What are the offensive strokes in table tennis?
Daniel Moore
Published Jan 21, 2026
Offensive strokes
- Hit. Also known as speed drive, a direct hit on the ball propelling it forward back to the opponent. ...
- Loop. Perfected during the 1960s, the loop is essentially the reverse of the chop. ...
- Counter-hit. ...
- Flip. ...
- Smash. ...
- Push. ...
- Chop. ...
- Block.
What is an offensive stroke?
5 / 5 OFFENSIVE STROKES - A forceful shot with an emphasis on speed. - It is a power stroke that will have the intention of winning the point. Also known as a flat hit or kill. - Usually executed when the opponent has returned a ball that bounces too high and/or close to the net SMASH.
What is offensive and defensive stroke?
Some of these include Push, Chop, Block, Kill Spin, among others. The defensive stroke that can contribute towards creating the opportunities to play offensive strokes is the push stroke. The stroke that when played gives the opponent a chance to use the loop drive stroke is termed as the chop stroke.
What are the 5 strokes in tennis?
What Are the 5 Basic Tennis Strokes?
- Serve. We wouldn't be able to have tennis without the serve – it's the start of everything! ...
- Forehand. A player's forehand is usually their strongest shot on the tennis court. ...
- Backhand. There are two variations of a backhand – a one-handed shot and two-handed shot. ...
- Volley. ...
- Overhead.
What are the types of strikes in table tennis?
The four shots are; Forehand drive. Backhand drive. Backhand push.
26 related questions foundWhat is backhand stroke in table tennis?
A backhand drive is an attacking shot. It's played with a little bit of topspin, but mainly it's a flat hit and can be very powerful. When should you play a backhand drive? You'd normally play a backhand drive close to the table when your opponent's return is a little high.
Is the offensive trump card in table tennis?
The offensive trump card is the smash. A player will typically execute a smash when the opponent has returned a ball that bounces too high or too close to the net. Smashing consists of using a large backswing and rapid acceleration to impart as much speed on the ball as possible.
What are the 4 basic strokes in table tennis?
The four basic table tennis shots: Forehand Drive. Backhand Drive. Forehand Push.
What is the most important stroke in tennis?
The serve is the most important shot in tennis. All points begin with a serve. The key to this stroke is fluidity, rotation, and use of the entire body to snap upward into the shot. Start at the baseline with the tennis ball in the non-dominant hand and the racquet in the other hand.
What is first stroke in tennis?
Forehand Ground Stroke: A forehand ground stroke is the easiest and usually the first stroke learned in tennis. To perform a forehand ground stroke the player will swing the tennis racket across their body on the same side as their dominate hand to hit the ball.
Is block a defensive move in table tennis?
The block shot is a defensive stroke that allows a player to use the speed of their opponent's shot against them. It needs to be completed straight after the bounce to ensure that the player maintains control of the ball.
What are the two types of strokes in table tennis?
There are essentially two basic positions to learn – the forehand and the backhand. Every other shot thereafter are simply techniques applied to these two basic positions. To get started, you'll just need to learn four basic strokes: the forehand drive, the forehand push, the backhand drive and the backhand push.
What are the six basic strokes in tennis?
All games of tennis consist of six basic strokes: the serve, forehand groundstroke, backhand groundstroke, forehand volley, backhand volley, and the overhead smash. The 6 basic “strokes” are the fundamental movements a player performs to hit a tennis ball.
Which are the two most common and essential strokes in tennis?
Whether it is a forehand or backhand groundstroke, perfecting the most used stroke gives you a higher chance of competing and winning a rally.
What are the three types of tennis strokes?
Serves
- Flat Serve. A flat serve is one that is hit with minimal, if any, spin. ...
- Kick Serve. To hit a kick serve, players generate a significant amount of topspin by hitting up on the ball and snapping their wrist when making contact. ...
- Slice Serve.
What is forehand stroke?
Definitions of forehand stroke. (sports) a return made with the palm of the hand facing the direction of the stroke (as in tennis or badminton or squash) synonyms: forehand, forehand shot. type of: return. a tennis stroke that sends the ball back to the other player.
What's the difference between forehand and backhand?
Forehand strokes are hit with the front of the hand leading (like hitting with the palm), whereas backhand strokes are hit with the back of the hand leading (like hitting with the knuckles).
What stroke is essentially self explanatory?
Smashing is essentially self-explanatory — large backswing and rapid acceleration imparting 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 cannot return it.
What do you call the defensive move in table tennis?
Chop. A chop is the defensive, backspin counterpart to the offensive loop drive. A chop is essentially a bigger, heavier push, taken well back from the table. The racket face points primarily horizontally, perhaps a little bit upward, and the direction of the stroke is straight down.
What is the main goal of smash stroke in table tennis?
The forehand smash is a fast, hard and powerful stroke that aims to force the opponent away from the table or to win a point outright. However, the shot is not always about force and requires the player to use good timing, technique and precision simultaneously.
What is the difference between forehand stroke and backhand stroke in table tennis?
The most noticeable difference between the forehand and backhand groundstroke is the side of the body where you make contact with the ball. With forehand groundstrokes, the ball is struck off to the player's dominant side.
What is a shakehand grip?
The "shakehand" grip is the typical European type grip where the head of the racket faces up, and your hand looks like it's ready to shake a person's hand.
What is a blade in table tennis?
The blade is the wooden racket without the rubber sheets attached. It is simply wood (or a combination of various woods of different characteristics) and may have composite materials like carbon, arylate, kevlar, zylon, etc.
What is the most important skill in tennis?
The 8 Most Critical Tennis Skills and How to Test Them
- Technique. Biomechanically efficient technique is highly determinative of your tennis potential. ...
- Footwork Speed/Agility. ...
- Power. ...
- Mental Fortitude. ...
- Flexibility. ...
- Endurance. ...
- Strength. ...
- Strategy.
Is loop an offensive stroke in table tennis?
The modern game of table tennis has become one that's dominated by players who play very fast aggressive loop shots and who use an attacking / offensive style of play. Timo Boll (pictured right) is one of the top players in the world and he imparts tremendous spin onto the ball, particularly with his backhand loop.