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[729 fx]

There are a few general guidelines for playing offensively in tt. These include varying the spin and strokes and placing your shots.

Varying Spin and Strokes - most players like returns that are hit to them consistently. When an opponent is continuously fed shots with similar spin, speed, and ball placement, they can adjust their game to take advantage of your returns and often control the pace of the game. If you vary your shots (in terms of spin or strokes), you will prevent them from anticipating returns and will keep them to be more alert. They will have to get back into a neutral ready position after each return and thus not be able to setup for a more aggressive shots.

By varying the types of strokes, you force your opponent to adjust to the various spins, speeds, and heights of the ball. This way, they must continuously read the spin and often react to your shots (and not initiate attacks).

Ball Placement - players also like returns that are hit into one of their so-called "Power Zones" ( Regions on the table in which a player is most comfortable hitting a shot without having to move to the ball). For shakehanders, these zones include a zone on the forehand side within arms reach, and another zone located closer to the body on the backhand side. This leaves three zones outside the power zones: one in the middle favoring the forehand, and two others wide on each side of the table.

By playing down the middle, you force your opponent to quickly decide between a backhand and forehand return. This strategy sometimes successful in itself to force a weak return. It also cuts down the angle the opponent can play on their return. Shots out wide, on the other hand, test your opponent's footwork while moving them to either side of the table and possibly out of reach for a follow-up shot. As a general rule, try to find a weak zone and play it most often while randomly hitting to the two other zones to make the opponent moving and your shots not too predictabe.

[ejunkie]

In today's game playing offensively to me mean more of attacking with speed. Your loops have to be fast and you have to be close to the table, that's it. This way you will rob your opponent of time to react and response. The player represent of this style is Timo Boll and Ma Long.