For the comprehensive physical development of a tennis player, general developmental exercises, special exercises and additional sports are used: athletics (short-distance running, starts, jumping), speed skating, gymnastics, etc. All these physical exercises are included in classes, in the preparatory part, with taking into account the state of health, individual qualities and the state of physical and sports-technical readiness for a given period.

Under the influence of exercise, muscles are strengthened and developed, and the functioning of the cardiovascular, nervous and other body systems is improved.

It should be remembered that to achieve results in physical development, a gradual increase in the volume and intensity of exercise is necessary.

General developmental and special physical exercises are of particular importance for a table tennis player. They need to be dealt with systematically. Only repeated repetition of special exercises (imitation exercises, exercises on a bicycle wheel, exercises with weights, etc.) gives a positive result in the process of training a tennis player. In this regard, we offer basic directions and recommendations for developing the physical qualities necessary for a tennis player.

When developing muscle strength in tennis players, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of this game, which requires agility, speed and endurance. Therefore, excessive enthusiasm for exercises that develop strength itself can deprive the movement of elasticity and dull the sharpness of the feeling of the ball. Exercises should be varied and evenly develop all muscle groups. Exercises that develop strength should be alternated with exercises that help develop flexibility, elasticity and coordination of movements.

An extremely important physical quality in ping-pong is reaction speed. In the game, a tennis player must quickly assess the situation, react, start, swing, move, change direction, etc. The ball sent by the opponent stays in the air for 0.3–0.5 seconds.

During this short time, the athlete must determine the speed of its flight, the rebound point, the nature of the rotation of the ball, taking into account the position of the opponent, quickly calculate his capabilities, and take the appropriate action. Only if you have a quick reaction can you take advantage of favorable moments in a complex and rapidly changing meeting environment, seize the initiative and achieve victory.

A good addition to special classes are games (“spinning” for four or three), various types of speed running (30 m starts, shuttle running, relay race with a tennis ball, etc.).

However, playing ping-pong, especially repeating exercises at maximum speed, is critical to developing speed. Between exercises, a tennis player needs to rest in order to repeat them without reducing speed. Such exercises should be short but frequent.

While developing speed of movement, one should simultaneously cultivate an instant reaction to visual perceptions, using exercises in which signals are given not by sound, but by various movements.

Dexterity is the ability to easily, quickly and effectively perform a wide variety of movements, using an arsenal of technical techniques and ways of playing. A tennis player must have free control of his body in order to perform a series of shots from different positions at a great distance from the table, make quick throws on shortened balls, sometimes covering distances of 4–5 m and, reflecting the ball, send it to the opponent’s most vulnerable spot. This stream of complex technical techniques requires economical, deft movements.

General dexterity is developed through various sports: tennis, basketball, hockey, gymnastics, acrobatics and outdoor games.

Special agility is best developed through training at the table with different partners who have offensive and defensive techniques. Training sessions dedicated to the development of agility should be rich in a variety of technical techniques. The more lunges, throws and various movements performed at the table, the more productive the training. To increase the number of movements, it is sometimes recommended to alternately perform a left kick on the right and left sides of the table and a right kick (on one and the other side). Such transitions between strikes increase special agility.

The importance of endurance in ping-pong is enormous. Very often, players with good technique and insufficient endurance won the first games brilliantly, but in the second half of the match they lost the accuracy of their shots, their attention weakened, normal breathing was disrupted, and sweating increased.

In each competition, the load has its own characteristics. It can be long or short-term, but always very intense. It depends on the year of training in table ping-pong, the level of sports and technical preparedness, weight, gender, etc. On average, each meeting lasts from 15 to 20 minutes.

It is customary to distinguish between general and special endurance. General endurance should be understood as the body’s ability to work for a long time, and special, or speed endurance, is the ability to perform work with the greatest intensity for a certain time.

Based on general endurance, special endurance develops, without which it is impossible to achieve positive results.

Of great importance is the ability of the athlete to balance his muscular efforts and relax the muscles after the blow. This will protect the muscles from rapid fatigue.

General endurance is best developed through long, but moderate work, placing gradually increasing stress on the heart and lungs. Very useful in this case are exercises with skipping ropes, race walking, cross-country, skiing (20–30 km), playing basketball, systematic repeated jogging, special exercises, as well as training at the table and participation in competitions.

Playing ping-pong requires elasticity of the muscles of the whole body, and especially the torso and playing arm. Playing at a fast pace, tennis players often have to fend off blows without leaving their seats, making turns and bending their torso.

Flexibility is developed through stretching exercises, swing movements, and special gymnastic exercises for the shoulder, elbow, hand and fingers. They should be performed very carefully, as excessive stress can lead to rupture of muscles and ligaments.

Flexibility develops slowly, gradually. Maintaining this quality at the proper level requires regular training.

The body’s preparedness to perform the highest sports load for a given individual. Good shape is achieved through systematic, special and comprehensive physical training. A tennis player who is in good physical shape is energetic and eager to train hard.

The body of such a tennis player gets back to work faster, gets tired less, and his strength is restored faster.

When conducting training sessions, regardless of the time of year, one or two classes per month should be held outdoors, for which hiking and skiing, cross-country running, outdoor and sports games are used.

Correct breathing is the most important part of the physical training of every tennis player. You should breathe as evenly and deeply as possible, the pace of breathing should correspond to the pace of movements. It is best to inhale now of the swing, and exhale now of hitting the ball.

Inhalation is carried out mainly when straightening, and exhalation is carried out when bending, turning and grouping. With proper functioning of the breathing apparatus, the athlete's endurance develops, and nervous tension is more easily overcome.

One of the important forms of control over sports form is self-control. For these purposes, a diary is kept where basic data on the state of health is recorded, as well as anthropological data: height, weight, chest volume, arm and leg muscles, and lung capacity. The diary records all deviations from the norm. Self-monitoring is the best means of identifying overtraining.

Those who play ping-pong should know that the normal heart rate of a healthy person at rest is 70–80 beats per minute, after a fast run, it reaches 169–180 beats per minute, and in more trained athletes with the same load it reaches 130–140 beats. With excessive load, the pulse can increase to 200 beats - this means that the load must be reduced.

You also need to monitor your breathing. Normally, a person breathes 15–17 times per minute. If breathing is rapid at rest, it means that the practitioner is tired or unwell. In most cases, shortness of breath is accompanied by increased sweating.

People who are overweight sweat the most. In the first 2–3 months, overweight people who start playing ping-pong lose 1 to 2 kg in weight after two hours of playing or 20–30 minutes of participation in competitions.

A trained person loses 250–300 g during the same time. A healthy person develops a good appetite after playing sports, while a sick person experiences fatigue and lack of appetite.

You should not eat large amounts of food immediately before bed. If a headache and lethargy appear in the morning after sleep, it means that the body has not yet rested, is not prepared for the upcoming load and it needs to be reduced. If you feel weak, headache, or chills, you should not exercise. This can cause irreparable damage to health.

 In modern ping-pong, a high-class athlete must possess a high level of development of special physical qualities (reaction speed, feeling of the ball, speed of striking movements, and speed of movement). Special physical training plays a leading role in the formation of motor skills of a tennis player and is aimed at the development and manifestation of motor qualities when performing technical techniques and actions of a ping-pong player. It is carried out in close connection with mastering and improving the skills and abilities of the game, taking into account the conditions and nature of the tennis player's use of these skills in competitive activities.

Study of psychological aspects, analysis of technical and tactical innovations, study of the influence of physical training, study of the influence of environmental factors.

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