Welcome to another episode of the Ask the Coach Show! This week, we start with a lighthearted joke before diving into an intriguing discussion about the Australian Open Tennis. Can table tennis ever reach such a grand spectacle? We explore how tennis captivates a stadium audience with a single match, while table tennis tournaments often have multiple tables in a single hall, making it harder to focus on just one game.

We answer some fantastic questions from the PingSkills community:

"I often struggle with my shot timing, either hitting too early or too late. What drills can I use to improve my timing and consistency?"

"Are there any advantages to using alternative grips in table tennis? Should players experiment with different grips, or is it better to stick with traditional ones?"

"What exactly counts as an obstruction in table tennis? Can you explain when a player is considered to have obstructed the ball?"

We wrap up the show with a fascinating fun fact that will surprise you!

Happy playing!

Welcome to the Ask the Coach Show, where PingSkills answers your table tennis questions!

This week the show consists of:

In table tennis, there are lots of terms to describe strokes and techniques. What do they all mean, and how do they apply to your game?

How should you adjust your bat angle when transitioning from playing topspin against backspin to topspin against a block?

Do you need to hit the ball while it’s coming back down? Learn the rules about serving and when to strike the ball.

Welcome to the ask the coach show where PingSkills answers your table tennis questions!

This week the show consists of:

 * The Joke of the Week

 * A discussion on Playing to Learn vs Learning to Play

 * The Tip of the Week - How Quickly Should You Progress Your Skills

 * 3 Questions

 * And a fun fact

I have just purchased the premium subscription and I am looking forward to developing my tt skills. I used to train mostly at home, apart from playing once a week in a tt club as well as playing with friends, and I am using a PowerPong Omega tt robot and the drills it offers. Is the training plan taking into consideration the possibility of using a tt robot? Will it make it more efficient, how to adjust it and what kinds of drills would be most useful?

Any tips on positional play when serving and playing doubles?

I often can't recognise what spin is on my opponents serve. This happens especially with the pendulum serve then I can only guess and of course I'm often wrong. Anything I can do to reduce my error rate and keep the ball in play?

The PingSkills 52 Week Training Plan

Training 101 Tutorials

Welcome to the ask the coach show where PingSkills answers your table tennis questions!

This week the show consists of:

 * The Joke of the Week

 * A discussion on Generalisation vs Specialisation

 * The Tip of the Week - Just be playing in 5 years!

 * 3 Questions

 * And a fun fact

I am 73 and started table tennis 6 months ago . I am throwing everything into it but still loose to "ping Pongers" . I have studied the aggresive shots ,but am beaten by the safe and cautious players who simply :get it on the table: . Against a robot I play reasonable forearm and back hand loops , but when I play a person they sail into the net or out of bounds . Any suggestions?

I've been playing table tennis for 10 years and have competed in county tournaments and local leagues. However, since starting university, I’ve struggled to transfer my skills, and it frustrates me that even after being here for a few years, I still can’t adapt. The tables are much slower, and I can’t generate the same power. Shots that land back home just don’t land here, and I feel like I have less touch and control of the ball, making it harder to stay consistent. What can I do to fix this ?

When is the ideal time to take a timeout, and at which time of the game, like if you are down in the game 0-1 or 0-2 or 1-2 or 2-2 or up 1-0 or 2-1 or 2-0 as well? Which points should you take? When to use a towel break and when not to use it, as it can also break the rhythm?

PingPod #34 - Can You Escape the Ping Pong Zone?

Welcome to the ask the coach show where PingSkills answers your table tennis questions!

This week the show consists of:

 * The Joke of the Week

 * Search the PingSkills website

 * Inner Belief

 * The Tip of the Week - Serving Practice Development

 * 4 Questions

 * And a fun fact

Good morning, Alois and Jeff, as I have limited opportunities to practice with someone who can return the balls as consistently or feed multi ball like you, I rely on my robot. Please let me know the type of ball you are sending to Jeff for the following: FH Counter hit: looks to me like a moderate topspin, FH topspin against block: does the block have just a bit of topspin? I should be able to work out the frequency from your videos. I can also vary the placement/flight by using the scatter function. I may also program 3-4 balls in the fh court and set at random. I'll start at 40 bpm, and then gradually to 60 bpm. I find that if the frequency setting is too high the stroke shortens too much. Thanking you for your assistance, as always.

I would like to adopt Jeff's forehand style of the shorter arm and the elbow bent at a 90 degree angle (and kept that way thoughout the swing). Do you have any suggestions on how to best practice this/put this style into play?

If someone were to do a roller shot from under the table and managed to make the ball roll perfectly without any bounces(not even a small bounce). Is that legal?

I started playing table tennis for over a month now, I have a coach but I'm currently having problems with serving because the serve I do is very basic and I really want to improve, is there any recommendations for a serve that is good for me to do?

The PingSkills Blog

Turn Your Serve Into a Deadly Weapon

Serving and Receiving Tutorials

Training 101 Videos

Welcome to a different version of the podcast. In today's episode Jeff reads out his blog post "4 Points to Victory - The Match That Changed Everything".

We hope you enjoy the episode and we'll be back next week with our regular show where we answer your table tennis questions.

Welcome to the ask the coach show where PingSkills answers your table tennis questions!

This week the show consists of:

 * The Joke of the Week

 * The Tip of the Week - Taking Care of Your Equipment

 * The Topic of the Week - Practical Mental Strategies

 * 4 Questions

 * And a fun fact

I often feel that my training evenings are not as effective as they could be. Like, I am afraid of developing. Do you have any tips on this? I love your podcast. It's very fruitful.

Hi, coach! I understand why I don't want to move during the game. When I try to move more I lose balance. How to train alone to solve this problem?

How much does environmental noise, especially that from other sports matter in table tennis? I usually play in a garage which is quiet, and have little club experience. Today our church had a event where there was basketball, badminton and table tennis at a university gymnasium. It was in one big open area indoors with wooden flooring, and kids or highschoolers were playing basketball, generating lots of noise from basketballs bouncing, people running and some screaming. Compared to playing in the garage, I found this noise making it “feel” much harder to play with, such as not being able to hear my serve, the ball and the contact. Is this something I should get used to (if I want to play in a club)? Is this what playing in a club environment is like (assuming there are people playing on other tables)?

Hi guys, if your opponent hits the ball beyond the edge of the table but it hits your bat before the ground who's point is it? Regards, Jim

French Clubs Turn Away Players

PingSkills Sports Pyschology Tutorials

Welcome to the ask the coach show where PingSkills answers your table tennis questions!

This week the show consists of:

 * The Joke of the Week

 * The Topic of the Week - Mental Preparation

 * The Tip of the Week - Level of your Training Partners

 * 3 Questions

 * And a fun fact

Hello sir, I want to ask what happens if the ball touches the playing hand or forearm, game continues or we lose point immediately ? Second, what if the playing hand touches the table while game play ? It will be a great help if you can mention the ITTF rulebook rule number for these issues.

We are often encouraged to aim at our opponent's crossover point. What should we do when our opponent hits towards our crossover point? What are some good drills for handling this situation?

What are the reasons that an offensive player with inverted rubbers would move back from the table?

4 Points to Victory Blog Post

The Hidden Force Behind Every Victory

Challenge Your Training Blog Post

Bounce - The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice

Welcome to the first ask the coach show in a long, long time! We are excited to be back and have a great show ready for you.

The show consists of:

 * The Joke of the Week

 * The Tip of the Week - Use a phone to record yourself

 * The Topic of the Week - The Olympic Effect

 * A single question for this episode

 * And a fun fact

I want to prepare for a tournament that is 4 months away. What should be my strategy 4 months before, 2 months before, a month before ,a week before and a day before and on that day?

The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

4 Points to Victory Blog Post

The Hidden Force Behind Every Victory

Challenge Your Training Blog Post

When I get short balls, I like to flick them, and when balls are long I topspin them; however, mid-length balls are difficult. They are too long to flick, but just enough over the table so that I can't lower my bat. I generally automatically prepare for a long stroke, but then at the last second recognise that it will not be long, and awkwardly lunge forward with a weak return. Passive or defensive players generally have more half-length balls than aggressive players, so I tend to struggle against their returns, especially if it is backspin. The main questions are, what stroke should I use for those type of balls, and how should I prepare to avoid weak returns and getting off balance?

Due to a shoulder injury, I played mostly defensively with my backhand (pushing, chopping, blocking) the past couple of months, instead of being more active. I just slapped a random thin (1.3) inverted control rubber on the backhand and started defending, and to my surprise, did quite well with it. Now that my shoulder has mostly recovered, I'm wondering, should I stick with it or should I switch back to my old style? My backhand was never my strong suit, however I was decent at opening up the game with it but I was never able to keep the pressure up because I think my movements were too large and inefficient. Also, if I keep playing defensively, should I adjust my setup? I tried long pips but that was catastrophic and broke my brain a bit. Maybe short pips or a 1.5 rubber to block more aggressively?

Hi coaches! sam here, im just really curious... what year was the celluloid ball last used, and when did the plastic ball make its official ittf debut?

The latest research into muscle memory seems to indicate it takes about 10 hours of practicing one skill to train your brain to have good muscle memory. Doing two activities during the 10 hours reduces the learning of the first training. The other thing that was suggested was to push the boundaries in learning the one skill you are training for. I was told the Chinese when training young kids focus on one stroke for 3 months. How would you do this in training without becoming boring? Do you think there is any validity of this approach in Table Tennis?

Singapore Smash

Who Am I Episode 10