There are two types of strokes in table tennis:
(i) Offensive strokes: The offensive strokes in table tennis include drive, loop drive, loop, loop kill, hook, counter drive, flip and smash.
It is the stroke where 5 conditions occur and these are as following:
(a) Speed Drive: This stroke is generally used to keep the ball in play, apply pressure on the opponent and potentially opening up an opportunity for a powerful attack. It is a direct hit propelling it forward back to the opponent.
(b) Loop: It is considered as the reverse of speed drive, in this the racket is parallel to the direction of the stroke and then the racket hit the ball that results in creating topspin.
(c) Counter Drive: The counter drives are considered as the high loop drives; in this the racket is closest to the ball and hit immediately after hitting the table so that the ball travels faster to the other side.
(d) Flick: When a player tries to hit the ball that has not bounced to the edge of table and player does not have the room to wind up in a backswing.
(e) Smash: This stroke is used by player when his opponent returned a ball that bounces too high or too close to the net and then player use large backswing and rapid acceleration that results as much speed on the ball as possible.
(ii) Defensive strokes: The defensive strokes in table tennis include push, slice, block, drive, lob, drop shot and spin (side backhand top).
In this stroke 4 conditions occur and these are as following:
(a) Push: It is used to keep the point alive and create offensive opportunities and it resembles tennis slice as the racket cuts underneath the ball by communicating backspin and causing the ball to float slowly to the other side of table.
(b) Chop: It is considered as a bigger, heavier push and can be taken well back from the table. In this stroke, the racket face points must be horizontally and little bit upward and then the direction of stroke would be straight down.
(c) Block: It is a simple shot and executing by just placing the racket in front of the ball right after the ball bounces that result in the ball to rebound back toward the opponent with same energy as it come in with.
(d) Lob: It is considered as the most impressive shot of the defensive stroke because it pushes the ball about five meters in height towards the land on the opponent’s side of the table with spin.