middle layers of the blade, but none of these can be exposed-if your rubber can touch the 'non-wood' material, then the blade is illegal.

 

Rubber

 

Rubber can be categorized into two groups: pimpled and inverted. Pimpled rubber has many cylindrical "pips" protruding from the surface of the rubber, causing the striking surface to be uneven. Such rubber is best suited for defensive play where topspin is not as important. The pips come in two flavours, long and short. Short pips are thicker than they are tall, and are below 1 mm in height. Long pips tend to have an equal or greater length-to-width ratio. These special pips are designed to bend or 'kink' slightly upon impact with the ball, and produce many deceptive spins as a result. In the modern table tennis game, the pimpled rubber is mainly used as a backup surface designed to add variety to one's game. Attacking players almost never use this as their primary surface.

 

The  long pips rule will be as follows:

• The aspect ratio, or height divided by diameter, will be the basis for legality
• 1.1 is the limit for aspect ratio; anything higher is illegal
• The unpredictable 'kinking' of the pips has been cited as the reason for the passage of this amendment

The inverted, or 'smooth' rubber, is actually a sheet of pimpled rubber turned upside down so that the flat surface under the pimpled side becomes exposed. Nearly all inverted rubber has a layer of sponge sandwiched underneath. The sponge adds speed and/or control to the rubber, depending on the thickness and composition. Inverted rubber makes possible a greater variety of spin shots and attacking games requiring heavy topspin and other spin-intensive strokes. The surfaces of many inverted rubbers are 'sticky', allowing a player to gain the traction needed to produce spin. Most beginners should start with inverted as their primary rubber, for the sake of learning today's most effective techniques.

 

Regulations require rubber to be either red or black, and one of each colour must be placed on a paddle for it to be legal (penhold bats with only one rubbered side must make the other side red or black, depending on the colour of the rubber). Be sure to realize this and request the appropriate colours. Also, be sure that the rubber itself is no thicker than 2 mm and the combination of rubber and sponge no thicker than 4 mm. The majority of retailers sell legal rubber so this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

Rubber has a rating system that measures speed and spin independently. There are no standard notations, but many companies that distribute rubber rate speed and spin on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the most spinny or quick. The ratings are usually determined by players who evaluate them specially to analyze the speed and spin. You can also ask around about a particular brand of rubber or try it out yourself. One can test out blades this way also. Remember that the ratings will most likely be 'opinions' and not machine-tested. Take ratings with a grain of salt, and simply realize that getting an exact kind of rubber will not be the most important thing until you are at a level of play to do so.(Note: Beginners should not select overly spinny rubbers, because while these rubbers will allow the production of better spin, they will also be more affected by the spin that their opponents impart on the ball. When the 'touch' is not yet mastered, it is very difficult to return a spinny shot on sticky rubber.)

 

 Guide to Balls

 

Balls have a rating system that uses stars. Ranging from one to three, the best balls and the only balls you should use for most purposes are the three stars. Most other balls break easily and have questionable playing characteristics. Table tennis balls can be quite expensive  but good quality balls last a long time when given the proper treatment. To ensure that you get the most out of each ball, make sure to keep it out of: direct sunlight, excess heat, and excess moisture. Also be sure to pick up the balls when they fall to the floor, so you and others avoid stepping on them. The three-stars should be used for most rally drills and practice games. For multiple-ball drills, such as serves and smashes, good quality practice balls can be had for a modest cost if you shop around.

 

The colour of balls don't matter much for games and practice, just be sure to use a colour that is the most visible given the conditions. The legal colours are: white and orange.

 

Warning!! : Table tennis balls are extremely flammable! Do not expose them to direct heat or open flames. The celluloid burns so well that if a ball caught on fire, it would literally stream flames many times its size until practically nothing is left!

 

 Tables and nets

 

Tables and nets for table tennis must comply with the regulation dimensions. Tables must be nine feet long, five feet across, and two and one-half feet high (floor to playing surface). The net must be six inches high, and stretch across the middle of the table and six inches beyond both sides. The surface of the table must be a dull, non-reflective color that contrasts with the white and oranges of the balls. Black, navy blue, and green are popular colours. Tables and nets vary widely in quality but for most homes, a relatively cheap table and net-set will do fine, although precision will vary. But this is not important for practicing and friendly matches as long as the imperfections are not too severe. Tables placed on a soft, irregular surface, such as carpet, will have a hard time matching up to the precision of those placed on hard, flat surfaces.

 

 Equipment Maintenance

 

Table tennis equipment is easy to maintain and will last a long time if properly cared for. Blades should be handled gently and not knocked about or thrown around. Edge tape should cover the perimeter of the head to protect it from dings and dents from accidental collisions with the table. After play, a clean sponge moistened with water should be used to wipe the dust off the rubber. Use straight strokes. Store the paddle in a plastic bag and inside a protective case when not in use. Nets should be kept away from high traffic areas. Keep tables clean and avoid storing them outdoors where condensation will destroy the flat surface. Avoid placing items on the table. Keep balls clean and store them inside a case when not in use.

 

Changing the rubber

 

Changing the rubber on a bat can be daunting at first, but with a little caution it is not hard at all. If replacing rubber on an existing bat, first carefully work off the side edge of the rubber from the blade. When enough rubber has been pulled off, grip it tightly and slowly peel off the rubber, side first. If the grip is stubborn, use a bit of acetone or similar chemical to dissolve the glue. Next, prepare the surface by picking off any little bit of sponge or rubber, and sanding the surface down(if it has glue on it) to a smooth finish. Remove the rubber from its protective packaging, and place it face down on a piece of clean plastic. (note on adhesives:specially made bat glue, or "chack", is best for applying rubber to a blade. However, rubber cement works almost as well. DO NOT use super glue, white glue, or similar types of adhesives.) Apply a thin coat of glue to the blade face, let dry. Brush glue in a thin coat over the underside of the rubber sheet. Wait for the glue to dry. Then apply another coat of glue over it. After applying the second coat, place the rubber onto the blade, starting with the bottom(the area with the logo and other information) first, then slowly work your way up to the top of the bat. Place this bat, new rubber side on top, on the edge of a table or other flat surface so only the racket face touches the surface and not the handle. Use a cylinder(a long can, clean rolling pin, etc) to roll any bubbles out from under the rubber. Finally, place a protective sheet on the rubber with heavy flat objects such as books over it.

 

After the glue has dried, turn the racket upside down(so the newly applied rubber faces downwards), and use a new razor to score the rubber around the blade. Then use the other side of the razor to completely cut through the rubber through the score(be sure to protect whatever surface your are working on!). As an alternative, you can use a sharp pair of scissors to remove the excess rubber, but be sure not to accidentally cut the blade as well.