I have many in-depth online courses, covering different aspects of table tennis. These online courses contain a lot of practical tips to help you improve your technique and tactics. The courses are split into multiple lessons to help you learn one step at a time.
To access the online courses, you need to join Tom’s TT Academy. There is a cost to joining, but I have kept the price low to make it as affordable for as many players as possible.
A monthly membership is £7. Since I have so many courses, I recommend getting a yearly membership (£49), so you have time to go through all the lessons.
Below is a list of courses. On each page, there is one free sample lesson, plus a list of the other lessons in the course. To get access to every lesson in every course, please join Tom’s TT Academy.
Table Tennis Foundations
18 lessons
If you want to develop into a decent table tennis player, you need to have good foundations. You need consistent strokes. You need to understand topspin. You need to understand backspin. You need to be confident when serving. You need to have confidence returning serves. You need a range of shots which can help you win points.
Develop your skills
12 lessons
We’re all at different stages of our table tennis journey. But we all have a shared goal … to improve our ability level. We all want to win more matches, play in a higher division or progress further in a tournament. But what is the best way of doing this? In this course I am going to lead you through a development process, which will have a transformative impact on your game.
Topspin vs backspin
9 lessons
In this course I will show you how to attack pushes and chops with fast, spinny and consistent topspin shots. This is a key table tennis skill, which many players find challenging. But with the right technique you can easily attack your opponent’s backspin shots, take control of the rally and win many more points.
Returning serves
10 lessons
In this course, I will show you a simple method for returning all of your opponent’s serves. For many players, returning serves is the most challenging aspect of table tennis. But it doesn’t have to be a big weakness of your game. By getting the basics right – reading spin, simplifying your shot selection and applying pressure – you can make returning serves a big strength, which will win you more points.
Backhand flick
9 lessons
In this course, you will learn how to execute a backhand flick. This is becoming one of the most important shots in table tennis. If you have a reliable backhand flick, you can return short backspin serves and short pushes with ease. You will learn a basic backhand flick stroke, an advanced backhand flick stroke, and some backhand flick variations.
Doubles: Tips and Tactics
9 lessons
Many people play doubles, but there is very little advice and coaching about how to play doubles well. In this course we will focus entirely on the serves, receives, footwork, tactics and team skills needed to succeed in doubles matches. You’ll finish the course with a much clearer idea about how you and your doubles partner can play effectively together.
3rd ball attack
9 lessons
In this course, I will show you how to do strong 3rd ball attacks. This is where you serve, your opponent returns your serve and then you attack to take control of the rally or win the point. To do this well, you need to have a good understanding of how your serves are likely to be returned and selecting serves which set up your strongest shots.
Attacking skills
9 lessons
Having a strong and consistent attacking game is essential if you want to compete against stronger players (and dominate weaker players!). In this course, I will show you how to play a range of attacking strokes, using both your forehand and backhand. We will work on your topspin strokes, flat hits, looping backspin and flicking short serves. I will show you how to generate more speed, spin and power and win many more points.
Service Tactics
10 lessons
A strong service game is vital. Not only do you need good serves, you also need good service tactics. In this course, you will learn how to use your serves more strategically. You will learn service combinations that have a high success rate. You will also work on your service strategy – when to serve short or long , when to serve topspin or backspin and when to use your best serves.
Forehand topspin technique
8 lessons
In this course, I will help you improve your forehand topspin technique. This is a crucial shot for all players who want to develop a strong attacking game. You will learn consistent technique for both forehand topspin vs block and forehand topspin vs backspin. You will also learn some forehand topspin variations to make life extra hard for your opponents.
Blocking skills
8 lessons
In this course, you will learn how to return your opponents attacks with a variety of different blocks. We will start with a basic blocking action and then progress to fast blocks, slow blocks and chop blocks. A strong blocking game can be hugely effective at the local league level. If you can develop consistent blocking skills and master some blocking variations, you can really mess up your opponent’s attacking game!
Practical footwork
9 lessons
Many amateur players are let down by their limited footwork. Too rigid. Too upright. Too planted. Sound familiar? This course could really help you. I share practical tips to help you move more efficiently and more effortlessly. I will help you move to those wide balls, short balls and balls aimed in the middle. I will also help you improve your footwork after serving, and when returning serves.
Long, fast serves
8 lessons
In this course, you will learn how to execute long, fast serves which give your opponents nightmares! You will learn the key components of a long, fast serve – where the ball should bounce on either side of the table, what spin to use and what service action to use. You will also learn how to use long, fast serves to set up an easy attacking opportunity. This is a really useful weapon to have in your local league and tournament matches.
Backhand technique
11 lessons
In this course I will show you how to improve your backhand strokes, with a special focus on a backhand topspin, a backhand flick, a backhand push and a backhand block. It is common for many players to be stronger on their forehand side, but with a bit more attention you can make your backhand a reliable and very effective weapon to win more points.
Better ball placement
12 lessons
In this course, I will show you how to improve your ball placement skills. The focus will be on playing shots to the corners, either down the line or cross-court. We will also look at attacking your opponent’s crossover position and playing shots very short or very wide. Ball placement is probably the easiest and quickest way to instantly improve your level and win a lot more points.
Defensive skills for attacking players
10 lessons
In this course, I will show you how to improve your defensive skills using pushes, blocks, chops and lobs. We often neglect our defensive strokes, focusing more on our attacking game. But there are times when we do need to defend and make it hard for our opponent to attack. A solid defence will help you return more shots and will add more variety to your game.
Improving topspin consistency
10 lessons
Consistency is king! If you are more consistent than your opponent – play longer rallies and make fewer unforced errors – it gives you a big advantage. In this course I will show you how to use topspin strokes to achieve a much higher level of consistency. I will also show you the best exercises to do in your training sessions to keep developing your consistency skills over the longer term.