Backhand Drive

Backhand Drive

Shorter and quicker than the forehand drive which means it could be a powerful weapon in table tennis if properly executed. The purpose of this stroke is to play aggressively and stop your opponent from playing an attacking stroke or weaken that stroke. Properly executed backhand drive goes as follow:

Feet shoulder width apart square to the line of play. With the bat held at a slightly closed angle, the stroke starts slightly to the left of the abdominal.  Elbow at about 90 degrees slightly lower than the bat and wrist bend downwards. Bat moves forward in an upward direction and striking the back of the ball at the peak of the bounce. The wrist should be turning at the point of contact. Free arm should point towards the ball to assist with your balance.

Forehand Drive

Forehand Drive

Forehand drive is stronger than backhand drive due to the fact that the body is not in the way of the shot. Moreover forehand drive is the basic attacking stroke that can be developed into more advanced topspin strokes.  Forehand drive produces a bit of topspin because the racquet is in slightly closed position and the follow through is played in upwards direction. Good forehand drive produce travel of the ball low over the net and it is used to force errors from an opponent or set you up for a winning shot. For that reason it is good to strike the ball early with speed.

 To simplify I have divided the stroke into for phases (please notice that the phases goes into a cycle as shown on the picture below):

Please be aware that the descriptions are for the right-handed players. For the left-handed players consider opposite parts of the body.

1.       Ready position: Bat above of the height of the net; feet should be shoulder width apart and in relation to your last target your right foot slightly back; close to the table; leaning slightly forward; weight on the front part of the foot

2.       Backswing: Rotate body to the right at the waist; arm back at the elbow and downwards; closed bat angle; weight moves on to the right leg

3.       Forward swing and contact: path of the bat is forward and upwards with slightly closed angle; waist rotate to the left keeping a space between arm and the body (to help with this imagine that there is an orange between arm and the body); weight is transferred from the right leg to the left; contact with the ball at the top of the bounce and in front of the body.

4.       Follow through: to the point where bat is pointing in the direction of intended point of play; then return to a neutral ready position using semi-circle move.

Types of grip

Types of grip

Even though there are many types of grip in table tennis (shakehand, traditional Chinese penhold and reverse penhold backhand (RPB), Japanese / Korean penhold, Seemiller grip, V-grip, and pistol grip) we will focus on two primary ones. Shakehand and traditional Chinese are the most widely used. Both grips are shown on the picture above.

Traditional Chinese penhold (TCP) is mainly used in China and it have many advantages which include: good forehand strokes and good range of serves, it allows easy push and block on backhand strokes. However if you want to play backhand topspin it might be bit tricky as you have to bend you arm unnaturally. The range of reach on backhand side is as well quite limited, forcing players to use forehand on majority of the table. This action requires very well developed footwork and lots of stamina. This is the primary reason why most of players in Europe have chosen handshake grip. If you would like to play close to the table use your forehand drive or topspin and just push and block with your backhand side, this style is perfect for you.

However if you would like a good range of strokes and compromise very little if any control and spin handshake grip is perfect for you. Very important element to keep in mind is the amount of tension you exert in a forearm. To tight grip can slow down you shots and lower control over the ball. However it doesn’t mean that the forearm stays lose all the time. It might vary depending on the type of stroke you could be using at the time. Serves and soft touch shots require less tension than smash.  Advantages of the grip include: good range of shots on forehand and backhand side, attacking easily on both wings. Disadvantages: this type of grip produces what is called “crossover point” a place where neither forehand nor backhand could be easily executed.  A decision has to be made in a very short period of time and a player has to move in order to make a good quality shot.

 The type of grip you choose is entirely up to you but it is good to analyze what kind or player you are and what grip is best for you. Your coach should be more than happy to help you out with this decision.

Dan k.