Table tennis: practise your first cooperative rally

What you need to know

A partner and a netted table

Arrange access or a booking, with room to move at both ends; ask staff to set up an unfamiliar folding table.

Two bats and a ball

Borrow basic table-tennis bats and a ball for this first session; check equipment availability before you go.

Clear space and good footing

Wear grippy sports shoes on a dry floor, keep bags away from play and stop before collecting loose balls.

For 20–30 minutes, work with a partner to keep gentle forehand returns on the table. A single feed and return is a useful first result.

Get ready to return

Hold the bat in a relaxed shakehand grip. Rest your thumb and index finger on opposite faces near the base of the rubber, with the other fingers around the handle. Keep your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, knees soft and bat in front of you. Put your bat-side foot a little behind the other for a forehand. The Table Tennis England grip guide shows the grip and ready position.

Agree to aim gently toward each other’s forehand side. Keep clear of neighbouring players. If a ball rolls away, pause before either of you retrieves it.

Feed, return and reset

One player drops the ball onto their own side of the table, then hits it across the net after that bounce. This is a practice feed, not a legal match serve; ITTF’s 2026 Laws set separate service requirements. The partner lets the ball bounce once on their side and returns it directly across the net. Make a small forward and slightly upward swing, meeting the ball in front of you near the top of its bounce. Tilt the top of the bat a little forward. Return to your ready position after the shot. Table Tennis England’s forehand lesson illustrates that contact and stroke.

Begin with one feed and one return, then stop and reset. Swap who feeds. Then keep alternating returns until someone cannot make the next return. Count only hits that land on the other player’s side. Record your longest exchange.

If shots fly past the end, shorten the swing and slow down. If they keep hitting the net, open the bat angle a little while keeping the stroke gentle. Change one thing at a time. Next time, repeat the exercise before asking a club coach or experienced player to show you a legal serve.