Game Tactics (3-ball,5-ball attack, etc)
From TableTennisTraining
In the new 11 point game. There is no time to feel your way into the match as in the 21-point game. You have to start right away with solid strategy and execution.
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Attacking first
A general rule in table tennis is: He who attacks first usually wins the point. When a player has the serve, he can control the first return with his spin and placement potentially forcing an attackable return from the opponent. This advantage usually translates into a 60-80% chance of winning a point on serve. If you can win 3 out of 5 points on your serve, then you are on par to win the game.
3-ball attack
A 3-ball attack in the strictest definition is an attack strategy on the 3rd shot of a rally. A typical 3rd ball attack procedes something like this: Player A serves a ball that he anticipates will generate a desired return, player B then returns the serve and then player A, if given the desired return, will try to win the point on the 3rd shot with a smash or loop-kill.
5-ball attack
A 5-ball attack or 5th ball attack is an attack strategy similar to the 3-ball attack except the point winning shot comes on the 5th ball. For example, serve, receive, a setup-shot (well placed loop, deep-push or flip), a weak return from the setup shot and then a kill shot. The most common 3rd ball stroke in a 5-ball attack is slow spinny loop that sets up the 5th ball kill.
"Short game" skills
The short game in table tennis refers to those skills designed to control the opening portion of a point. They are the complement to the open game or power game. These shots are taken on balls that will bounce twice on the table if untouched or will barely come off the end of the table. Generally, points begin with a slow, spinny, short and controlled serve. Players will use their short game to try to play the ball in such a way to deny their opponent an open attack. This may include drop shots that stay short and low over the net, spinny pushes that are difficult to attack and flip or pick-shots over the table that throw the opponent off-balance. The short game is often overlooked and underappreciated because the nuances of the short game are difficult to discern when watching a high-level match but it can be one of the major factors of winning or losing a match.
"When I played the Chinese, it wasn't like 'Oh my God, I can't do anything against them', it's that they don't make the little mistakes. Their drop shots are low and their placement is very exact so I have to just sort of give the ball back to them and once you pop up the ball just a little bit, it's over." -Eric Owens on why the Chinese are so dominant.
The short game takes a great deal of skill and practice to execute effectively. It requires deft touch and a deep understanding of spin and a good eye to read exactly what's on the ball.
Sucker plays
A sucker play is a rally where you intentionally give your opponent a ball return that he wants to receive (or at least a ball return that looks like the one he wants), because you know what his likely response will be (most often an attack) and you have a planned counter-attack to his response. Because you are counter-attacking off what your opponent considers a strong attack, your counter-attack will generally be all the more unexpected and harder for him to defend against. The counter-attack does not necessarily have to be an "attack" shot in the strictest sense. For example, one common sucker play when playing a looper who predictably fast loops to your backhand, is to serve a ball to his backhand that he generally steps around and loops, then fast block his loop down the line for a winner.
Sucker plays rely on weaknesses in your opponent's game, and particularly weaknesses that your opponent is not aware of. The weakness is not necessarily an attack shot in which your opponent has too much confidence, although this is one of the most common weaknesses to exploit. Another example of a sucker play is giving a chopper a ball that you know he will return with heavy underspin which he believes to be difficult to attack, when you are exceptionally good at attacking underspin balls.
