How to maximize your chances of winning?

Most players put pressure on themselves because they want to win very badly. However; putting pressure on yourself will usually make you play worse. If your goal is to win at table tennis, then to maximize your chances of winning, make your goal to play well and dominate the match with good shots and tactics. Making winning the primary goal is counter-productive.

How to select table tennis rubbers:

• SPEED-The ability to easily create faster ball speed based on a table tennis rubber’s power created by the sponge rebound force and top sheet hardness. Higher speed table tennis rubbers also called faster since they produce faster shots. Speed differences between rubbers are greater with 2.5 or 2.0mm sponges. Attacking Players usually prefer the fastest rubbers while defensive players may prefer slower rubbers.

• SPIN- The ability to create stronger spin is determined mainly by the composition and quality of the table tennis rubber top sheet.

• POWER FACTOR-The sum of spin and speed ratings. Powerful rubbers combine high speed with strong topspin to create maximum attacking power.

History of Table Tennis

Table Tennis or Ping Pong likely began as a social hobby in England toward the end of the 1800’s. Dining-room tables and balls of cork made up some of the early equipment that was used. These early pioneers may have referred to their sport as gossima, flim-flam, or ping-pong. Around the turn of the century, the game underwent a few changes in England. One person introduced a celluloid ball to the game, while another added pimpled rubber to the wooden paddle. The recreational game lost some of its popularity until various groups around Europe revived it as "table tennis" in the 1920s. The International Table Tennis Association (ITTF) was formed in 1926. The sport soon spread to Japan and other Asian nations. The Japanese dominated the sport for much of the 50s and 60s, however the Chinese soon closed the gap. China alone dominated the sport for much of the 60’s and 70’s, but after Table Tennis became an Olympic event in the 1980’s, other nations such as Sweden and South Korea have joined the top ranks.

Paddles: Butterfly Sriver, Sriver EL and Sriver FX Rubbers?

Butterfly Sriver Table tennis rubber and its variations have long been our best selling rubbers. The original Sriver has a medium hard sponge and offers great all-round performance. With the advent of speed gluing, FX was introduced with a softer sponge witch works well with the speed glue. Recently, many of our professional players expressed a desire for a Sriver product with the power of the original Sriver and the speed gluing properties of FX. Thus, Sriver EL was born. All three Sriver products have the same top sheet the difference is in the sponges. Super Sriver is a unique product. It has a different topsheet than the other Sriver products. This topsheet was designed to help the ball leave the table tennis racket quicker. This benefits the hitter and the counter driver the most.

Learn to play close to the table

Many players enjoy playing from away from the table, and some (especially defensive players) base their game on this. However, for most players, you want to stay close to the table whenever possible. Otherwise, you "give up" the table. By backing off the table, your opponent has more time to react to your shots, and you have to cover more ground to cover the wide angles and in and out movements. Basically, you are at the mercy of your opponent.
If you have trouble staying at the table tennis table during a match, try this remedy. When you practice, put a barrier behind you to make sure you stay within an arm’s length of the table. You might even exaggerate it some, and really jam yourself at the table (with the barrier right behind you) so that you’ll learn to do this. It will pay off in the long run.

What is high toss serve?

A player tosses the ball higher than the head and uses gravity’s influence to add speed and/or spin to the serve.

Changing Table Tennis Rubber Sheets

A rubbers performance will deteriorate as time and the elements take their toll. The table tennis rubber will produce less spin than it once did and will not feel as lively. The life expectancy of your rubber sheet will vary depending on how often you play, but a good rule of thumb is: [# of days played/week] = [# of times to change/year]

What classification of table tennis paddles should I choose?  

• [OFF+] For all out offensive play without compromise.
• [OFF] For direct offensive play with much spin, speed and power.
• [OFF–] For medium offensive play with much spin, sped and power.
• [ALL+] For offensive all-round play mixing shots with topspin shots of variable spin.
• [ALL] For all-round players who mix attack and control shots in rallies
• [ALL-] For all-round players who emphasize control and consistency from all distances
• [DEF] For traditional defense with emphasis on the chop from a far distance

Experiment to Find the Right Table Tennis Equipment

Early in your playing career, experiment with lots of table tennis rackets and sponge Borrow ping pong rackets from other players to try out. You need to learn what's available, and find out what feels right for you. But once you find a combination that you like, stick with it until you have a very good reason for switching. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try out new types of equipment – testing is OK, just don't get stuck in a cycle of constantly switching your equipment, and never getting really comfortable with anything.

Selecting Ping Pong Balls and Table Tennis Balls

• Top quality ball brands are provided in different quality levels determined by seam quality, roundness and consistency from one to the next.
• The three star balls is the highest quality level ball.
• The two star balls are next in quality.
• The one star is the lowest in quality in star graded balls
• Larger size balls were developed as an experiment in order to allow longer rallies and to make play somewhat easier for senior and novice players.
• Low quality balls have irregular seams. Competition balls are evenly constructed to allow a true flight and bounce.