Handedness and stroke type distribution in top-level table tennis matches

The overrepresentation of left-handers in interactive sports lead to suppose that they have some kind of advantage in those sports (Hagemann, 2009). Groothuis et al. (2013) suggested that left-handed athletes have a fighting superiority, higher level of aggressiveness, and tactical advantages over their right-handed counterparts. This study aimed to compare the patterns of offensive play between left- and right-handed top-level table tennis players, even considering the opponent’s handedness. Methods. 15 table tennis matches played by top-ranked players were analysed. Five matches were played by a right-handed (RH) vs. a left-handed (LH) player, while the other matches were played by both LH (n=5) or RH (n=5) opponents. Handedness was established according to which hand was used to hold the racket. Video recordings of the matches were anaysed at slow motion using the software Kinovea. The type of stroke used by the players (service, push, top spin, block, top counter top, smash, lob, drive and flick) was collected for each shot. The stroke type distributions of matches with all the combinations of opposition categories (RH vs. RH, LH vs. LH, RH vs. LH, and LH vs. RH) were compared. Results. In all match categories, the stroke used more often by the players was the top spin (RH vs. RH: 31.3%, RH vs. LH: 31.0%, LH vs. LH: 34.3%, LH vs. RH: 38.9%). After the first attack performed using a top spin, the players counterattacked by using themselves a top spin (RH vs. RH: 17.5%, RH vs. LH: 21.8%, LH vs. LH: 12.5%, LH vs. RH: 18.6%) or countered the shot passively using a block (RH vs. RH: 18.6%, RH vs. LH: 18.5%, LH vs. LH: 20.5%, LH vs. RH: 16.2%). Conclusions. The top spin was the most used stroke in the first attacking shot. In the matches between two RH opponents, counterattacking with a top spin was more common than in matches with other combinations of opponents’ handedness. Conversely, when a LH played against another LH, passive countershots were more frequent than in other match categories. Finally, when the opponents had different handedness, LH players attacked more often with a top spin, showing a particularly offenisive playing style and forcing their opponents to counterattack themselves with a top counter top