New
New
Lesson 6 of 6
  • Year 11

Beating your opposition in singles and doubles

I can identify the opposition's weaknesses to exploit them in a game situation.

Lesson 6 of 6
New
New
  • Year 11

Beating your opposition in singles and doubles

I can identify the opposition's weaknesses to exploit them in a game situation.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Move: changing the pace and spin requires different shapes and sizes of backswing and follow-through.
  2. Think: once a weakness is identified, it is effective to keep hitting to that area (e.g. backhand or close to the body).
  3. Feel: figuring out how to exploit your opposition's weaknesses is motivating.
  4. Connect: can adjust tactics with a partner to respond to different opposition.

Keywords

  • Exploit - take advantage of a situation

  • Weakness - when a player has difficulty returning a certain shot in table tennis (e.g. spin, location or speed)

  • Ranking - the number assigned to players during a tournament based on their ability

Common misconception

Pupils think that in a game you should always try hit the ball to the back of the table to win.

While hitting to the back of the table can be effective, it's not always the best strategy. Mixing up your shots, using different spins and placing the ball in various spots on the table can be more effective.


To help you plan your year 11 physical education lesson on: Beating your opposition in singles and doubles, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You may wish to laminate the tournament cards and rotations so they can be reused and written on with a whiteboard pen.
Teacher tip

Equipment

table tennis tables with nets (1 between 2), 1 bat each, 1 ball between 2 and AdMat tournament cards 1 per group.

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - physical activity

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
What is it called when you play with a partner in table tennis?

singles
Correct answer: doubles
advantage

Q2.
When playing doubles, when can each of you hit the ball?

Correct answer: alternate shots
whenever you want
on your side

Q3.
How can you avoid being in your partner’s way?

hit and stand
hit and stay
Correct answer: hit and move

Q4.
Where could you aim the ball to gain an advantage over your opposition?

in the middle
at the back
Correct answer: down the line

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
What score do you play up to in doubles in table tennis?

9
Correct answer: 11
21

Q2.
How can you try to make an opponent move more?

always use spin
always hit hard
Correct answer: use shot variety

Q3.
When playing a competitive game, what should you aim to exploit?

Correct answer: opponent's weaknesses
opponent's strengths
partner's weaknesses

Q4.
If the score is 10-10, how many clear points do you need to gain in order to win?

1
Correct answer: 2
3

Additional material

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