Three Common Fatal Mistakes of Table Tennis Forehand Drive

        Table tennis forehand drive is the crucial basic skill. It’s the foundation of all attack techniques, such as smash and loop. If you’ve learnt it well, it’ll be much easier for you to move up to the next level. Below are the three most common fatal mistakes you need to avoid. Check carefully whether you’ve any one of them?

        One of the biggest mistakes is the elbow swings upwards while forehand driving. It becomes points backwards, instead of downwards, in the end of the motion. During the whole process of forehand drive, keep your elbow pointing to the ground. It should be lower than the racket and stay still. If the elbow swings up and down, you’ll lose the power and be difficult to control, especially for those low balls. Once you get used to it unfortunately, your forehand can never attack well. Bear this in mind.

(Image Source: SCMP)

        Besides, using too much of the shoulder is another common mistake. Unlike tennis, table tennis is so small and nimble. You should mainly use the forearm. The shoulder part is just supplementary. There’ll be many problems if you overdo the shoulder. For example, you’ll get tired quickly or even injured easily due to muscle strain. Also, the big motion will make you return slowly. Your control as well as the accuracy will be both reduced apparently. Usually, it’s because your hand reaches out too much. Keeping the elbow close to the body naturally can solve this problem.

        Moreover, many people swing their rackets too much forwards or downwards, instead of obliquely upwards. If your forehand drive downwards, it’s hard to use your power. The ball will be brought down to the net easily, especially for low balls. You may check whether your racket finishes at or lower than your chest level? If yes, you’ve this problem. The correct forearm motion should be like soldiers’ salute, finishing in front of the forehead.

        If you don’t have the above-mentioned mistakes, your basically mastered table tennis forehand drive skill. With the addition of weight shift, turning waist to use the body power, you can further enhance it and learn other advanced forehand attack skills easily.