Table tennis doubles require more practice and strategy-building than singles play, as the cooperation between team-members has a massive influence on their competency. In fact, many table tennis trainers believe that a team of mediocre players can defeat experts in the game, if they know how and when to use their individual strengths. The following tactics can be applied by teams to gain supremacy over the table tennis table.

Serve to your partner’s strengths: When you are the one who is serving in a game, remember that the third shot has to be played by your partner, not you. As you have an influence on how your opponent responds, try to force your rival to hit a shot that will make your partner use their strengths.
Communicate subtly: Communication between partners in a team is key to winning a table tennis doubles game. Unfortunately, your opponents can easily overhear you talking about which moves you will be using next. A good team of table tennis players always has a unique set of signals that they use to tell each other the direction of the spin and placement of the ball they plan to hit.
Pay attention to the return of service: In a table tennis doubles game, the service is not of much importance as each player is covering only half of their side of the table tennis table. But the return of service is the difference between winning and losing. You need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your partner and use shots that keeps him or her at an advantage. Remember that your partner has to hit every alternating shot which means that using a pace or a style that lies beyond their scope, will most likely cause defeat.

Practicing with your team-mate is a very important part of developing strategies and a deciding good mode of communication that does not give the opposing team any clues. As you spend more time playing alongside your table tennis partner, you will gain a better understanding of their preferred style of play and your strategies will naturally accommodate to make a better team.