Assessment 1 (Section 5,6,7)
Independently, access the Table Tennis Videos folder: Table Tennis Scenario Videos
Skills/Techniques
Use the table below to analyze the skills used in the Table Tennis scenarios video.
Skill Identified
IMGA0594.MP4
Backhand Push
IMGA0594.MP4
Forehand
Serve
Rating of Skill
Performance
(1= Poor, 5 =
Excellent)
4
How could the
performance of
the skill be
improved?
They hit the ball well
Stand with his
coming underneath it
feet square on
and then pushing the
instead of being
ball forwards creating on an angle, this
spin. Due to the fact
would allow more
the player held the bat accuracy, and a
at a very open angle, a less of a loop,
downside is that it was also allows player
a very high loop on the to be more agile.
ball and an easy
Keep the wrist
return.
firm so that the
ball travels in the
direction with the
projected power
the player
intended.
3.5
Had good pace on the
ball just going over the
net and a legal serve.
Downside is that there
was no spin so quite
easy to return. This
also was not a legal
Reason for rating (e.g.,
Positives/negatives of
execution)
The skill could be
improved be
adding more spin
to the serve so
that it is harder
for the opponent
to return the
What are the
difficulties of
performing the
skill?
That it is hard
to get the ball
to just go over
the net instead
of a high loop.
It is also
difficult for the
player to get
their body
positioning
right, with their
knees bent and
to lean forward
so that you do
not have to
reach as far
forward for the
ball. It is also
hard to hit the
ball at its peak
bounce as this
allows you to
get underneath
the ball and
add more spin.
The difficulties
of performing
this is that you
have to make it
a legal serve.
Also, you have
to add spin to
serve as he was
cupping the ball with
his hand in some
shots. He looked like
he was rushing to take
the shot as he was not
preparing his body
correctly into the right
position.
2
IMGA0845.MP4
Forehand push
They made a
connection with the
ball and went to the
opponent’s side of the
table. The ball was not
hit with enough power
and the players did
not prepare before
the shot enough and
had their body
position wrong and
they were also
reaching too far for
the ball meaning a lack
of accuracy.
shot. Make sure
to have the ball in
an open palm so
that the player
can see the ball
and that the
serve is legal.
Also, bend the
knees more so
that you can get
lower underneath
the ball and come
up under it,
hitting the
bottom of the
ball and getting
more spin.
The skill could be
improved by
getting less of a
loop on the ball
you would be
able to achieve
this by closing the
angle of the
paddle and
making sure that
the player is not
reaching for the
ball as much.
Lean forward so
that you are not
reaching too far
for the ball and
sacrificing
accuracy and
power. Also make
sure the arm is
held in the
direction of
which the player
wants the ball to
travel in after
they have made
contact.
make it
difficult, and
make your
serves unique
so that your
opponent
cannot predict
what you will
do.
The difficulties
of this skill are
that you may
reach too far
forward to get
the ball instead
of letting it
come to you,
resulting in less
accuracy and
power. Another
is that you
need to get the
body
positioning
correct and a
closed angle at
the bat is
critical for this
shot.
28
3.5
The player had lots of
topspin on the ball
when he made the
shot and the execution
was good as made
good contact with the
ball, making it much
more of an effective
shot and harder for
the opposition to
return. However, the
player could have got
lower underneath the
ball so that they could
have generated
momentum coming up
underneath the ball.
The skill could be
improved by the
player getting
less loop on the
ball as they
mainly focused
on the spin so
ended up getting
a lot of height
and an easy
return for a
smash for
example. Closing
the paddle would
prevent this high
projection over
the net from
happening and
also to turn the
waist as they hit
the ball allowing
the momentum
to generate
power as they hit
the ball.
The difficulties
of performing
this skill are
that you need
to get good
power, low
height and lots
of skill all
together to
make it a good
shot. You also
need to bend
your knees so
that you are
able to come
up from
underneath the
ball to hit these
criteria, while
also rotating
the waist as
you hit the
shot.
Tactics
5. What tactics did the players deploy and what impact did they have on the game?
Video Web Link
Tactic
Evidenced
IMGA0594.MP4 Pace on the
ball
Analyse the positive
impact that the tactic
had on the game? (If
applicable)
This should be
The positive impact
beneficial because this had on the game
the opponent
is that the opponent
would find it
hit the ball into the
harder to return a net or missed the
fast ball than a
table sometimes
slow ball. Also
because of the pace
allowing the player of the ball. They also
to dictate the
sometimes could not
tempo of the play set themselves in
as they choose
preparation for the
when they want to next shot, leading to
Why should this
tactic be
beneficial?
Analyse the negative
impact that the
tactic had on the
game? (If applicable)
The negative impact
was that sometimes
the player rushed it
too much and
mainly focused on
pace instead of
accuracy and hit the
ball into the net or
out of play. Another
negative was that,
they would only
choose shots where
0845
28
27
Defensive
play –
backhand
drive
Attacking –
Lots of spin
Lots of shot
selection
add speed to the
game.
a rush of what shot
they would do next.
they could generate
this power and
made themselves a
lot more predictable
to the opposition
due to this.
This tactic should
be beneficial
because it forces
your opponent to
get frustrated and
to rush their shots
and forcing them
to make mistakes.
This tactic should
be beneficial as
lots of spin would
confuse the
opponent making
it hard to predict
what the next shot
will be and making
it hard to return
the ball.
The opponent made
some mistakes
because of this.
This tactic should
be beneficial
because the
opponent will be
unable to predict
what shot you are
going to do, giving
them less time to
prepare and more
chance of being
unable to return
the ball.
The positive impact
this had on the game
is that the player was
able to use a variety
of shots to confuse
the opponent, this
included different
spins and paces on
the ball. This made
the opponent make
lots of mistakes and
the player on the
right dominated and
took control of the
game.
They did not have
much shot selection
and were very
predictable, so the
opponent played to
their weaknesses
and ended up taking
advantage of this.
The negative impact
that this would have
had on the game is
sometimes the
player put too much
height on the ball
with the spin and
wasn’t pushing
forward too much.
Also, they needed to
get a lot more pace
on the ball for it to
be effective.
Sometimes, the
player could have
used a different
shot as they need to
improve on their
thinking side and
not just hit a
random shot.
The positive impact
this had on the game
is that the player was
able to get lots of
spin, sometimes
making the opponent
not able to return the
ball. It also gave them
the chance to be
unpredictable if you
change what spin you
do frequently.
6. Explain and evaluate which tactics could have been used to improve the individual performances?
A tactic that could have been used to improve the performance of an individual would be to analyze
your opponent throughout the game or you can look at them before the game and identify their
weaknesses so that you can take advantage of knowing this and play to expose their weaknesses. This is
an improvement to the individual’s performance because for example, if their opponent has a very
weak backhand and struggle to play with it, then you can continually hit the ball to that side of their
body forcing them to play with it, this could lead to the player either not being able to return the ball or
they may return it poorly and leading to you being able to use a smash to win the point. In the short
term this would be a very effective tactic because the opponent would be caught out and surprised by
you constantly playing their weaknesses and not be able to return it. However, later on in the game
they may adjust their game so that they are able to play onto their forehand so that they can gain an
advantage. This is when another tactic could be used so that they are less able to do this, if you have a
variety of shot selection and able to become unpredictable to your opponent then they will struggle to
adjust their game if they do not know what shot you are going to be doing next. This is a very effective
tactic because it also means that your opponent is not able to prepare for your shot in advance. For
example, if you are doing a variety of topspin, backhand pushes, backhand drives and smashes, your
opponent is not going to know what shot you are going to be doing. They may think that you are going
to add backspin to one of your shots, but instead you use topspin. This will allow you to win a lot more
points than you would have done. Using this tactic won’t just give you an advantage in a game it will
also allow you to improve overall as a player, this is because you are using a variety of shots during the
game and when you are playing again you are not just limited to one shot, but because you able to use
various shots you are more prepared to return the ball. Another tactic that could have been used to
improve their performance is that you can control the tempo of the game as if your opponent is
consistently hitting you with fast paced shots such as smashes, loops and powerful forehand pushes,
then you need to be able to use defensive shots to slow down the pace of the game. This will leave time
for you to reset yourself and also give you time from being defensive to transfer and push to an
attacking style of play, as now you have used this tactic you are putting your opponent on the backfoot
and have more chance of winning the point.
7. How will the tactics suggested influence the performance of the individual?
The tactic suggested will influence the performance of the individual, for firstly the playing to the
opponent’s weakness. It will influence their performance by them having a specific target to aim for,
whether this is near the edge of the table (further back), directly at the player or to either side of them
if one of their shots is their weakness. It will influence their performance in other ways as well as if the
opponent is moving to one side of the table or a specific area to cover for their weaknesses then this
creates openings and space for you to hit the ball into, again creating more chances for you to win the
point. This will also improve the players mental side of the game as they are able to analyze their
opponent, which is a skill you are able to apply in lots of different ways. You may be able to notice more
things about your opponent than you did before and again may spot weaknesses to target in their
game, also you are able to look at what your opponent's next shot will be giving you more chance to
prepare and see what shot you are going to take next. The next tactic I suggested was to use a variety of
shots so that your opponent cannot prepare for what you are going to do next, this will influence a
player’s performance so that they can again take control of the game, you are going to be able to
confuse your opponent and make sure that you are still creating openings and exposing your opponent,
again this will make you a better player as stated above as you can prepare for all kinds of shots. You
will have to make sure that you return these shots with good quality, otherwise your opponent can take
advantage of shots you are not as good at. Also, the other tactic I mentioned was slowing down the
tempo of the game so you are able to transfer from a defensive style of play to a more attacking style of
play and put your opponent on the backfoot. This can influence the performance of an individual as
they would be able to use a variety of shots, linking in with the previous tactic I explained, and would be
able to understand the game more by picking the right time to change the tempo and slow it down, for
example you may see your opponent fatiguing from hitting a flurry of shots, so this may be a good time
to switch to more attacking as they will struggle to defend it as of their lack of energy. This tactic would
eventually lead to the player becoming more intelligent and to be more of a threat to their opposition.
Overall, having a variety of shots and targeting your opponent's weaknesses will make you a better
player in general and mean that you win more points.