The Falkenberg Drill (also called the Two-One Drill and the Backhand-Forehand-Forehand Drill) is probably the most popular drill for players at the intermediate and advanced levels. It combines three of the most common moves in table tennis: covering the wide forehand, covering the wide backhand, and the step-around forehand from the backhand side (since you often want to end the point with your forehand against a weak ball to the backhand). Go to any major tournament and you'll often see the top players warming up with this drill.

The drill was popularized by 1971 World Champion Stellan Bengsston. While he was developing as a player at the Falkenberg Club in Sweden in the 1960s, one of the most common drills was forehand-backhand footwork, where a player alternated hitting a backhand and then a forehand from the backhand corner. The problem was this only practiced one of those three common moves - the step-around forehand - and half the drill was following a forehand from the backhand side with a backhand, which isn't as commonly done. Stellan made the Falkenberg Drill central to his training, and soon players around the world took notice.  

In the most common way of doing the drill, you keep returning the ball to your partner's backhand. Your partner hits two balls to your backhand, one ball to your forehand, and then repeats the sequence. You return the first ball with your backhand, step around your backhand corner and return the second ball with your forehand, then move to your wide forehand and return the third ball with your forehand. You should use the same strokes in the drill as you want to do in a match - hitters should hit, loopers should loop. Many loop the forehand and hit the backhand.

There are many variations. You can start the drill off backspin with a loop, and then continue. You can either hit or loop the forehands or backhands. You can do the drill to your partner's backhand or forehand. You can have free play after a certain number of repetitions, such as after three (nine shots). Or use your own imagination and make something up. Or just use the basic standby, as described above, as many do.

The drill can also be done with multiball. This allows a player to maximize how fast he can do the drill, since miss-hits by either player no longer affect the drill.

A key factor in the drill is balance. If you are even slightly off-balance at any time, you'll have trouble recovering for the next shot. When I say "off-balance," I don't mean actually stumbling-around off balance; if your center of gravity goes outside the area between your feet, or even goes too much on one foot, it'll slow down your recovery for the next shot. The most common problem here is letting the weight go too much to your left (for a righty) when playing the forehand from the backhand side. It is this constant state of balance that allows top players to seemingly get to every ball since balance is the key to getting a quick start. So keep your weight between your feet.

Here are some examples of the Falkenberg Drill. Watch, learn, and become a Friend of the Falkenberg!

• Here's a 31-second video of Denmark star Mie Skov-Pedersen (world #79) doing the drill.
• Here's another video of the Falkenberg Drill (3:10), explained demonstrated by Tom Nguyen and Richard Lee.
• Here's former Chinese superstars Kong Linghui and Ma Wenge demonstrating the drill (9:51), with a Chinese narrator. 

One of the big mistakes players at the intermediate/advanced levels make is to serve short over and over against an opponent who doesn't attack long serves. I've watched national championships lost because a server insisted on serving short against a receiver who was very comfortable returning short serves but had great difficulty against deep serves. At the lower levels, and often well into the advanced levels, players often serve long because, even though serves are generally easier to attack (usually with a loop), they have major advantages as well. Done well, a deep serve turns the receiver into a puppet, with the server holding the strings.

The main advantage of a short, low serve is that it is difficult to attack, since the table is in the way, making it difficult or impossible to loop. It also brings the opponent in over the table, leaving him vulnerable to a deep attack.

However, a short serve also allows the opponent to rush you with a quick, angled flip or push, or to drop the ball short. The shortness of your serve means the opponent can contact the ball much closer to you than off a long serve (so you have less time to react), as well as giving him a wider angle. A receiver can also drop a short serve short (so that, given the chance, it would bounce twice on your side of the table), stopping the server from looping as well as catching him off guard if he was looking to attack a deep return.

Serving long takes away these advantages for the receiver, and if he can't attack the deep serve effectively, then there's little reason to serve short too often. Instead, serve as deep as possible, knowing you'll have more time to react to his shot and that his returns will have less angle available. Deep serves should go very deep, with the bounce somewhere near the receiver's end-line. Serves where the ball bounces more toward the middle of the table (depth-wise) are not nearly as effective - they are more easily attacked, they don't jam or force the opponent off the table, and they allow the receiver to hit the ball quicker and with better angles than off a truly long serve.

This doesn't mean you serve long every time, allowing the receiver to hang back, waiting for the deep serve. Mix in short serves so he has to watch for those as well, making the deep serve even more effective. A mixture of long serves to the backhand and short to the forehand are especially effective.

If you like to serve backspin and loop against pushed returns, and your opponent doesn't loop against deep backspin serves, why serve short? Serve long, giving yourself more time to react to the receiver's push, while also cutting down on his possible angled returns.

There is one variation of long serve that doesn't go very long - the half-long serve (sometimes called a tweeny serve). With these serves the second bounce on the receiver's side, if given the chance, would go just barely off the end (or, as a confusing variation, the second bounce would just barely hit the table near the edge). These are difficult to attack effectively, they don't allow the receiver the quick, angled returns they could off a shorter serve, and they are almost impossible to drop short.

Placement is also important. Often players serve right into an opponent's waiting forehand or backhand. Instead, serve at either extreme angles or to the middle. If you serve at extreme angles and very deep, the receiver will have to move to the ball, and it's not easy for him to make a strong return off a deep ball when he has to run it down. When you serve to the middle, it should be right at the receiver's playing elbow, the mid-point between forehand and backhand, and very fast, forcing the receiver to make a quick judgment on whether to use forehand or backhand, and then moving to cover it - not an easy return.

Deep serves should focus on either speed or spin. Speed serves rush the opponent, forcing weak returns. They are often most effective if served dead, i.e. spinless or even with a very light backspin, forcing many receivers to put the ball in the net (especially when served to the middle), or to over-compensate and go off the end. Spin serves can be served either fast (so they rush the opponent, but allow him to use your own speed against you with a counter-hit) or slow (so they break more dramatically but give the receiver more time to react), and should break as they approach the receiver, so the receiver has to both move to reach the ball and have to compensate for the spin. Most often you want the breaking serves to break away from the receiver, especially if you can serve deep into a receiver's backhand so it breaks away from him, making him reach for it. (Most players have less range on the backhand, so forcing them to chase after a breaking serve here is especially effective.) When reaching for a ball, receivers often lower the racket, and so they lift the ball high (giving you an easy smash) or off the end.

So develop those deep serves as a powerful weapon, along with short serves. The only thing more fun than turning a receiver into a puppet as you pull the strings, moving him around at will with your varied serves, is to win national championships with them. You might not do the latter, but you can be a serving puppeteer. 

A loop against backspin comes at you differently than one against block or topspin. At the lower levels, the loop against backspin is often the only loop they see, but as players reach the intermediate level and beyond, more and more they face loops against just about any deep ball.

And yet most players practice mostly against loops off block or (at the higher levels) counterlooping. Much of the reason for this is how easy it is to do drills where one player loops, the other blocks. You can do a continuous drill in this way, facing a loop something like every second, and rapidly become proficient at blocking (or at higher levels, counterlooping) such loops.

And then someone loops against your backspin in a match (usually off a push or a long backspin serve), and you miss. Why?

Three things that make a loop against backspin different
First, a loop against backspin usually has more topspin than other loops. This is because the looper is adding to the spin that's already there, i.e. using your backspin. The spinniest loops are those against the spinniest backspins.

Second, a loop against backspin is usually (not always) done closer to the table than a loop against a block or topspin. Most blocks and topspins force the opponent off the table, both in games and in drills. So you both have less time to react, and your opponent has more angle against you.

Third, since the loop against backspin is usually both spinier and done closer to the table than other loops, the trajectory of the ball is different. A slow, spinny loop against backspin often has more arc than other loops, which can throw off your timing. It also means you have to adjust your contact point. Against a more driving loop (i.e. less arc), you can just stick your racket out and let the ball come to you. Against a more arcing loop, you need to get your racket closer to where the ball hits the table or it'll bounce up, forcing you to lift your racket to react - and probably lifting the ball off the end.

How do you handle such a loop differently?
When blocking, take it quick off the bounce, with a slight jabbing motion at contact. You need to block somewhat aggressively or the ball's spin will jump off your racket. The harder you hit it, the less the spin will take. However, the harder you hit it, the less control you'll have, so you have to find a balance. You can also block less aggressively with a more closed racket (to compensate for how the ball will jump off your racket), relying on the softness of your shot to give the ball more time to drop as well as to throw off an opponent's timing, if he's used to more aggressive blocks, but if you do this too often opponent's will jump all over them.

When smashing or counterlooping against a loop against backspin, take the ball at the top of the bounce or even on the rise. This is where many players face problems as they are better doing this when the opponent loops from farther off the table, giving them more time. With less time, they are often late smashing or counterlooping. So the key here is not to hesitate. If you hesitate even slightly when attacking a slow, spinny loop, you will probably miss.

When counterlooping, make sure to loop nearly the very top of the ball. Any major lifting motion will send the ball off the end. You lift more when from off the table because the ball has more distance to travel, and so more time for the topspin and gravity to pull it down. Not so when looping against slow, spinny loop against backspin.

In general, against a loop that lands short, block aggressively, or smash or counterloop. Against a loop that lands deep, still play aggressive, but focus on control.

How to practice against a loop against backspin
Too often players only face loops against backspin in a game, and so they might get to practice it once every few minutes. If they do drill against it, it's a drill where one player starts off the drill with a loop against backspin and then they continue the drill (or free play), and again you only limited practice against this type of loop. What would be more valuable is a systematic way of practicing against this type of loop where you could do so over and over, like a multiball drill. Except a coach can't feed the type of topspin you see in a spinny loop against backspin.

Or can he? Here's an improvised multiball drill where you can face a loop against backspin over and over, and practice blocking, smashing, or counterlooping it, depending on your playing style and level.

First, get a box of balls, and set them on a chair or other stand near the table. The first player grabs a ball and serves backspin. The second player pushes it back to a pre-set spot. The first players loops. While the second player practices against this loop against backspin, the first player is already reaching for another ball from the box. DO NOT PLAY THE POINT OUT. Instead, the first player only serve and loops, and then grabs a new ball to do it again. The second player alternates pushing and practicing against the loop against backspin.

The result is one player gets lots of rapid-fire practice looping against backspin, while the other gets lots of rapid-fire practice against loops against backspin, with the added bonus of practicing his push. (Take that part seriously and your push will also improve.)

There are four variations of this drill.

1. Variation One: the first player always loops to the second player's forehand.
2. Variation Two: the first player always loops to the second player's backhand.
3. Variation Three: the first player loops randomly either to the second player's forehand or backhand.
4. Variation Four: the first player loops randomly to all parts of the table.

The first two variations allow you to focus on developing your technique against loops against backspin. The third one is your stepping stone toward doing it in a match situation, where it's simplified to just two possibilities. Ultimately, you need to get to the fourth variation, as that lets you rapid-fire practice what you'll face in a match - but if you can't do that consistently yet, then focus on the first three variations until you are ready for number four. So pick out the variation where you need the most work, and go practice!

Training Cycles

So you have a big upcoming tournament a few months away, and want to prepare yourself to be at your best? Welcome to the world of training cycles.

Some players train the same way all year, and as a result they show steady improvement. However, that improvement comes about because of the sheer amount of training. Often these players lose at big tournaments to those who don't necessarily train more, but train smarter.

So how can you best prepare yourself for a big tournament coming a few months away? The first step is to assess where you are now, and where you want to be. Be honest with yourself: where is your game right now? Where do you want it to be for the big tournament? What parts of your game need improvement?

Break your game down into five parts: physical fitness, serves, receives, strokes & footwork (these go together), and sports psychology. Divide each of these into strengths (or potential strengths) and weaknesses. If it's borderline, perhaps think of it as a potential strength. (I'm talking more about the first four items; see info below on sports psychology.)

You need to put equal emphasis both on improving your weaknesses and on turning your strengths into overpowering ones. How do you turn a strength into an overpowering strength? Both by practicing the strength and by practicing the techniques that will get it into play. (Having a great loop isn't nearly as valuable if you don't have serves and receives that set it up, for example.)

Decide where each of these items isnow, and where each needs to be for the big tournament. Once you've made that assessment, you are ready to begin. It's always good to know where you are going before you begin.

You will now start a gradual progression where you start out by focusing on practicing the raw ingredients of your game (fitness, serve, receive, strokes & footwork), and gradually transition to match-type play. Here's a rough breakdown.

Fitness: What's your current fitness level, and where does it need to be for the big tournament? Do you need to work on general conditioning, weight training, stretching? Start out by doing longer but easier workouts, and gradually transition to more intense ones. For general conditioning, you can do running, cycling, or similar exercises, or you can focus on combining it with your table tennis by doing extensive footwork drills. (This saves time.) Weight training and stretching are musts for truly serious players, and are especially important as you get older.

Serves: How effective are your serves now, and where do they need to be for the big tournament? Do they consistently put pressure on your opponent while setting you up for your best shots? Start out by working on many varied serves. Get a box of balls and practice! Experiment, trying out different variations and copying others you have seen. Test them out in matches. As the big tournament approaches start to simplify by focusing on the ones you think will be most effective for you. (You might be developing other serves that won't be ready for the big tournament; put them aside, and go back to developing them afterwards.) Make sure you have lots of variations ready for different opponents with different receiving strengths and weaknesses.

Receives: How effective is your return of serve now, and where does it need to be for the big tournament? Can you consistently make good receives that stop the opponent from doing what he wants to do while setting you up to do what you want to do? Just as with serves, experiment with many varied receives and test them out in matches. As the big tournament approaches start to simplify by focusing on the ones you think will be most effective for you. Use matches to get feedback on what you need to develop. Ideally practice your receives in drills with a partner with good serves, who just serves over and over so you can practice your receive. (Playing out the point or keeping score is optional.) Otherwise you'll have to develop them in actual matches.

Strokes & Footwork: How strong are your strokes and footwork now, and where do they need to be for the big tournament? The two go together because you have to move to stroke; you can't have one without the other. The bulk of your practice will likely involve both. Early on focus on the basics, with lots of rote drills, i.e. drills where you know where the ball is going, such as side-to-side footwork. Make sure to use the same strokes you plan to use in the big tournament - if you are a looper, then do footwork drills where you loop; if you are a hitter, do footwork drills where you hit, etc.

As the big tournament, approaches the emphasis should gradually change to more random drills and match-type drills. Random drills are ones where you don't know where the next ball is going. For example, your partner might put the ball randomly to your forehand or backhand, and you have to react. Or he might put the ball randomly all over your forehand side, and you have to react and move to loop or hit your forehand. Match-type drills mimic match conditions, and generally start out with a serve and receive. (So they combine everything you are working on.) For example you might serve short backspin, your partner pushes long to your backhand, you loop to his backhand, he blocks to your forehand, and then it's free play. There are countless variations; examine what type of patterns you use in your game, and develop drills that match. You might also consider playing in some smaller tournaments as the big tournament approaches so you can be "tournament tough" for that one. 

Here is an article Six-Step Training Progression which covers the transition from basic strokes and footwork drills to more advanced ones.

Sports Psychology: All the training in the world won't help you if you show up too nervous to play or in some other way not ready to mentally compete at your best. Here are some resources on sports psychology.

Putting It All Together: As the big tournament approaches, it's time to put it all together. Now is the time to focus on lots of matches where you use what you've been practicing. The matches not only fine-tune your game, but also provide feedback as to what needs more work and what tactics you will be using in the big tournament.

The Gradual Transition: I want to emphasize that you don't only do basic rote drills at the start or only random and match-type drills at the end. You should be doing all of these drills in your training. It's a matter of degree as well as level. (Higher-level players will do more random and match-type drills early on, while beginners need more rote drills.) As the big tournament approaches, you increase the amount of random and match-type drills. You should also increase the intensity of the drills, often by doing more drills but for less time each.

The Big Tournament: The day finally arrives. You've prepared for this for months. Now is where the training pays off. To maximize your success here's a Ten-Point Plan to Tournament Success. Good luck!

One of the most under-utilized serves is the short serve to the forehand from the backhand side. Most players serve from the backhand side since this puts them in position to follow their serve with a forehand if there's a weak return. However, far too often players do this serve over and over crosscourt to the opponent's backhand. This makes it easier for the receiver to get into a rhythm and make effective returns. Instead, try serving short to the forehand. There are numerous advantages to this serve and only a few disadvantages.

The most common serves from the backhand side that go short to the forehand are the forehand pendulum and reverse pendulum serves, the backhand serve, and the forehand tomahawk serve. Pendulum serves are forehand serves with the racket tip down. Normally the racket goes right to left for a righty (with contact on the left side of the ball), but for a reverse pendulum serve it goes left to right (contact on the right side of the ball), which is awkward for many players starting out. Forehand tomahawk serves are done with the racket tip up, with racket going from left to right (contact on the right side of the ball). Some players do reverse tomahawk serves, with the racket moving right to left (and contact on the left side of the ball), and hitting the ball with the backhand side of the racket. Backhand serves are usually done with the racket moving left to right (with contact on the right side of the ball). Backhand serves are easier to keep low and short, but often have less variety than pendulum serves, where it's easier to go either direction at contact and to do subtle changes to vary the spin. Tomahawk serves are relatively easy to keep short, but are more difficult to serve with heavy backspin, and so are often predictably sidespin and topspin variations.

Left-to-right sidespins (i.e. backhand serves, tomahawk serves, and reverse pendulum serves) are often more effective since the sidespin requires the receiver to aim down the line, which is awkward to do when receiving a short ball with the forehand. When a receiver reaches in with the forehand it's easier to aim crosscourt, which is the direction you want to aim to compensate for a forehand pendulum serve.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of serving short to the forehand. (We're assuming two righties for this, but most applies to lefties as well.)

Advantages

1. It's a variation that throws the receiver off from the more common serves into the backhand.
2. Most players find receiving short balls to the forehand somewhat awkward with their forehand. In fact, many will try to receive this with their backhand. If so, then angle it even more to the forehand side (if necessary, serve more from the middle of the table, or even from the forehand side), or throw in deep serves to the backhand to keep them in position.
3. Many receivers cannot forehand receive down the line against a ball short to their forehand, and you get a predictable return to your forehand.
4. It draws the receiver in over the table, giving the server the opportunity to jam him on the next shot, either to the wide angles or middle.
5. Against a player with a strong forehand but weaker backhand, a short serve to the forehand draws him in over the table, leaving him vulnerable on the backhand on the next shot.
6. It's a shorter distance to the opponent's side than going crosscourt, and so rushes the opponent.
7. You are closer to the net when serving down the line, and so it's easier to serve low, since your target is closer.
8. You can throw in short serves to the middle as a variation. If the receiver has been receiving short balls with his forehand, he may find this change awkward if he's already looking to receive with the forehand.

Disadvantages

1. It gives the receiver an angle into the server's wide forehand. This can leave the server vulnerable into two ways, to a wide-angled return to the forehand, or if the server moves over to cover the wide forehand, he may leave himself open on the backhand. (But see #3 above.)
2. It's tricky keeping this serve short since you have less table than if you go crosscourt, and if it goes long, it's often an easy ball for the receiver to forehand loop.
3. Since you usually don't want to serve long to the receiver's forehand (an easy ball to loop for most players), serves to the forehand tend to be short, while you can get away with long serves to the backhand more often (since most players don't backhand loop as well). This cuts down on the variety of serves you can do to the forehand.