The Third Ball Attack In Table Tennis - Pro Ping Pong Tips

Welcome to the Third Ball Attack, one of the most challenging topics in our series of table tennis coaching videos.

This strategy or 'The Forehand Open Up', as I like to call it or is one of the most effective stategies you can use in your ping pong game.  Professional Table Tennis players have used this strategy to consistently win points and it has been a part of their game since the 1950's. Basically, it involves a winning attack or loop after your serve. Having a few different strategies in your game will really help you improve your play and develop a good overall technique. This will impress the neighbours at the barbecue when you play on their brand new outdoor table in the summer!

It's very hard to find good techniques to follow online, so we thought that giving you a little tip along with a video would be a great way to improve your game. Table Tennis is all about strategy and having a game plan to beat your opponent. This winning technique will go a long way to improve your game and give you a competitive advantage over your opponent.

There are so many advanced techniques and table tennis tricks that we can provide but it's important to start with the basics. The Third Ball Attack is definitely one of the most common strategies and best ping pong tips to master and have in your tool bag when playing table tennis and looking to win.

Using the this strategy will definitely help you become a serious player and learn the basics of how pro table tennis players like Fan Zhendong use these strategies in their game to win. That's what this game is about, table tennis is an art form, a game of strategy and deception. He who deploys the winning strategies - wins!

What Is 'The Third Ball Attack' Technique All About?

It's a type of offensive strategy that involves hitting the ball aggressively on the third shot of a rally. Unlike regular attacks, which can occur at any point in a rally, the Third Ball Attack is specifically timed to occur after the opponent has returned the serve and the player has made their second shot.

We are going to give you in-depth, breakdown of the technique and show you how to do it with this video below.  You might ask, what's so special about this strategy? Why is it being used? Well, it's important to give yourself a competitive advantage, one of the ways to do this is when serving.

A Winning Table Tennis Serve Strategy

The serve done correctly can 'Open UP' your opponent for a poor return of serve, giving you the advantage of playing a winning shot to win the point, in this case, the forehand shot is the winning shot. Hence , I call it the 'Forehand Open Up' technique.

It's a very widely used technique and if you want to become a better player and improve your game, it's very important to know this technique as all the other competitive players will know about this strategy and the opponent will start to use it on you and win points when you could have easily used it yourself.

The importance of this serve tactic lies in its ability to disrupt the opponent's rhythm and take control of the game. By hitting a powerful and well-placed shot on the third ball, the attacking player can put pressure on their opponent and force them to make a defensive shot, setting up the attacking player for an easy follow-up shot and potentially winning the point.

There are several types that players can use, including topspin, backspin, and sidespin variations. Each type of attack requires a different technique and can be used to exploit different weaknesses in the opponent's game. For example, a topspin Attack can be used to overpower a defensive player, while a backspin Attack can be used to force an aggressive player to make a mistake.

To execute a successful Attack, players must have a strong and consistent serve, good footwork and timing, and the ability to read their opponent's shot and adjust their own shot accordingly. Practicing the technique regularly can help players develop these skills and become more confident in their ability to use this strategy during a game.

Recognizing when to use it is also crucial. Players should look for opportunities to use the strategy when their opponent's return is weak or predictable, or when they have a clear advantage in the rally. However, players must also be prepared to adjust their strategy if their opponent is able to neutralize their 3rd Ball Attack with a counter-strategy.

It is a powerful and effective play that can help players gain an advantage over their opponents. By timing their attack carefully and using a variety of shots, players can disrupt their opponent's rhythm, take control of the game, and ultimately win more points. However, mastering it requires practice, strategy development, and the ability to adjust one's strategy during a game.

What Are The Different Types of 3rd Ball Attack?

There are several types that players can use to gain an advantage over their opponents. The most common types of Attacks are topspin, backspin, and sidespin variations.

1. A topspin Attack involves hitting the ball with topspin, which causes the ball to spin forward and downward. This type of attack is often used to overpower an opponent who is playing defensively.
2. A backspin Attack involves hitting the ball with backspin, which causes the ball to spin backward and downward. This type of attack is often used to force an opponent to make a mistake, as the ball will bounce lower than expected.
3. A sidespin Attack involves hitting the ball with sidespin, which causes the ball to spin to the left or right. This type of attack is often used to exploit an opponent's weakness, as the spin can cause the ball to move in unexpected ways.

What is the Proper Technique for Executing a Successful Attack?

To execute a successful Third Ball Attack, players must have good footwork, timing, and technique. Here are the steps to execute successfully:

• After serving, move quickly into position to prepare for the third shot.
• Read your opponent's return and position yourself accordingly.
• Use the appropriate grip and stance for the type of Third Ball Attack you want to use.
• Generate power and spin by using a combination of wrist and arm movements.
• Aim for a specific target on the table, such as the corners or the middle of the table.

Tips for Practicing and Improving

Practicing Third Ball Attacks regularly can help players develop their skills and become more confident in their ability to use this strategy during a game. Here are some tips for practicing and improving Third Ball Attacks:

1. Practice a variety of Attacks, including topspin, backspin, and sidespin variations.
2. Use a training partner or a robot to simulate game situations and practice execution.
3. Focus on footwork and timing, as these are essential.
4. Watch professional players and learn from their techniques and strategies.
5. Experiment with different grips and stances to find the ones that work best for you.

Do I Need To Know Any Other Techniques Or Strategies In My Game?

Having a few tips and tricks under your belt when you approach the table tennis game always helps and having as much knowledge as you can really improve your game no end and you will start to see some massive changes in your game strategy. Having just a little bit of strategy will give you almost immediate results in your game and give you a competitive advantage over your opponent.

That is exactly what you want. when you start to win a few points and beat your opponent, it starts to become a really exciting game as you up your 'game level' and start to play with better players. As you start to understand that table tennis is an 'Art Form' and as you learn, develop and master a few strategies you start to evolve as a player. You can then, only then start to become a 'player'.

Not everyone will understand that it's a game of strategy, deception, and trickery. In order to become a master of the game, you must learn to develop techniques to play the game. As with any technique to improve your game, you need to practice and work hard to perfect the strategy. We can teach you as many techniques as you like, but if you don't use it in your game and stay on top of the practice of the 'technique' it will become less useful for you.

So I ask that you keep in mind that you practice please so you become a better player. We want and need people to become better players as the game becomes bigger and bigger to a wider audience. The more you practice the better player you will become and that's what we want to achieve.

How Many Techniques And Strategies Do I Need To Know To Be A Better Player?

You can never have enough techniques or strategies under your belt in a game of table tennis. I would say at least 8 different strategies would be good to have in your game to confuse the player and throw them off their game. They are also trying to work you out as a player.

At the start of a game, you are both working each other out in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. This means that if you can confuse the player, you will give them a hard time to work you out as a player. That is ultimately what you want as a player, because if you do give you opponent a hard time working out your game you will win and become a champion in the process. I love winning, don't you? ;-)

It's important to have more than one tip or technique under your belt as you will need to mix them up as part of your game. The opponent will eventually work out what you are doing and learn to cope with the type of spin, speed, serve and strategy that you are giving them and start to beat you.

This is not what you want, so having a few different strategies is very important and you need to throw them into your game when they are not expecting it.  This is what it's all about, giving yourself a competitive advantage to win, so learning the different techniques of the third ball attack family is a very effective tool in your game.

The '3rd Ball Attack Family' of tricks is the main strategy and it can be most effectively deployed at the serve. But you can also use it as part of a 'Fifth Ball Strategy' and that then becomes an in-game strategy if your opponent knows how to get return your serve. We will go into this technique in different video, but I thought it's important to make you aware that you can use this technique at different points in your game.

I guess you will need to build up a little bit of experience before trying that and it will definitely take you into the world of becoming a really competitive player. That is if you want to become a competitive player, it's important to have these tactics and strategies under your belt so you can start competing at a level and be an all round better player.

Why is The Forehand Open Up So Important?

Table tennis is all about strategy and finding ways to beat your opponent, This strategy is one of the most used in the game. It's important to learn how to open up your opponent so you can hit a winning shot. This is a brilliant strategy and it is deployed when you are serving. The serve is probably the most effective way to win a point in table tennis. As this can be the hardest point for your opponent to return. The return of serve is; without doubt, the most difficult thing to do.

But when you come up against an experienced player they know how to return a serve and what's more important they will know how to return your serve so well that it will give you a problem returning the ball. They will make it hard for you to return the serve, they have built up the knowledge over time to know what to do when you serve to them.

This is why having a strategy like 'The Forehand Open Up is really important, so you know how to cope with an experienced player and give them a serve so they will have a hard time returning the ball and you can 'Open' them 'UP' your forehand to make that willing point. You want to give them a hard time and having a technique like 'Third Ball Attack' will definitely do some damage for you.

Introducing The Third Ball Attack Coaching Video

Lady's and gentlemen, Eli Baraty and I (Mark Kemp) bring you the 'Forehand Open UP' or 'Third Ball attack' table tennis training video. Below is a detailed video on how to implement this strategy and it will also give you an insight on how to break it down. Eli Baraty is one of the UK's finest table tennis coaches and has trained some nationally ranked table tennis players that come out of his training camp at The Harefield Academy in the United Kingdom.

We are really pleased to have collaborated with Eli Baraty as his experience and knowledge in the game is incredible.  He has become a personal friend of mine and a go-to person when I'm struggling with my table tennis game and having a hard time with my 'mental attitude' towards the game. He's a great coach and mentor, so I'm sure he can do the same for you. He has a really good training camp in the UK that you can go to if you want to see him in person and start to get some proper coaching.

In this video, he provides us just a little bit of knowledge to learn how to use the 'The forehand Open Up' strategy and hit the perfect stroke. It's important to learn how to listen to the sound of how you hit the ball, as that will make all the difference when deploying this technique. it has taken us quite some time to put together, so we really appreciate you watching, learning and enjoying the video. We hope to provide more videos in the future and provide new techniques.

Below we have transcribed the video, so you can read what Eli has said and gives you a breakdown of what he is saying if you find it hard to understand what he is saying. You can also use this text to translate it into another language. You can use google translate for that and I find that it's a great service. If you want more information about Eli Baraty you can find him on Google or Facebook.

Thanks for watching the video and we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. Keep practicing and learning tricks in the game as it's all worth it as you start to see the results. Remember practice makes perfection and as you learn more your game develops. It can be a slow process, so take your time in learning these new tricks and as always any questions please feel free to send us an email or leave a comment below.

Third Ball Attack Coaching By Eli Baraty [Video]

3rd Ball Attack Video Transcription

The forehand open up!

It’s part of the Third Ball Attack family,

What that means is, if I serve that’s one shot. with backspin. If they return it with backspin long, that’s the ‘second shot’ and my ’third shot’

which is the third ball attack, forehand open up and I’m going to give you three tips to improve your forehand open up.

What you want to try and do is, spin the ball as much as possible, with loads of topspin. What that means is, you want to practice something like this.

caressing the ball, brushing it,  rather than doing that. This is where you are hitting the ball and you’re not generating topspin, so make sure you practice bruising the ball trying to keep the ball on the bat for as long as possible. That’s TIP 1.

The second thing you can do, is to get your friend or coach to roll the ball on the table and for you to start below the table and spin it up by whipping, this will help you to brush the ball and learn how to do heavy topspin.

So here’s an example.

You can also hear the contact, it goes ‘chuck’ rather than ‘slap slap’

The third thing you can do to help you is hold the ball up, lets it drop maybe two or three bounces and get down nice and low and spin the ball up.

So this is how it goes.

one more time.

What you’ll notice is, I bend my knees nice and low, I drop my arm below the table because the ball has got backspin it wants to go down, so I need to start below it to lift it up.

The other key thing here is your acceleration, try and start slow, just before point of contact, accelerate to generate more spin, remember thin contact on the ball and try and catch the ball top of the bounce, maybe slightly top of the bounce for more advanced players, but do your best not to catch the ball, after ’top of the bounce’

I hope that helps you, please subscribe, please feel free to leave any comments or questions and i’ll be happy to help and answer your questions.

We really hope that this video and all the others we have produced at best table tennis tables help you improve your game. Leave a comment below or subscribe to our Youtube channel.