Site Products
Larry Hodges

Coaching Tip of the Week: Rote vs. Random Drills

(By Larry Hodges)

A rote drill is a drill where you do the same repetitive movement over and over. An example of this is forehand to forehand, or a side-to-side footwork drill. These are excellent for developing specific techniques you will need in a match.

A random drill is a drill where there is some uncertainty about what the next shot in the drill is going to be. An example of this would be your partner putting balls to all parts of your forehand court, and you returning them all with your forehand, or randomly to the whole table, and you have to react, forehand or backhand. Another would be a serve and attack drill, where you serve backspin and your partner pushes your serve back deep to any part of the table, and you have to attack. There are countless variations, covering every aspect of the game.

So which type of drills should you do? Both. However, at the beginning levels, the focus should be on rote drills to develop the foundation of your game. But as you improve, you should gradually work more and more random drills into your practice. If you don’t, you’ll end up becoming more or less a robotic player – one who is good against simple, predictable shots, but falls apart in actual game situations. Even at the advanced level, you should still do rote drills, both to hone your strokes and to improve your footwork, but random drills, especially ones that mimic specific game situations, should eventually take up at least half your drills.

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

Latest Rankings: Chuqin to 1, Calderano to 3

September 16, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) China’s top two paddlers swapped spots in the latest World Rankings, with Wang… Read More

A Chopper’s Delight

September 16, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) When the Sugarhill Gang released “Rapper’s Delight”, few could have imagined either the immediate or… Read More

MLTT Is Back in Charlotte!

September 15, 2025
(by: Major League Table Tennis) See the Carolina Gold Rush Next Weekend Get ready for an action-packed three… Read More

Chopping and Playing Choppers – It’s All About the Mindset

September 15, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame I’ve coached many choppers during a match,… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Folsom Table Tennis Club

September 14, 2025
(By Steve Hopkins) The Folsom Table Tennis Club has two locations nestled in the greater Sacramento region of… Read More

WTT Champions Macao: A New Number One ?

September 14, 2025
(By Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The surprises ended on the final day, as the higher seed won each of… Read More

ITTF Pan American U11 & U13 Championships: Recap

September 14, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) The ITTF Pan American U11 & U13 Championships concluded last week in Antigua… Read More

WTT Champions Macao: Anders Lind Makes Semis

September 13, 2025
(By Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Anders Lind headlined the penultimate day with a 4-3 upset win over World No.… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.