Class 8 Physical Education (Khel Yatra) Unit 4, Fundamental Skills of Sports — Table Tennis, covers grip, footwork, service, pushes, drives, topspin strokes and the smash in one of the world’s fastest racquet sports.
What Class 8 Physical Education Unit 4 Covers
Grip: the shakehand grip holds the racquet as if shaking hands, with thumb and index finger along the edge of the rubber and three fingers round the handle. Lead-up drills tap the ball on the forehand (thumb) side and the backhand (index-finger) side.
Footwork: side-to-side shuffling, in-and-out (front–back) and pivot footwork, so the ball can be returned in front of the body’s centre line across the 1.525 m wide table. In a lead-up game a feeder calls ‘Left!’, ‘Right!’, ‘Forward!’ or ‘Back!’.
Pushes: the forehand and backhand push are defensive strokes for short, low balls with backspin that stop the opponent from attacking.
Service: most points are won within the first 40–50 seconds, and the serve is the main reason. A legal serve starts with the ball resting on an open, still palm behind the end line. The unit covers the basic, topspin (ball dips and kicks forward) and backspin (ball slows after bouncing) services.
Attacking strokes: forehand and backhand drives with light topspin, forehand and backhand topspin that make the ball dip and speed up, and the smash, played side-on against a high return. Each stroke is broken into stance, backswing, strike and follow-through, with a five-point rally game.
Exercises in Unit 4
- Self-Assessment, Assessment by Teacher and Reflection & Progress checklists at the end of the unit.
Read Class 8 Physical Education Unit 4 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Unit 3: Fundamental Skills of Sports — Athletics
- Next: Unit 5: Fundamental Skills of Sports — Volleyball
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FAQ
What is a legal service in table tennis?
The ball must start resting on an open, stationary palm, with racquet and free hand behind the end line of the table.
What is the difference between topspin and backspin service?
A topspin serve makes the ball dip and bounce forward aggressively; a backspin serve makes it slow down after bouncing and harder to attack.