Know Yourself
The first thing you need to do is work out exactly what your strengths and weaknesses are. This is something you should really do prior to playing the match - by the time you are out on the court it is probably a little late! The subject of how exactly to identify your strengths and weaknesses is something I have dealt with elsewhere, so for now we'll assume that you have spent some time working out what the best (and worst!) parts of your table tennis game are.
Sample Scenario
Jason is a two-winged looper who uses speed glue. He decides that his main strengths are his forehand loop from his backhand corner off a backspin ball, and his backhand block to the opponent's crossover point. His worst weaknesses are his footwork to a wide forehand ball, and his flip return of serve.
Know Your Opponent
The next thing you should do is to discover the strengths and weakness of your opponent. If at all possible, you should find these out by scouting your opponent before your match. Sometimes you won't be able to do this, in which case you will have to determine your opponent's strengths and weaknesses as you actually play the match!Jason's opponent is his next match is Alex, a player who loops with his forehand and blocks and hits with his backhand. Jason watches Alex playing a few matches, and decides that Alex's strengths are his backhand punch block down the line, and his forehand pendulum serve that he uses to set up his forehand loop. Jason believes Alex's main weaknesses are his forehand push and his backhand hit off a backspin ball.
Do the Math
Once you have identified both you and your opponent's strengths and weaknesses, it's time to think about how you and your opponent match up. This is most important when you are both of a similar level of play - if one of you is much better than the other the better player's weaknesses are likely to still be better than the other player's strengths, and the use of tactics will not be likely to affect the overall result. But when you are both of around the same standard, the player who uses the better tactics can give himself a crucial edge that can swing the match in his favor.What you should be looking for is how your strengths match up with each other, and how your strengths match up with each other's weaknesses. Can you formulate a game plan that will allow you to make the most of your strengths and avoid your weaknesses, while at the same time taking advantage of your opponent's weaknesses and minimizing his strengths? If so, you should have the start of a winning strategy.
Jason starts to look at his and Alex's strengths and weaknesses, searching for ways to gain an edge. He decides that the following strategies could be beneficial for him:
(Jason's strategies are continued on the next page)
