Develop Your Game Around Overpowering Strengths – Butterfly Table Tennis & Ping Pong Equipment

Put fear in the heart of your opponent by developing overpowering strengths. It doesn’t really matter what the strength is; it can be anything that really threatens the opponent. It could be a big forehand or backhand; pushing and blocking; sheer consistency; quickness; great serves or receive; chopping (with great consistency, heavy backspin, or spin variation); or something else. But you have to have something. If you don’t, think hard about your game and decide what you can turn into this overpowering strength.

Usually you want something aggressive, such as a big forehand (hey, that’s me!), but I’ve seen players get very good just pushing and blocking.

But here’s the key. You can’t just develop a big strength and expect the opponent to give it to you. You have to develop the rest of your game around it.

For example, from the beginning I’ve always liked running around and attacking with my forehand. So, I developed my game around that. What does that mean? I developed strong serves that set up my forehand. I worked hard on my footwork so I could get into position for those forehands. (And it’s not just footspeed – it’s proper footwork technique and reading of opponents, which is why, at age 66, I can still move around the table and attack with my forehand better than most players one-third my age.) Here are some other examples.

• If you have great serves, that’s great, but that alone won’t win against decent players unless you can end the point when they make weak returns.
• If you have a great push, that’s great, but that alone won’t win against decent players unless you can also defend against their attacks against push, usually by blocking (or perhaps chopping).
• If you have a great backhand, that’s great, but that alone won’t win against decent players if they can just play to your forehand – so that side needs to be strong enough to end the point against weak or predictable balls.

And so on. So . . . what’s your overpowering strength?