Types of Shots

In table tennis, the strokes break down into generally offensive (producing topspin) and defensive (producing backspin). Spin exceptions are the smash, block, and lob.

Offensive Strokes

1. Drive
   The drive in table tennis is similar to strokes from other racket sports like tennis. The racket is primarily perpendicular to the direction of the stroke, and most of the energy applied to the ball results in speed rather than spin, creating a shot that doesn't arc much, but is fast enough that it can be difficult to return. A drive is often the bread-and-butter stroke of a player's arsenal, used mostly for keeping the ball in play, applying pressure on the opponent and potentially opening up an opportunity for a more powerful attack.

2. Loop
   The loop is essentially the reverse of the drive. The racket is much more parallel to the direction of the stroke (or "closed") and the racket thus grazes the ball, resulting in a large amount of topspin. A good loop will arc quite a bit, and once striking the opponent's side of the table will jump forward, much like a kick serve in tennis. A loop is dangerous because of its topspin - whilst not as difficult to return as a drive, it is more likely to rebound off the opponent's racket at a very high angle, setting up an easy smash on the followup.
3. Flip
   When a player tries to attack a ball that has not bounced beyond the edge of the table, they do not have the room to wind up in a backswing. The ball may still be attacked, however, and the resulting shot is called flip because the backswing is compressed into a quick wrist action. A flip is not a single stroke and can resemble either a drive or a loop in its characteristics. What identifies the stroke is instead whether the backswing is compressed into a short wrist flick.
4. Smash
   A smash is the offensive trump card in table tennis. A player will typically execute a smash when their opponent has returned a ball that bounces too high and/or too close to the net. Smashing is essentially self-explanatory: enormous backswing, rapid acceleration, and impart as much speed on the ball as possible. The goal of a smash is to get the ball to move so quickly that the opponent simply can't return it. Due to the violent nature of such a shot, often the spin on the ball is incidentally something other than topspin, perhaps sidespin or in some cases even backspin.

The way a point develops obviously varies widely, just as in any racket sport, but a very basic tactic for an offensive player can be: drive until an opportunity for a loop opens up, loop and then smash the high-bouncing return of the loop.

Defensive Strokes

1. Push
   The push is analogous to the drive in some respects; it is very simple, usually used for keeping the point alive and creating offensive opportunities. A push resembles a tennis slice: the racket cuts underneath the ball, imparting backspin and causing the ball to float slowly to the other side of the table. Whilst not ...