Finding a practice partner isn’t always easy, and even keen players can’t always get to a club. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do on your own. Solo practice won’t replace playing real opponents, but it can sharpen your strokes, improve your timing and build fitness between sessions. Here are the most useful options, from free to fancy.
Ball bouncing and bat control
The simplest solo drill needs nothing but a bat and a ball. Bounce the ball up and down on your forehand side, then your backhand side, then alternate between them. Try to keep it going for a hundred touches. Next, try bouncing it on the edge of the bat, or switch between a low bounce and a high one. These drills feel basic, but they build the soft touch and bat feel that make short, controlled shots easier.
Playback mode on a folding table
Most home tables fold up so that one half stands vertical. This is often called playback mode, and it turns your table into a practice wall. You hit the ball onto your half, it bounces off the upright half and comes back to you.
Playback mode is great for practising steady forehand and backhand drives, building rhythm and getting lots of repetitions in a short time. The ball comes back faster than it would from a real opponent, so stand a little further back than usual and start gently. It does have limits: the returning ball has no real spin and arrives from a shorter distance than in a game, so use it mainly for consistency rather than for learning to read spin.
Practising against a wall
No folding table? A smooth, solid wall can work too. You can rally directly against the wall, letting the ball bounce on the floor, or push an ordinary table up against the wall and hit as you would in playback mode. Brick and rough plaster give unpredictable bounces, so a smooth painted wall or a sheet of plywood works best. Check with anyone you live with first, as the constant tapping can test people’s patience.
Table tennis robots
A table tennis robot is a machine that sits at the far end of the table and feeds balls to you. Basic models fire balls at a steady speed and spin, while more advanced ones can vary placement, spin and timing, and some can be programmed with drill sequences. Many come with a net that catches balls and returns them to the machine, so you are not spending half your session collecting balls.
Robots are excellent for drills that need repetition: practising your forehand topspin against a steady backspin ball, working on footwork as balls alternate between corners, or grooving a particular return. The downside is that they don’t read your shots or react like a real person, so treat them as a training tool rather than an opponent. If buying one isn’t realistic, some clubs have a robot members can book.
Multiball without a partner
Multiball training usually involves a coach feeding a bucket of balls in quick succession. On your own, you can practise serving this way. Fill a container with balls and serve them one after another, focusing on one type of serve at a time. Aim for targets, such as a small towel or a paper plate, placed in different areas of the table. Serving is the one shot you can fully practise alone, and it is worth doing often.
Shadow drills
Shadow practice means playing strokes without a ball, which you can do almost anywhere. It is the table tennis version of a boxer shadow boxing, and many top players use it.
- Stand in your ready position in front of a mirror and play slow forehand and backhand strokes, checking your shape and balance.
- Combine strokes with footwork: side-step to your forehand, play a stroke, recover, side-step to your backhand, play a stroke.
- Practise the “in and out” movement of stepping in for a short ball and back for a long one.
- Do short timed sets, such as 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest, to build stamina.
Holding a bat, or something of a similar weight, makes shadow practice more realistic. Focus on doing the movement correctly and smoothly rather than quickly at first.
Fitness work that helps your game
Ping pong rewards quick feet and good balance. Skipping rope, short side-to-side shuttle runs and simple exercises like squats and lunges all help. Even ten minutes a few times a week can make a noticeable difference to how quickly you move around the table.
Learn by watching
Watching good players is a form of practice too. Pay attention to how they recover after each shot, how they use their legs and how they change their bat angle against different spins. Pick one thing to copy and try it in your next shadow session.
Balance solo and partner practice
Solo practice works best as a supplement. It builds the foundations so that when you do get to play someone, you have more time to enjoy games and tactics. Mix a little solo work into your week, and you will notice the difference the next time you step up to the table.
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