Analysis of Players Table Tennis Skills and Strategies--Taking Ma Long as an Example

China has recently been the winner in a world table tennis competition. Since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China has consistently secured the first or second prize. Ma Long, for example, won two Olympic championships in 2016 and 2020. He is considered the most representative player in the history of table tennis and has significantly influenced the sport's development. Taking Ma Long as an example, this paper studies his table tennis skills and strategies based on his recent match against Lin Gaoyuan in the World Cup final. This research mainly focuses on identifying the techniques Ma Long employed in various situations and how he managed to win after losing the first three games. The results show that (1) Ma Long utilizes a variety of serving and hitting techniques when falling behind. For instance, after losing the first three games, he switched to using his backhand serve, a technique rarely used in his previous matches. (2) Due to age and early deficits, Ma Long did not aggressively attack with his forehand as he did when he was younger. Instead, he capitalized on his opponent's errors. The opponent would become increasingly flustered and continue making mistakes. (3) Ma Long is adept at observing his opponents. He used backhand flicks and reverse rotations when serving, as seen in his semifinal match against Wang Chuqin. He also varied his opponent's positions to create more opportunities, avoiding prolonged exchanges due to age and injuries. Ma Long is a player with diverse skills to handle different opponents. This paper may offer some references in tactics and effective strategies for other athletes when falling behind.