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Table tennis smash: check your form with your phone
The smash is the finishing shot in table tennis, used on a high, short ball that sits up above the net. It is fast and committed, but the key is choice: a smash on a low ball rarely works.
No equipment needed. Practise at home. Just do the swing properly in front of your phone. No court, ball or shuttle is needed, and a racket is optional: the coach judges your movement, so a shadow swing at home in a hallway or garden is enough.
What good looks like
- Wait for a ball that sits above the height of the net; do not force it on a low one.
- Step back a little to give yourself space, and take the bat up and back.
- Meet the ball in front of you, at the top of the bounce, with a fast forward and downward stroke.
- Follow through, then recover quickly: a smashed ball can come back.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Smashing a low ball
It goes into the net. Reserve the smash for the high ball and loop or drive the rest.
Contact behind the body
You lose control. Move back so the ball is in front when you hit it.
No recovery
A smash that is returned catches you out of position. Come back to ready.
What Formanti checks on your smash
At the top of the reach, not at the follow-through where the arm is already coming down.
- Reach: hand clearly above your shoulder. an overhead shot is hit up high
- Arm height at the top: 90–150°. Reaches up to high ball, body weight forward
- Elbow: 105–170°. Near-straight at contact, ball is well above table
- Elbow lead: elbow up before you swing. lead with the elbow, then throw
- Speed: against your own other swings. power comes from a quick whip, not a push
Your ready stance
Hold still between swings and the coach talks you into position.
- Knees: 100–150°. Soft, bent knees let you push off in any direction
- Back lean: 8–40° forward. A little forward: not upright, not hunched
- Feet apart: 1.2–2.2× shoulder width. Feet wider than your shoulders, for balance
What your report looks like
When you finish, you get a report like this one.
- How many swings were in range, out of how many.
- The one thing to work on next, then the next, each with a drill.
- Every swing as a picture with your skeleton on it: ticked, or flagged with what was off.
What you hear and see when you are off
Hand not high enough
The coach says: “Reach up, hit it at the very top.”
On screen: Reach up: hit it above your head.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings and freeze at the top: your hand should be clearly above your head before you whip down.
Arm too low
The coach says: “Get that arm up a bit higher.”
On screen: Lift your hitting arm a lot higher at the top of the swing.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings in slow motion and freeze at contact: check where your elbow is before you speed up.
Arm too high
The coach says: “Keep that arm a bit lower.”
On screen: Keep your hitting arm a lot lower at the top of the swing.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings in slow motion and freeze at contact: check where your elbow is before you speed up.
Arm too bent
The coach says: “Straighten the arm more. Meet it long.”
On screen: Straighten your arm a lot more through contact.
Drill: Slow shadow swings, pausing at contact: your arm should be almost straight with a soft bend.
Arm locked straight
The coach says: “Keep a little bend in the elbow.”
On screen: Keep a lot more bend in your elbow at contact.
Drill: Slow shadow swings, pausing at contact: keep a soft bend and finish with a wrist snap.
Elbow not leading
The coach says: “Get your elbow up before you swing.”
On screen: Get your elbow up before you swing.
Drill: Without a racket, point your hitting elbow at the sky, hold it a second, then throw your hand up to the top.
A slow swing
The coach says: “Swing through faster. Snap it.”
On screen: Swing through faster.
Drill: Shadow swings with a loose grip and a loud 'whoosh' at the top.
Legs too straight in your stance
The coach says: “Bend your knees”
On screen: Bend your knees.
Drill: Hold a low ready stance for 20 seconds between reps.
Hunched over in your stance
The coach says: “Chest up, don't hunch”
On screen: Chest up, don't hunch.
Drill: Hold the ready stance with your chest proud for 20 seconds.
Drills you can do alone
- Shadow smash: take 20 smash shadows, checking your hand is high at contact and your weight moves forward.
- Step-and-smash: start in ready, step back, smash and recover, 10 times without rushing the recovery.
How to set up your phone
Prop your phone up 2 to 3 metres away with your whole body in view, at about hip height. For the smash, stand side-on to the camera on your hitting side: how far in front you make contact and how big your backswing is can only be judged from the side. It all runs on your phone and nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
When should I smash in table tennis?
When the ball bounces high and short, above net height. Otherwise a loop or a drive is more reliable.
How do I smash harder?
Meet the ball early and in front, and use the legs and hips as well as the arm. Over-hitting loses control.
More table tennis practice
Forehand drive · Backhand drive · Forehand loop · Backhand flick · Push · Chop · Serve