Table tennis seems like one of those sports that are literally too simple not to be able to play without learning or looking at a guide. However, when you actually start and especially when you play against an intermediate-level player, you quickly learn that there's more to it than meets the eye. If that is the case for you, you've come to the right place! Today, we're going to look at the best ways to learn the table tennis rules, start playing table tennis and improve as you go along.

The Grip

This is the first part you must familiarize yourself with, as it defines how you will hold the racket in your hand. While this may seem like a trivial part of the learning process, it builds the base for the entirety of your table tennis learning path and is a fundamental aspect of your game. Along with your grip, you also need to master your footwork and stance, enhancing your movement and positioning and enabling you to get the best possible shot in every play.

To get your grip perfect, start by holding the racket with three fingers pointing inwards (towards yourself), your index finger on the backside of the racket (away from you) and your thumb wrapping around to meet your three fingers. This is similar to a ‘shakehands’ grip and is one of the most natural yet effective ways to hold a table tennis racket.

Hitting the Ball

This part will make up the majority of your gameplay as it defines how accurately and how fast you hit the ball. There are four different types of shots in table tennis: forehand drive and push, backhand drive and push. The forehand shots are when you hit the ball with the side of the racket that has your thumb and fingers on it; your forehand. As you might have guessed, the backhand shots are when you hit the ball with the back side of the racket; with your index finger on it.

The forehand shots are generally going to be easier to learn as the motion is a lot more natural than the backhand shots, which require you to flip the racket around and make the motion in reverse. However, with enough practice, you'll find that even your backhand shots are as good as your forehand ones.

The Serve

Learning table tennis good serve is the key to making sure you have an advantage right from the start of the play. While some serves can be really complicated and difficult to learn, a more basic one that gets you started should be easy enough to learn and even compete with intermediate players! At the same time, being able to return the serve in a match is key to keeping up with your opponent; some serves can really throw you off! Practice playing against various kinds of serves from different players at your local play area to get the hang of how they work. With that said, we're going to wrap up our guide on starting table tennis. We hope this has been helpful and wish you good luck!