Get on the table for a surprising amount of athletic training.

Until you’ve actually tried table tennis—beyond just batting a ball back and forth in someone's basement—you may not realize the level of fitness and skill required to excel at this underrated sport.

It may be considered a leisure sport, but table tennis takes a bit of slick lateral movement and footwork skills, as well as forearm, shoulder, and core strength. We learned some of this in Part 1 of the Elite Personal Trainer series, as professional table tennis expert Adam Bobrow demonstrated to MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. at Manhattan’s PingPod in three drills to help improve ball control, ball spin, and to rally at the net.

This time, the focus is turned to improving hand-eye coordination skills with a trio of drills that will elevate your quick-thinking—and quick hitting—ability for table tennis and other activities.

Imagine how awkward it would be to play table tennis blindfolded. This drill is similar in concept—but instead, you’re going to turn your back to the table. When your partner yells, “Serve,” the ball will already be on its way toward you. Your job is to use quick-reaction skills and meet the ball in the right direction and hit it back to your partner.

It’s not easy, as Samuel demonstrates, but about three minutes or about 10 rounds will serve plenty of reactionary value. Your quads will get plenty of work as the drill requires you to develop a wider stance while staying low. Hitting a solid return may be the least important of this drill’s benefits, as the drill targets hand-eye coordination, along with building athleticism.

With two balls tossed toward you, you have two options but only one right answer. Making this drill an even more challenging cognitive exercise is that when your partner yells a direction—left or right—your job is to hit the opposite ball of what’s yelled, again making this much harder than it looks.

The final exercise is a common table tennis training staple that will get your heart rate moving as your moving left and right chasing one ball after another. One by one, the balls keep coming from your partner. As you return one, another one is hit toward you, again and again. This drill works on your lateral agility as well as reaction speed.

Watch Martins Licis Train With Lifter Rauno Geinla

Lil Nas X Took His Album and His Six-Pack on Tour

3 Steps to Learning a Perfect Kick Through

This Single-Kettlebell Workout Builds Power

3 Exercises to Train Your Abs Instead of Crunches

The Rock and Aaron Donald Shared an Epic Workout

Meet the Strength in Diversity Class of Fall 2022

This Intense Hanging Ab Move Will Crush Your Core

16 Most Comfortable Pairs of Compression Shorts

A Trainer Explains Why He Loves the Waiter Curl

Zac Efron's Balanced Kettlebell Blaster Workout

Try These 2 Hamstring Warmups Before Working Out

A Part of Hearst Digital Media

Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. We may earn a commission through links on our site.

©Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.