The Art of Placement in Table Tennis

Placement: directing the ball to where you choose it to go within the opponent’s court.

The primary principles of placement are:

Each of these is introduced separately; although they should be integrated together in order to master proper technique.

Use a Wide-Stance to stroke the ball. Consider that the Pyramids of Egypt are so stable because of the wide base. Better yet, observe videos of world class players using a wide stance.
Move the feet quickly to re-position the stable base for the next stroke. The feet should be among the first things to move in preparation for a subsequent table tennis stroke.
Always move to the ball, quickly, but avoid moving too far. Do not throw yourself out-of-position for the next stroke.
Maintain the Wide Stance for each stroke whenever possible.
Position the Wide Stance with respect to the ball – so that you can swing comfortably without reaching, but also so you can swing without your body being in the way.

Don't worry about power while learning control. Once control is mastered, power can be easily added. So, as you learn: think “control and consistency”, not "power".
The elbow joint (in most situations) yields more control than the shoulder or wrist joints. Use the elbow to achieve control in forehand and backhand drives.
Minimize the use of the shoulder joint. It is powerful but it is “cumbersome” power. Situations where it is useful are rare for beginners.
Except on very short balls, minimize the use of the wrist. Just let the wrist break naturally – don’t “force” a wrist motion.
Conceptualize circles to aid in table tennis strokes: smaller circles close to the table, medium circles at medium distances out, and larger circles when further away. Most strokes can be taken at a medium distance, with the elbow controlling the stroke.
Avoid expending too much energy early, before ball contact; approach the ball smoothly, and develop a sense of “carrying” or “placing” the ball on the other side. Think of it as a “stroke” not a bang, slap, or smack.
Accelerate through the ball, do not “back off” at ball contact. Take a complete backswing and follow through completely.
Acceleration = start the stroke slow and finish fast. The velocity should change. Strokes should NOT be conducted at the same speed throughout the stroke.

Spin significantly affects ball trajectory, and thus placement. If the ball is struck with spinny rubber: topspin will arc, and backspin will go in approximately a straight line.
In order to apply spin, the opponent’s spin must be counter-acted in some cases.
When a ball is struck with spinny rubber by an opponent, observe:
- The location on the ball that the opponent makes contact
- The blade angle used by the opponent; and
- The direction of movement of the opponent’s blade
Observation of the three things above will help you determine what type of spin is on the ball. When you know the type of spin on the oncoming ball, you can compensate by adjusting your blade angle.
In practice, observe what happens when a neutral blade angle is used to return certain spins produced by an opponent. This will help you decide how to compensate for an opponent’s spin. That is, learn how to change from the neutral angle to direct the ball to a desired location on the table.
In many situations you will need to counteract an opponent’s spin, but in some cases you will want to add to the opponent’s spin.
One technique for counteracting spin is to strike the ball in the same location as the opponent struck the ball. Thus if the opponent strikes the top of the ball, you strike the top of the ball. This technique applies when both players are using spinny rubber (and there are certain other exceptions).

The Pied Piper of Pong

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