Benecia Rodrigues
USP75 Individual Sport
Table tennis
Task 1: Know the skills, techniques and tactics required in individual sports
An individual sport is when participants compete as individuals in a particular sporting activity.
However, in individual sport, team competition occurs, examples relay race. For this coursework I
will be focusing on table tennis for my individual sporting activity. In this part of task, I will be giving
a description of the skills, techniques and tactics required in table tennis. Then I will be explaining
the effective and ineffective use of this skills, techniques and tactics in real life performance; I will
also support this with examples. Furthermore, I will be completing a diary which identifies the
tactics, techniques and skills we have learned during a certain period of time. This will also indicate
my performance level and my strengths, weakness and areas of improvement.
Skills
Forehand drive
How to apply?
1)Start with bat around waist height.
2)Close the bat around angle slightly.
3)Rotate backwards from the waist. As the ball approaches, rotate forwards and move you bat
forward and up.
4)Contact the ball just in front of your body. The contact should be quite flat, roughly in the middle
of your bat.
When should you play a forehand drive?
You normally play the forehand drive close to the table when your opponent’s return is a little high.
You can play a forehand drive if the ball had topspin, no spin or even light backspin on it, as long as
the ball is high enough. Against a low ball with heavy backspin, a drive shot won’t be very effective,
as you won’t have a good angle to get the ball over the net. Instead you should play a forehand
topspin vs backspin stroke. This is one of the defensive shots used in table tennis.
Topspin
1)Start with your bat below waist height.
2)Close your bat angle slightly.
3)Bend your knees and rotate backwards from your waist. As the ball approaches, push up with your
legs, rotate forwards and accelerate your bat upwards.
4)Contact the ball just in front of your body.
These skills will give the individual a good start and then the individual will develop new playing
skills when performing.
Tactics in table tennis
There are specific tactics that can be used to improve your performance in table tennis. If tactics are
used effectively in a match, then the player would be able to play correctly and use different skills in
order to win. If the player plays effectively then they would be able to slow down the game or speed
up the game in order to win. However, if the player plays inefficiently then the player may aim
towards the wrong side of the table which may result in losing the point and the opponent gaining
the point.
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One being varying the speed, spin and direction of your shots. Your shots need to be varied. If your
shots were the same each time, then your opponent will get used to them and manipulate the game.
For example, you should not play all your shots in the same position or at the same speed. If you
apply a different speed and position this will throw your opponent a help you to create a lead. By
changing the speed of the ball you will be able to create a varied momentum. This can make your
opponent nervous when they are playing which may lead the opponent making mistakes; this will
earn you a point. Overall if this tactic is used effectively then it will benefit the players and mislead
the opponent. However, if this tactic is used ineffectively then the ball may strike towards a different
direction leading you to lose a point.
There are also styles of play you can use. For example, counter hitter. Counter hitter will help throw
your opponent through speed and anticipation. It also allows you to take the ball early. However, it
is difficult to change the place and spin when using these techniques. Furthermore, you could strike
back the ball in different directions so the opponent will have to move often and it is more likely for
your opponent to mislead directions and may not be able to control their movement or the ball’s
movement and pace. Moving your opponent around the table is a good tactic because it will not
allow the opponent to be stable and may lead the opponent into making mistakes which is a
beneficial for you as you will be able to earn a point.
Techniques
Technique is how you execute a skill.
Spin
1.Start your stroke below and behind the ball.
2. Wait for the ball to bounce off your table upwards
3. Move your arm forward and upwards, brushing the ball at a “’/” angle from a high position.
4. The ball’s trajectory will arch downwards, picking up speed after it bounces off the table
The spin change in momentum while playing. You need to be very careful when applying this
technique; it should be played in the correct angle and hand technique, if the individual play in the
correct way then than the ball will be in proper control and not move in the wrong direction. This is a
good technique as it will make it harder for the opponent to play back making you score a point. If
this technique is used effectively then the player would be able to apply this skill and confuse the
opponent; this will make the opponent miss the ball or they may not be able to strike back. On the
other hand, if this technique is used inefficiently then the ball may come back towards the served
players or move in a different direction; this will result in losing a point.
Forehand drive
This technique is one of the common techniques applied in table tennis. This technique is used to
strike back. This is one of the four basic table tennis strokes, which is based on an attacking stroke.
When learning table tennis, you will find this as the most used technique. If the skill is used
effectively the play will follow through onto the opponent’s side of the table and can be used to
either to speed the game or the slow down the game. On the other hand, if this technique is not
used effectively than this could lead the ball in the wrong direction and the player may not be able
to score a point and its opponent may gain that point instead.
How to do a forehand drive
1.Start with bat around waist height
2.Close the bat angle slightly
3.Rotate backwards from the waist
4.As the ball approaches, rotate forwards and move your bat forwards and up
, Benecia Rodrigues
5.Contact the ball just in front of your body
6.The contact should be quite flat, roughly in the middle of your bat
7.Your bat should follow through and finish in front of your body
How to add spin
Topspin-start your stroke below and behind the ball in an upward and forward motion.
Backspin- start your stroke above and behind the ball, brush the ball in a downward and forward
motion.
Diary
Week 1: Forehand/Backhand Drive (30/09/2019)
In this session, I practiced the forehand and backhand drive. We focused on some basic techniques
which included positioning yourself before starting a game. I need to spend more time practicing the
forehand drive and how to aim with this technique. I think my backhand drive was accurate by the
end of the session. I have been able to adapt to the forehand drive technique. I believe, I have
successfully been able to apply the forehand drive while playing; I have been good in movement and
speed. However, I am going to improve this technique by following the right steps and adding this
technique to any matches I play. I will try to control the ball and make sure I don’t lose control and
then lose a point. Before any game or practice matches a warm up as this is an important aspect of
the game. This will reduce to risk of any injures while participating in an activity. I will make sure I
aim the ball in the correct direction and with accurate power when using the forehand and backhand
drive. Aiming is also an important aspect, as this is one of the health and safety policy; this is to
make sure that other participants in the room are not being hit by the ball as this can cause injuries
and distractions. Furthermore, we followed some of the basic rules such as serving in a single game,
the ball should be shown to the opponent and then play from the behind line. We were also told to
make sure that we serve properly and with the correct grip on the racket in order to fully succeed
with this technique. Overall, I used different strategies such as controlling the pace of the ball; I
either speed up or slow down in order to make the game challenging for my opponent. In this
picture, I am performing the forehand and the backhand drive which was the main two techniques
we have to succeed in this session. If played effectively then I would be able to aim in the right
direction. However, if not played effectively then the ball may move towards the wrong direct which
may lead me to lose a point. I can use this technique to play an accurately and speed up the game.
Week 2: Forehand/Backhand push (07/10/2019)
In this lesson we recapped the forehand and backhand drive. We also learned the forehand and
backhand push technique. I was successfully able to put this skill into practice however I need to
focus more and think sensibly on how to react when it’s my turn to strike back. I need to make sure I
don’t hit the ball with a lot of power because if I do I would lose control over the ball which could
lead me to lose a point. Furthermore, to improve this technique I will need more practice and make
sure my aims are correct and that I use the forehand push method when needed. In order to prevent
any injuries all participants should warm up before going into practice. If this technique is used
effectively then the ball will be travel in the correct direction but if this method is not played
effectively then the ball will travel in the wrong direction. Overall, this technique can be used to
speed up the game or to slow the game. I was successful able to apply to perform the forehand and
the backhand push.
Week 3: Serve (14/10/2019)
In this lesson, we learned how to perform a serve correctly (the ball should be toss roughly around
16cm) and to add a spin in order to make it difficult for my opponent to have control over the ball
