Playing table tennis is extremely fun, no doubt about it.
However, if youâ€ve played for a long period of time, like myself, youâ€ll notice that training can become quite repetitive if you do the same training routine all the time.
Thatâ€s why weâ€re writing this article: Weâ€ll give you 5 ideas you can implement to make table tennis practice more fun.
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Why Fun Matters in Practice
The answer is simple: If youâ€re reading this article, table tennis is your hobby.
Even if youâ€re a competitive player, hobbies are all about enjoying your time. Iâ€m 100% confident that Ma Long wouldnâ€t have been so good if he didnâ€t enjoy playing table tennis!
From my personal experience, most table tennis players who play in the higher leagues have been playing the sport for 10+ years.
And, I would say that the vast majority of players quit playing before that timeframe, even if they seem to be happiest when holding a table tennis racket.
I think thatâ€s a shame. The reasons why players quit vary, but, if you show up to the training hall and you have fun, chances are that youâ€ll do everything in your power to keep playing.
In my opinion, having fun is essential for long-term improvement simply because it will keep you wanting to play table tennis, after years or decades of training.
Enjoying your time at the table will also make you want to train more and more, leading to a virtuous cycle:
You will get better, you will want to play even more, your fitness and overall health will improve, you will socialize more, feel more accomplished, etc.
Table tennis helps improve mental health, memory, mental acuity, and reflexes, among many other positive effects such as relieving stress. This is why itâ€s so important to play table tennis and have fun while doing so.
5 Ideas to Make Table Tennis Practice More Fun
So, now that you understand why itâ€s so important to have fun, letâ€s move on to how you can have more fun in your training sessions.
Practice with A Goal in Mind
In my opinion, this is the main thing that makes me enjoy my table tennis training sessions.
Practicing with a goal or goals in mind is essential for long-term improvement and it keeps us a lot more engaged.
I find that what motivates me is rising up the ranks, winning tournaments, and reaching new divisions.
If there are no tournaments to look forward to, my motivation decreases, I donâ€t try as hard, and Iâ€m way more likely to skip training.
If I know thereâ€s a tournament coming up, I will show up to the club, and try my hardest. Thatâ€s when I have the most fun because Iâ€m 100% focused on playing well and improving.
One of the main reasons why players quit is because they have no goals or they donâ€t think they can achieve them.
Even if youâ€re not interested in playing tournaments, you can still set lots of interesting goals, such as learning a killer technique, trying to beat that one person who always seems to get the best of you, etc.
In my opinion, this is what will make you have more fun in your training sessions. If you have a goal in mind, you have a reason to try to play your best table tennis and hit some great shots.
If you have never set goals, try doing so and youâ€ll see a world of change in how motivated you are and how much fun you have.
Experiment
Another way to have more fun during your training sessions is to experiment.
As weâ€ve said before, itâ€s no fun doing the same things over and over again the same way. Switching things up is key to keeping things fresh.
You can experiment with new exercises, new techniques, and new tactics, among many other things.
My favorite way to switch things up is to do each of my exercises in different ways every training session.
Take for example the exercise “2 backhands 2 forehandsâ€. The most basic and simple exercise in table tennis, done by beginners and professional players alike.
If you do this exercise the same way all the time, it will get boring extremely quickly.
But, my way of keeping this exercise fun is to do it differently every time. Iâ€ll give you 7 different ways of doing the exercise:
- Hitting with 70% power and aiming to get as many balls on the table as possible. You can set a target, such as trying to get 20 topspins on the table.
- Hitting the first backhand and forehand with spin and the second one with speed.
- Hitting the first backhand, stepping around with the forehand, and then hitting the two forehands, repeat.
- Doing two rounds of the exercise, then playing the point freely.
- Doing one round close to the table, and the next taking one step away from the table to practice playing from different distances.
- Doing two backhands and two forehands but hitting all forehands.
- Adding a backspin serve and open up in the first ball.
As you can see, you can introduce variations like these to keep every single exercise fresh and fun, even if youâ€ve done it a thousand times before.
Make Friends
Another way to keep things fun is to make friends.
I have trained with people I didnâ€t get along with in the past, and let me tell you, itâ€s not nearly as fun as training with friends.
If youâ€re training with friends, you can joke around, banter, talk about different topics in between exercises, etc.
In addition, Iâ€ve played in leagues with my friends before and it was way more exciting than playing with clubmates that werenâ€t my friends. I have also traveled to many tournaments with friends and those were extremely, extremely fun times.
It is way easier to make friends in table tennis because weâ€re all united by the same passion, so donâ€t be afraid to strike up a conversation with anyone you see in a table tennis club. You may find that strangers you meet at the club could become lifelong friends.
Try Your Hardest
My best training sessions all had one thing in common: I was trying my hardest. And, it is not a coincidence that my best sessions were the most fun.
It is extremely satisfying to hit the ball well and play great shots, thatâ€s what we train for! So, make sure to try your absolute hardest, even if itâ€s taxing on your body.
I can say that trying hard is fun because Iâ€ve been on the other side as well.
There have been times when I lost my motivation to train and that led me to not try my hardest.
My playing level stagnated or worsened, and I wasnâ€t giving my best at the playing hall. Let me tell you, those times werenâ€t fun.
Itâ€s important to remember why we started playing and staying true to that. If you want to get better, try your hardest, you will be rewarded, and youâ€ll enjoy your time at the table, no doubt about it.
Play Games and Take It Easy
Lastly, another way to have fun in table tennis is by playing games, playing with your non dominant arm, eating pizza after a training session, etc.
Table tennis is not only about improving and trying hard. Itâ€s also about knowing when to enjoy grabbing a long pimpled racket and chopping, playing a match for a soda, that sort of thing.
Believe it or not, itâ€s in line with the previous advice we gave (to try your hardest). It is important to reward our efforts in training with other table tennis related activities that are only just for fun.
When we train, if weâ€re doing it correctly, weâ€re working our bodies and minds to their absolute limits. Thatâ€s what makes training fun, in my opinion. But it also makes it quite tiring.
Some of my fondest memories at the club are playing football table tennis, telling stories, and playing cards.
Make sure that you have at least 10-15 minutes of goofing around with your clubmates after every hard training session. Believe it or not, this will also keep you coming back to the club.
Conclusion
To sum up, I believe that having fun playing table tennis is all about your environment and your mindset.
Showing up to the club with a positive attitude, challenging yourself, trying hard, experimenting new things. All of this is extremely fun, inspiring and rewarding.
And, if you can make friends in the process, youâ€ll end up feeling like your club is your second home.
Table tennis is an experience in and of itself. What you make of it depends on your purpose and mindset.
I highly advise that you stick to what you want and stay true to yourself. Thatâ€s the best way to enjoy playing this sport.
Alvaroâ€s a qualified ITTF Level 1 Coach who’s been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 50 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favorite memories with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight team to share his passion with other players!
Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 19
Playstyle: The Controller
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