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Learn Table Tennis

Read spin, loop with topspin and serve legally to win more points.

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Table tennis is a game of spin and speed at very short range. Beginners learn a shakehand or penhold grip, a balanced ready stance, the forehand and backhand drive, and the backhand push for underspin balls. Spin is the real subject: how topspin, backspin and sidespin make the ball jump off the rubber, how to read it from the opponent's racket, and how to attack with the topspin loop. Legal serving and scoring to 11 round it out. Learnr builds a personalized table tennis course that explains strokes, spin and rules in short lessons, while touch and footwork come from hitting at a club, ideally with a coach or robot drills.

How to learn Table Tennis, step by step

Pick a grip and a good all-round racket. Most players use the shakehand grip, held like a handshake. Penhold is held like a pen and common in parts of Asia. Choose a pre-assembled or all-round racket with inverted rubber rather than a very fast blade.
Drive the ball from a ready position. Stand with knees bent and weight forward, about an arm's length from the table. Use a short forehand drive with a closing racket angle and turn from the waist, then practice backhand drives in front of your body.
Understand spin and learn the push. Brushing the ball creates spin. Against underspin, open the racket face and push it back low over the net. Learnr lessons can explain which way each spin makes the ball bounce before you face it at the table.
Develop the topspin loop. Drop the racket below the ball, then brush up and forward with the legs and hips driving the stroke. The loop is the main attacking shot in modern table tennis and lets you attack underspin.
Practice legal serves. Toss the ball at least 16 centimeters nearly vertically from a flat open palm and strike it behind the end line, with the ball visible to your opponent throughout. Serve short and long with varied spin.
Play at a club and train footwork. Clubs pair you with players at your level and often have coaches and robots for multiball drills. Practice side-to-side shuffle footwork so you can step into position instead of reaching.

What you'll learn

Hold a shakehand or penhold grip and keep a ready stance
Hit forehand and backhand drives consistently
Push underspin and loop topspin
Read and return spin serves
Serve legally and keep score

What's inside your Table Tennis course

A sample path Learnr builds for Table Tennis. Your real course adapts to your goal and level.

1. Equipment, grips and stance
2. Forehand and backhand drives
3. Spin and the push
4. The topspin loop
5. Serves and returns
6. Footwork, rules and match play

How long does it take to learn Table Tennis?

Basic rallies come within a few sessions. Consistent forehand and backhand strokes usually take 2 to 4 months of play two or three times a week, and a reliable loop and spin reading often take a year or more. Club play and coaching speed it up considerably.

What you need before you start

A racket, balls and access to a table, ideally at a club. No experience is needed.

Common mistakes to avoid

Swinging with the arm only. Use the legs and waist to turn, which adds control and power to every stroke.
Ignoring spin and returning every ball the same way. Watch the opponent's racket and adjust your racket angle to the spin.
Hiding the ball when serving or tossing it from a cupped hand. Learn the legal serve from the start to avoid faults in matches.

How Learnr builds your course

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Table Tennis questions, answered

How is table tennis scored?

Games go to 11 points and must be won by two. Each player serves two points in a row, alternating, and at 10 all the serve alternates every point. Matches are usually best of five or seven games.

What rubber should a beginner use?

Inverted rubber with smooth pimples facing in is standard because it creates spin and is easy to control. Pimpled rubbers are specialist choices better left until you know your style.