Training drill for first 5 shots

[StuartMarquis]

As we know, most points are won quickly in table tennis within the first 5 shots of a rally. I was having a think about training drills that focus purely on those first five shots and came up with the following drill:

1. Each game played to first to 21 points with two serves each.

2. Points awarded as follows:

Win point on serve = 5 points
Win point on serve return = 4 points
Win point on 3rd ball = 3 points
Win point on 4th ball = 2 points
Win point 5th ball = 1 point
Rally is voided if 5th ball is returned and a new ball is served.

I was thinking that this model not only focuses on the first 5 shots, but also prioritises within those first 5 shots and is also rigged in favour of the server (three scoring opportunities compared to the receivers two opportunities) to further emphasise the importance of making the most of serve.

However, after thinking about it, I was wondering whether the points are correct. Should it maybe be 5, 5, 3, 2, 1 to emphasise the importance of serve return, or should it be 5,
5, 4, 4, 1 so that the only advantage that the server has is the extra scoring opportunity?

Would appreciate your feedback on how to get the most out of this sort of drill.

 

[Baal]

It is great. But hard to keep track of the points!

 

[StuartMarquis]

Yes I did think of that - you'd probably need to note the scores on a piece of paper after each winning shot.

 

[TableTennisTom]

I'm not sure if your reward system is quite right. It doesn't really matter on which number shot the point is won. A 5th ball attack winner has no less value than a 3rd ball attack winner. What we're really trying to do is initiate a strong attack in the first five balls (excluding serve) so we can try and take control of the rally (if you're an attacking player). So if the focus of your exercise is to do a strong attack in the first 5 balls (excluding serve), I would reward them all equally. Play up to 21 as you suggest, but you get 5 points if you win in the first 5 balls. I'm not sure if you should reward points for the serve though. I'd be interested to hear what others think about this.

 

[HotPotTofu]

I actually did do something similar where the server would need to win by the 9th ball (1 serve +4 returns) or the receiver would win the point. There would be no void. Match played to 11 as per normal.

I find your suggestion very interesting and i think it should be 3,3,2,2,1. However i think changing it to 7th ball and more than that would cause a point to go to the receiver (not the person who served). This forces the server to be daring and attack the receiver instead of just playing it to the 6th ball to void the rally because he felt he wasnt ready to attack.

Cheers



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[KM1976]

The idea of having a ranking mechanism for each ball played starting from the serve is good. However, I feel that the point on serve should have the lowest rating. If you look at it, this is how it works at the higher level. You will almost never secure a service point, never. A serve is used as a setup tool, and a very important one to get a desired outcome. From there on, it depends on the skill level of your opponent who may or may not allow you to initiate the attack at all.
So, in short, huge emphasis on setting up the 3rd or a fifth ball attack using your serves effectively is the right direction.

Cheers and keep practicing!!
KM1976

 

[StuartMarquis]

But isn't winning the point on your serve the best possible scenario, and therefore worthy of the best points? Wouldn't the perfect table tennis player be one who had an unreturnable serve? Surely the premise behind the 5 shot drill is to promote the idea that we want to score the point as early as possible in the rally, the serve being the earliest possible point scoring opportunity. I see what you mean about the serve not being the primary point winning shot in a 5 shot rally when it comes to real world matches, but surely we should train in such a way as to think of the serve as a point scoring weapon in itself, rather than just a set-up tool? Or perhaps that would be counter-productive?

 

[TableTennisTom]

I think this is fine if you are playing at a lower level. You can win loads of points through strong serves. But at higher standards, every serve you do is returnable (and mostly will be returned). No player can come up with a consistently unreturnable serve. So therefore, the emphasis of the serve changes. It’s not about serving to win the point, but serving to put your opponent under pressure to make a weak or predictable return which you can attack. Or serving to make it hard for your opponent to attack in the first place. So that’s why I don’t see any value in rewarding the player extra for finishing the rally on the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] ball, compared to the 5[SUP]th[/SUP] ball. The reward should be for trying to open up a strong attack in any of the first five balls (excluding serve).

 

[Baal]

I'm not sure if your reward system is quite right. It doesn't really matter on which number shot the point is won. A 5th ball attack winner has no less value than a 3rd ball attack winner. What we're really trying to do is initiate a strong attack in the first five balls (excluding serve) so we can try and take control of the rally (if you're an attacking player). So if the focus of your exercise is to do a strong attack in the first 5 balls (excluding serve), I would reward them all equally. Play up to 21 as you suggest, but you get 5 points if you win in the first 5 balls. I'm not sure if you should reward points for the serve though. I'd be interested to hear what others think about this.

Kind of like an expedite rule. If the server has not won the point within the first five shots, he loses the point. Score by 1. Play games to 7.

 

[Brs]

It's an interesting idea, but it might be more effective to identify specific patterns where you are not happy with your reaction and choose a drill to replicate the pattern. Like if you push lots of long serves, and wish you didn't, just have someone serve long at you over and over and you loop them. Or typical 3rd ball drill -- serve short, push long, open loop, free.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Yep, at lower levels, the strategy of winning the point off the serve is common. And unfortunately, players who get in the habit of playing like that, are often at a loss for what to do when the rallies go deeper.

But I think you would be better off with various serve and receive drills that work on third ball attack and developing the rally skills to:

First drill:

1) player A serves
2) player B pushes long
3) player A loops to open
4) open play

With this drill you can work on:

1) ending the point with a strong opening,
or
2) a safe spinny opening;

And if the opening comes back, regardless of which opening, you would want continue and go deeper into the rally so you also develop other valuable skills.

In working on third ball attack drills, one of the biggest benefits I gained and only realized after was that, when I was on the receiving end of the opening loops, I became really good at counterlooping. This is a very useful skill at higher levels when you are forced to go deeper into rallies.

So in focusing on drills where you get to work on opening loops, when you are on the receiving end, you get to work on countering the opening loop. When you get good at that skill, your level definitely goes up.

There are so many other serve and receive drills. Here are two simple ones:

1) player A serves short
2) player B has to flip
3) player A tries to use the flip for a 3rd ball attack
4) open play till the point is won.

1) player A serves short
2) player B pushes as short as possible (it should be low and short and at least double bounce)
3) player A pushes long
4) player B has to attack.

Should you count points with these? You could. But you don't have to. And it is interesting how, not counting points causes you to develop the muscle memory to take the shot when it is there. And that translates into games: when someone gives you a ball to open, you are more likely to take it, if you have trained the shot without counting.

But the formula you are trying to set up could leave you unprepared for higher level play. And if both players are trying to end the point and you stop play on the "longer" rallies, you are denying yourself the rare opportunity to work on what happens when you go deeper into a rally.


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[OhWell]

I'm with Carl on drills > mini games here. Serve + opening shots drills ftw!

Another worry with counting points as training is that it rewards sticking to what you already do well, which slows down learning by a ton. This is especially pernicious with strokes that involve correct technique but require fine tuning at the level of muscle memory: to improve those strokes, prioritizing fewer mistakes short term is counter productive.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

BTW: when you are working on your own and practicing serves, you can practice to make your serves nasty. That is good and intelligent. But when you are training with someone, trying to simply win points off your serve while training is a bit of a waste of your own valuable time.

And if you tried any of the serve and receive drills I listed, keep count of how often a rally actually goes past 6 balls. The percentage is probably low without you stopping before the points even get that far.


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[ttmonster]

I understand where you are coming from. I remember somebody proposed , most likely Dan , the exercise to improve return of serve where who ever loses the last point gets the serve. It is pretty simple and effective to improve serve receive.

If you want to do this as an exercise , you might want to devise it in the reverse way .


You could start at 21 all and then take a point off for every stroke that is played, in the rally. So lets say somebody serves and finishes the point in the third ball, he gets to 19-21 , and again does the same thing so ends up at 17-21. Then the other guy gets to serve and ends the rally i the 5th ball twice , so gets 10 points deducted. So after 2 serves you end up with the score 17-10 . Whoever reaches zero first loses. You could start at a higher point , lets say 100 or something. This way it will be easier to keep track of , instead of having to writing down the number after each point.

But really , even though finishing the rally is rewarded, as you develop as a player , you understand its more and more important to put more balls on the table and have rallies , it just helps you to increase footwork and spin understanding capabilities.
So while this kind of exercise might be a good way to prepare before a tournament , especially for people who have a tendency to be too defensive and/or move away from the table , I would not advise it as a general exercise . It might end up being detrimental to the development ofa a player.

 

[Baal]

BTW: when you are working on your own and practicing serves, you can practice to make your serves nasty. That is good and intelligent. But when you are training with someone, trying to simply win points off your serve while training is a bit of a waste of your own valuable time.

And if you tried any of the serve and receive drills I listed, keep count of how often a rally actually goes past 6 balls. The percentage is probably low without you stopping before the points even get that far.


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i was just about to point this out. In fact, I spend a lot of time training third balls by giving a practice partner a serve that he can do many different things with.

I also don't hit the third ball too hard, because I want it to come back. I am basically practicing the choreography of attack, and like learning any dance, you don't train it at full speed all the time.