How You Can Train

Coaching, group sessions, and specialist training designed to improve every part of your game. Choose the training that fits your goals — then build real, measurable progress on the table. Structured coaching for beginners through to competitive players.

Rebekah Higgs -Rebekah Griffith- tracking the ball mid-air during a high-toss service in a table tennis match.

1 to 1 Coaching

Who it’s for:

Players who want fast, focused improvement with full attention on their game.

What happens in a session:

Every session is built entirely around you. We start by identifying what’s holding your game back — technique, movement, decision-making or confidence — then train it directly on the table with constant feedback and correction.

You won’t just be “hitting balls”. You’ll be trained with purpose, intensity, and structure.

Benefits:

  • Rapid technical improvement through constant correction
  • Personalised drills matched to your playing style
  • Faster confidence growth under match conditions
  • Clear progression targets each session

 

Result:

You improve faster because every minute is designed around your development.

Dave coaching a young girl 1-2-1 using green long pimple rubber on her forehand at universal table tennis.

Group Training

Who it’s for:

Families, friends, teams, schools, church and community groups, and players of all levels who want structured coaching in a fun, social, and engaging environment.

What happens in a session:

Group Training is a guided, energetic session where everyone participates together — regardless of age or ability.

Sessions are structured so players can learn the game properly while still enjoying the social side of playing. We combine coaching, simple drills, and game-based activities so everyone stays involved and improving.

Whether you’re a complete beginner, playing socially, or developing competitive skills, the session adapts to the group in front of us.

Benefits:

  • Inclusive coaching for all ages and abilities
  • Perfect for families, friends, schools, and community groups
  • Learn fundamentals in a fun, structured environment
  • Build confidence through group participation
  • Develop coordination, consistency, and match awareness

 

Result:

Players develop stronger match skills through repeated exposure to real game conditions, regardless of starting level.

Dave in a green tracksuit giving tactical feedback to 4 Greater Manchester table tennis players around a table.

Open Play

Who it’s for:

Players of all levels — from beginners to experienced players — who want regular match play in a relaxed, structured, and social environment.

What happens in a session:

Open Play is continuous match-based practice where players rotate naturally through games across the session.

A structured “top table” rotation is used, where winners move up and losers move down between tables. Players may start at different positions — often with developing players beginning higher up — so everyone has the opportunity to play a range of opponents as the session progresses. Variations such as handicap scoring can also be used to create more balanced and competitive games.

Handicap games may occasionally be used to create balanced and engaging matches between different ability levels.

The focus is on keeping everyone active, learning through real play, and improving match confidence in a natural setting.

Benefits:

  • Match play for all levels in one shared session
  • Experience a variety of playing styles and speeds
  • Build confidence through real game situations
  • Improve consistency, decision-making, and awareness
  • Friendly, social, and structured environment

 

Result:

Everyone improves at their own level while sharing a positive, active experience together.

Dave watches from the background as 2 under-11s boys play a match at Greater Manchester Table Tennis Academy via UTT

Mobile Coaching

Who it’s for:

Individuals, families, schools, clubs, and community groups who want professional table tennis coaching delivered at their location — including private homes, halls, or local venues.

What happens in a session:

Mobile Coaching brings structured, high-quality coaching directly to you.

For individuals, sessions are fully personalised and focused on your development — whether that’s learning the basics, improving technique, or building match confidence.

For groups, sessions are adapted to suit the space and ability level, creating an engaging and active training environment for everyone involved.

All equipment requirements are kept simple, and sessions are designed to make the most of the available space while still delivering real coaching value.

Benefits:

  • One to one or group coaching at your location
  • Fully personalised sessions for individual players
  • Ideal for homes, schools, clubs, and community venues
  • Flexible coaching adapted to space and ability
  • Professional training without travel

Result:

You receive structured coaching in a convenient setting, making it easier to develop skills consistently and comfortably.

Dave coaching at a school session with multiple tables for the Universal Table Tennis community program.

The Doubles Blueprint

Who it’s for:

Players of all levels — from complete beginners to experienced league duos — who want to move away from passive play, eliminate unforced errors, and learn how to build a tactically dominant, winning doubles partnership.
 

What happens in a session:

Led personally by national and international doubles medallist Dave Griffith, this highly structured clinic teaches you how to actively play for your partner instead of just playing singles at the same time.
 
You will master effective signalling protocols for both serving and receiving, ensuring you are completely locked into the same plan before the ball is struck. Training focuses on rapid movement patterns and table geometry to control the rally, exploit opponent weaknesses, and create clear “open door” opportunities for your partner to finish points utilising their specific strengths—such as a lethal backhand punch or a heavy forehand sidespin loop.
 
Dave’s personal success winning major titles alongside multiple different partners proves that doubles victory relies on this exact repeatable tactical system.
 
Benefits:
 
  • Learn a repeatable, proven doubles system that blends different playing styles and ability levels
  • Train to play for your partner by actively setting up their backhand punch or forehand loop
  • Master elite hand signalling for seamless serving and receiving tactics
  • Understand table geometry, positioning, and synchronized movement patterns
  • Secure vital team match points for your local league campaigns

 

Result:

Pairings eliminate selfish play and defensive hesitation, communicating flawlessly without speaking to transform their partnership into a tactically dominant nightmare for opponents.

“Across my competitive journey, I have proven this system works under the ultimate pressure. I partnered with Neil Pickard on just three occasions and won nationals with zero prior training together; I stepped onto the world stage with Semi Idowu with no practice; and the same for my mixed doubles campaigns, I literally met my partners on the day of the tournaments. If this repeatable tactical system can achieve national and international podiums with zero preparation with my partners, imagine what you and a dedicated partner can achieve together through our specialised doubles training programs.”

— Dave, UTT Founder & GMTTA Head Coach

Four female players competing in a doubles match during a Greater Manchester Table Tennis Academy training session.

Courses

These courses are designed to help you develop specialist skills, improve tactical awareness, and build match confidence in key areas of the game.

These are ideal for players who want focused development in key match situations — either by improving how they use different equipment styles, or learning how to overcome them effectively in competition.

Playing With Unusual Rubbers

Who it’s for:

Players who want to understand how to use anti-spin, long pimples, short pimples, or other non-standard rubbers effectively in their own game.

Suitable for developing and competitive players looking to add variation, control, and unpredictability to their playing style.

What happens in a session:

This course breaks down how unusual rubbers behave in real play and how to use them strategically in matches.

You’ll develop control, consistency, and tactical awareness through structured drills and match-based scenarios designed to replicate real competition situations.

The focus is not just on technique, but on how to make these rubbers an effective weapon in your overall game.

Benefits:

  • Understand how different rubbers behave under pressure
  • Learn to control spin, speed, and variation
  • Develop tactical use of unconventional playing styles
  • Improve consistency and match effectiveness
  • Turn unfamiliar equipment into a competitive advantage

 

Result:

You gain the ability to confidently use unusual rubbers to control matches and disrupt opponents effectively.

Playing Against Unusual Rubbers

Who it’s for:

Players who struggle against anti-spin, long pimples, short pimples, or other non-standard rubbers, and want to build confidence and control in matches.

Suitable for all levels.

What happens in a session:

This course focuses on recognising, understanding, and adapting to unusual spin and playing styles.

You’ll learn to adjust timing, improve shot selection, and respond with confidence through structured drills and realistic match situations. The aim is to remove uncertainty and replace it with clear, repeatable solutions.

You’ll develop a clear understanding of how these rubbers affect the ball, especially when receiving serve and when using your own. You’ll recognise common serves— flat, float (no-spin), or light spin—so you can return with control.

You’ll also learn which serves to use effectively against these rubbers, including heavy backspin, float, and controlled topspin, helping you anticipate the next ball and make better decisions without hesitation.

Benefits:

  • Read and adapt to unusual spin
  • Improve timing and decision-making
  • Reduce unforced errors
  • Build confidence against tricky styles
  • Develop clear tactical responses

 

Result:

You become a more adaptable, composed player who can handle any style of opponent.

A table tennis bat cover showcasing a combination bat with green long pimples and black conventional rubber.

Specialist Sparring

Improve your match performance by training against disruptive and unfamiliar playing styles.

Who it’s for:

Players who want to improve their match performance by training directly against an experienced coach using combination bats, including frictionless anti and long pimples.

Ideal for developing and competitive players who want to prepare for real match conditions and unfamiliar playing styles.

What happens in a session:

You’ll play structured points and match scenarios against a coach using anti-spin and long pimple rubbers designed to replicate real competitive challenges.

These sessions expose you to spin variation, disrupted rhythm, and unpredictable returns so you learn to adapt in real time.

The focus is on match realism — making decisions under pressure, adjusting quickly, and responding effectively to different playing styles.

Benefits:

  • Experience real match pressure against unusual playing styles
  • Improve decision-making and adaptability during rallies
  • Learn to handle spin disruption and variation
  • Build confidence against anti-spin and long pimple players
  • Strengthen tactical awareness in competitive environments

 

Result:

You will become more composed, adaptable, and effective in competition by learning how to respond under real match pressure rather than controlled practice conditions. With increased confidence, you will play more aggressively and feel more comfortable against disruptive playing styles, without hesitation or second-guessing your decisions.