[Talking All About Net and Edge Balls] Hitomi Edahiro: “There’s no point getting frustrated. If you pick it up and return it, you can bring the momentum your way.”

　There are the “Net” balls, where the Ball touches the Net and drops into the court, and the “Edge balls,” where it hits the corner of the Table tennis table and goes in. We asked top Players and coaches to talk at length about these Balls, which everyone experiences in a Match, sometimes lucky, sometimes unlucky!

vol.3 Hitomi Edahiro 〈Chugoku Electric Power RISIS〉

Hitomi Edahiro
Born February 17, 2001, from Okayama Prefecture. Graduated from Shintoku Girls' High School and Kobe Shoin Women's University. Winner of the 2023 and 2026 Japan League Big Tournament. Third place in women's doubles at the 2025 All Japan Championships

The lessons from high school taught me to never give up

　Hitomi Edahiro plays orthodox Table tennis with powerful backhand and forehand Drives. Her mindset toward unlucky Balls, and how she deals with them, is just as positive.

　When I get a Net in from an Opponent during a Match, I do get irritated sometimes, but lately I’ve been thinking, “It’s because the quality of the Ball I hit was poor.” If I put good Spin on my own Balls properly, the Opponent’s Ball usually won’t become a Net in, so I try to see it as a chance to reflect on the quality of my own shots.

　I feel the same way about Edge balls: “This time, God gave the Edge to my Opponent, and it just wasn’t on my side.” Getting frustrated about Net ins or Edge balls has never once led to a good result in the past, so I push those feelings to the back of my mind and stay focused on the Match.

　Also, depending on the Opponent’s style, there are Players who tend to produce more Net ins, so from the start I prepare with the expectation that “one might come at a decisive moment.” If I’m mentally prepared in advance, I can take it calmly and think, “Just as I expected,” and I’m less likely to be thrown off.

　On the flip side, when I score a Point with a Net in or an Edge ball, I honestly think, “That’s lucky” haha. And when I see the Opponent getting irritated or showing a big reaction, I use that as a sign that the momentum is shifting my way and think, “I can keep pressing now,” and continue the Match.

　If I were to give advice on dealing with Net ins and Edge balls, I’d say that if a Ball is truly impossible to reach, there’s nothing you can do. But if there’s even a small chance of getting to it, you absolutely must never give up. It’s not enough just to touch the Racket and get it back onto the court; if you can return it well and turn it into your own chance, you can turn what was a lucky Ball for your Opponent into your own Point. Until the very last instant before the Ball touches the Table or Floor, that attitude of chasing it down and trying to make the play is extremely important.

　I myself was told from a young age to “go after it,” but the moment my awareness really changed was in high school at Shintoku Girls' High School. At the time, my coaches, Kenta Nakajima and Rokuro Sakuma, would sternly tell me, “Why aren’t you going after it? You might still be able to get it.” I’m grateful to them for teaching me that mindset of going after the Ball until the end.

　If you can pick up a Ball that was Net in and turn it into a Point instead, not only can you pull the momentum toward yourself, you can also give the Opponent a sense of panic or shock that says, “But that should have been a lucky Ball.” From the Opponent’s perspective, it’s mental damage as if they lost not just one Point, but two. Even one shot can have a huge effect on the flow of the Match and on the Opponent’s mental state, so it’s important not to give up and to go after it.