It is not always possible for every table tennis enthusiast to actively participate in a club or academy on a regular basis. However, it is very much feasible to continue your engagement if you have a table tennis table in your home which needs a minimal investment. But what will you do when you are sort of playing partners? Nothing to be worried about! There are ways to practice table tennis alone to hone your skills at your home.
The use of a robot is the most effective way to engage yourself with ping pong without the support of any practice partner. Also, there are other ways, even without the use of a table tennis table. Let’s explore the 7 effective ways you can practice yourself without the help of others.
Practice Alone With a Table Tennis Robot
This can be the most effective way you may spend quality time. A table tennis robot serves the purpose of your playing partners in a more efficient but predetermined way. It is a tireless practice partner that can feed you balls 24 x 365 hours. The benefit of having a robot is immense. It helps to build consistency in your game. Your footwork and hand-eye coordination will be improved.
Another big advantage is that you can try different things to sharpen your skills. You can vary every possible option, i.e. speed, spin, frequency, and oscillation. You can set up different drills with a combination of different attributes.
(Drill1: Topspin: 5, Backspin: 4, Frequency: 3, Oscillation: 4,
Drill2: Topspin: 4, Backspin: 6, Frequency: 2, Oscillation: 6, .. like that)
The downside is that the table tennis robot is not a cheap item. The approximate price of robots ranges from $150 to $2000. If you are a beginner, a low-cost robot like the iPong V300 suffices your needs. A simple setting of topspin and backspin is good enough to upgrade you to the next level. If you are an experienced player, you may opt for a high-end programmable training machine like Butterfly Amicus Prime to set up drills according to your needs.
Service Practice
If anyone asks me what is the most important shot in table tennis. I will definitely vote for “serve”. In a tight situation, a killer serve will turn the match in your favor.
A good server always starts a match with extra confidence. So it is a good habit to allot additional time for service practice in your daily practice routine.
And the best thing is that you don’t have to depend on others, you can practice alone. Take 50 – 60 balls in a basket and experiment with different types of spin, speed, and placement. Be an expert by disguising opponents with topspin and backspin serves with the same action and enjoy the results on the board.
Practice Table Tennis Alone Using the Playback Facility
Most of the table tennis tables are built with the facility of playback mode. A good example is the popular JOOLA Inside or STIGA Advantage ping pong table. You have to safely fold (with the help of safety devices) one table half for the purpose of rebounding the ball against the vertical wall. Though this type of self-practice is not very entertaining, it can help to build your consistency.
Practice Table Tennis Alone with the Help of a Return Board
It is a special board padded with table tennis rubbers to act as a mimic of your partner. It is a very effective training tool to practice table tennis alone. The continuation of the rally depends on your consistency, i.e. how many times you can strike the ball properly against the board. One great benefit is that return boards give you immediate feedback on how much speed and spin you are putting on the ball. Return boards (Example: Yuanclllp Rebound Board) are also considerably cheaper than training robots.
Shadow Practice
Shadow practice is a good approach to working on your footwork and techniques without the use of any equipment. Stand in front of a mirror and practice your strokes as if you are playing against an opponent. The course of action looks like you are playing a real match. The concept of shadow practice is based on the sequence of common shots that you play in a game. To get it better, record the shadow practice season and rectify it if needed.
Improve Ball Control
Setting up targets using small objects like cones, and bottles on a table tennis table and hitting balls to those targets from different distances and angles is another good use of self-practice. You can also try to hit targets with different spins to simulate real-game situations. As you improve, you may vary the no. of targets to make it more challenging. All these tricky things help to build authority on precise placement as well as add more variety to your strokes.
Tossing a Table Tennis Ball
It is also a way for beginners to practice alone without using a table tennis table. Try tossing in different ways. Count the number of tosses. All these approaches help for better hand-eye coordination which effectively builds your ball control.
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