Ping Pong Tips: How to Win More Points
The quickest way to win more ping pong points is to stop hitting the ball back down the middle. Meet it with the edge of your paddle to send it at an angle, aim for the side your opponent isn't covering, and slide back to the centre after every shot. Add spin by moving the paddle as you hit, and start moving as soon as your opponent hits.
1. Hit with the edges, not the middle
In the GameLake ping pong game the ball leaves your paddle at an angle set by where it lands on it. The middle sends it straight back, which is the easiest ball in the world to return. The further out towards an edge, the steeper it goes, up to about 54 degrees from straight at the very end.
To use it, get to the ball early and stand a little to one side of it, so it lands on the part of the paddle you choose. Chasing the ball at the last moment almost always gives a middle hit.
2. Aim away from your opponent
Look at the other paddle before you hit. If it's on the left, send the ball to the right, and the other way round. Your opponent then has to move the whole width of the table, and the faster the rally gets, the less time they have to do it.
That's exactly what Hop does on Hard: he meets the ball off-centre on purpose so it flies away from your paddle. Watch which way he leans and you'll see it coming.
3. Read the rails
A steep ball bounces off the side rail at the same angle it came in, like light off a mirror. Beginners run to where the ball is heading and arrive at the rail just as it bounces away. Instead, picture the bounce and go to where the ball will come back to.
Turn on Teach me and Hop draws the whole path for you, a glowing spot where the ball will arrive and a ghost paddle where yours should be. After a few rallies you'll start to see the bounces yourself. Coached games are practice, so they don't count as wins.
4. Add spin to curve the ball
In real table tennis, brushing the ball as you hit it makes it spin, and the spin makes it swerve and kick off the table. In the game, moving your paddle sideways at the moment of the hit puts sideways spin on the ball: it curves on its way across, and the faster your swipe, the bigger the curve.
- Spin works best with a straight-looking shot: your opponent moves to where the ball is heading, and it bends away.
- A ball that hits a rail loses most of its spin and curves back a little.
- When the ball coming at you is spinning, don't stand on its straight line: meet it where the curve takes it.
5. Get back to the middle
After every hit, slide your paddle back towards the centre of your end. From the middle you can reach a ball sent to either side; from a corner, one good angle beats you. Hop does this on every level, which is why he's so hard to catch out with a simple straight shot.
6. Move early as the rally speeds up
Each hit in a rally makes the ball a little faster, so long rallies are where most points are won and lost. Start moving the moment your opponent touches the ball rather than waiting to see where it goes. On a phone, short drags are enough: the paddle moves a bit faster than your finger, so you can cover the table without sweeping across the whole screen.
| Level | How Hop plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Slow to react and often misjudges the ball: a good place to learn angles. |
| Medium | A fair match: aims a little and adds the odd bit of spin. |
| Hard | Reacts fast, aims away from you and swipes for spin. |
7. Serve with a purpose
On your serve, line up away from your opponent's paddle and move as you serve: the serve takes a little of your paddle's movement as spin. In a real game, a short, low serve that bounces close to the net is harder to attack than a hard, high one. Either way, think of the serve as the first shot of the rally, not just a way to start it.
Want a retro challenge? Switch on the Classic look for a black-and-white arcade screen with square paddles and big pixel numbers; the physics stay the same. And when you're ready, take your angles online and play a friend in real time. For the rules and scoring, see how to play ping pong.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get better at ping pong fast?
Hit with the edges of the paddle to make angles, aim away from your opponent, and return to the middle after each shot. Practising against a steady opponent, like Hop on Easy or Medium, builds these habits quickly.
How do you put spin on a ping pong ball?
In real table tennis you brush the ball with the paddle instead of hitting it flat. In the GameLake game you move your paddle sideways at the moment of the hit; the faster the swipe, the more the ball curves.
How do you beat Hop on Hard?
Get to the ball early, send it to the side away from his paddle with your paddle's edge, and use rail bounces and spin so his first guess is wrong. Long rallies get fast, so start moving as soon as he hits.
Why does the ball keep getting faster?
Every hit in a rally adds a little speed, up to a top speed, so long rallies get harder. The speed resets with each new serve.
Do coached games count?
No. With Teach me on, Hop shows you where to go and the game slows down a little, so those games are practice and stay off your wins and the leaderboard.