(by: Zheng Pu)
The short game is a basic aspect of table tennis which can elevate your game to the next level.
This is an area of table tennis which is a key focus in serve return for high level players. During
my time on the Chinese National Team, and later as a high level player in the USA, the short
game was imperative in matchplay.
Low level players tend to push long on serve return, this is an easy target for players who are
confident and adept at attacking against backspin. The short push receive – when executed
well, is a literal game-changer.
A good short receive will prevent the opponent from making a full attacking stroke, limiting
their options to strokes over the table. This significantly increases the chances of initiating a
stronger attack first in the rally, and neutralizing the service advantage of your opponent.
The technique itself takes a lot of practice to refine. This was an area I focused on more often
with some of the higher level players I have worked with as a Coach, such as three-time
Olympian Lily Zhang and current US National Men’s Team member Darryl Tsao.
These are some of the focus points to help master the short receive:
- Get your foot under the table, in order to get closer to the ball.
2. Keep low, your head and shoulder should be close to the contact, not far away or reaching.
3. Take the ball early in the bounce.
4. Close your racket angle a little on the side of the ball, in order to keep it low.
5. Tighten your thumb and fingers on contact to generate friction.
6. Remember this is not a full push shot but more of a short touch.
There are also important things to consider with the incoming service If the ball is heavier
backspin you may have to soften your contact and open the angle more. On the contrary if the
serve ball has less spin then an effective short push needs to be sharper with a more closed
angle.
While the preparation and shot itself are crucial, so too is the recovery. It is important to return
to a neutral table position after dropping the ball short. A player must be ready to initiate the
attack, but also ready for the ball to be dropped short again.
Some players are too slow to recover and stay too much over the table after pushing short,
which reduces the effectiveness of the short receive overall.
Some good drills to practice to enhance the short game are these:
– Multiball short receive and full table forehand attack against backspin
– Short receive and free.
– Short receive to a specific table placement, with server sometimes serving long.
You can also practice working multiball against random short or long serves. One of the key
things to prepare for with short game, is recognizing when the ball will be short and when it will
be long. This helps trigger early preparation for each respective receive type.
Overall it is crucial to work on developing your short receive. Going from long push receives to
keeping the ball tight on serve return will literally change your game level entirely and help
push you to the next level in the sport. This requires a lot of practice and building the short
receive into lots of different training drills!
About the Coach:
Zheng Pu is a former Henan Province and Chinese National Team member with a wealth of
experience as both a high level player and coach in the USA. The left handed penholder has
stamped his mark on the west coast of the USA, winning numerous tournament titles, as well as
coaching some of the USA’s finest junior and senior national team players. As a player he reach
a peak world ranking of 223, and a US rating high of 2633 – placing him at the time among the
Top 20 players in America.
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