Long ago, I used to coach developing players to return serves aggressively. But then I noticed something - players who did that often never learned to handle the opponent's attack as well, while those who were more willing to push serves back long as they developed became comfortable when the opponent attacked, whether blocking or counter-attacking. And if you watch the top players, you realize that while they are mostly better on the attack, they are all comfortable whether attacking or reacting to the opponent's attack. At all levels, the difference is not just who attacks better, but who reacts to the opponent's attacks better.

At higher levels, players often flip or push serves back short, using long pushes as a variation. But that only comes after years of developing control by pushing long and by handling the opponent's attacks. If you aren't comfortable when the opponent attacks, then instead of avoiding it, develop that part of your game - push serves back long, let the opponent attack first until you are comfortable dealing with their attacks. (The reverse is also true - if you are comfortable pushing and blocking, but not with attacking, then that's what you should be working on.) Once you are comfortable with an opponent attacking, then perhaps focus more on taking the attack, perhaps by flipping or pushing short.

The conclusion here is that you need to develop a solid, all-around game if you want to reach your potential. This doesn't mean 50% attack, 50% defense; it means being comfortable whether attacking or reacting to the opponent's attack in some way. (Usually that means defending, such as blocking, but it also means counter-attacking, such as counterlooping.) When you have such a solid, all-around game, then you will have no major weaknesses – and your level will shoot up.

When serving, many players contact the ball on their racket in the same location each time. Many aren't actually aware of what part of the racket the contact is on. They are dramatically limiting their serves by not understanding how varying the location of contact can vary the spin. Here are some basics.

1. For maximum spin, contact the ball toward the tip. That's the fastest moving part of the racket as you put your wrist into the serve. (This assumes your elbow or wrist are the axis of rotation. This changes in #3 below.)
2. Using the same motion, contact the ball at the base of the paddle, near the handle. This allows you to use the same big spin serve motion and get little or no spin. This is especially effective for backspin and no-spin combinations - if you contact near the tip with a downward motion (under the ball), it's backspin, while contact near the handle is no-spin. Opponents will often read the no-spin as backspin and pop it up. After a few no-spin serves, they adjust – and then they read the backspin as no-spin and put it in the net.
3. For most serves, your elbow is the axis of rotation at the start of the serve. As you are about to contact the ball, the wrist becomes the axis of rotation. Just before contact, you can also rotate the racket so that the axis of rotation is toward the middle of the racket. This means you get opposite spins depending on which side of the racket you contact the ball on. This allows you to use the same motion and serve either backspin or sidespin/topspin. For example, with a forehand pendulum serve, you can serve so that, at contact, the tip is moving down (giving a backspin), but the area near the handle is moving up (giving a topspin or sidespin). It takes practice - have a coach or top player help you with this.

One of the best ways of winning a point is to force an opponent out of position. There are many ways of doing this. (Many start with serve.) Here are some of the best! (Note that "middle" means the transition point between forehand and backhand, roughly the playing elbow.)

1. Attack middle, then wide to corners. If the opponent covers the middle with his forehand, then he leaves his wide forehand open, and vice versa if he covers the middle with his backhand. In both cases, some players over-react in an attempt to cover the open corner, in which case it's the other wide corner that's left open.
2. Short to forehand, long to wide backhand, or short to backhand, long to wide forehand. This brings the player over the table, allowing you to jam them on the other wide corner. This is especially effective when going short to the forehand, long to wide backhand, but both can work.
3. Go to a wide corner twice in a row, taking the second one quicker and wider. After a player covers a wide corner, he often moves back quickly so that he can cover the other corner - leaving the just vacated corner open. (This especially works when attacking the forehand twice in a row.)
4. Short to middle, wide to corners. This forces the opponent to decide whether to return forehand or backhand. If he returns with the forehand, he leaves the wide forehand corner open, and vice versa if he returns with the backhand.
5. Aim one way, go the other way. This is one of the most under-used tactics. Most players react to your first motion in a direction, and if you then change and go the other way, you catch them going the wrong way.

There's a stereotype of Chinese table tennis coaches that they often do just two things during a practice session - watch the player's feet and listen to the contact. (I often do this as well.) The latter tells the coach if the player is making good contact. Top players contact the ball consistently the same way for each given shot, which leads to consistency. Developing players do not have this consistency, and so their contact varies - and their contacts sound different.

While a coach can hear this difference, as a player you should be able to feel it. When, for example, you loop a ball at a certain speed and spin, it should both feel and sound the same every time. The same is true for other shots, such as blocks. With experience, you should be able to recognize the feel of a good shot - and the feel of a mishit. Focus on the ones with the right feel and strive to replicate it every time.

We all have watched top players, but perhaps next time try listening?

If you don't know where you are going, it's tough to get there. This is true of any journey, whether it's Lewis and Clark exploring the American West or Ma Long on his way to becoming the best player in the world and possibly in history.

So, what is your playing style and level now, and what do you want them to be? That is your journey. It won't happen by itself any more than Lewis and Clark could start their journey without knowing where they were going. Sure, there is always a lucky one (Columbus looking for Asia and accidently finding America), but that's a risky way of doing it. Instead, imagine where you want to be with your game, both in terms of style and level. Perhaps watch other players at your club or world-class players on video to inspire you on how you want your game to develop. Be clear in your mind what techniques you need to develop to get there - and start practicing.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a journey to a strong table tennis game begins with a single practice stroke.