I have received hundreds of table tennis e-mails with questions regarding table tennis.  One of the most common questions is…
“Which skills should I be working on?”
 
That’s a good question.  My answer will vary because of…
1. The age of the player
2. The game-style of the player
3. The mental game of the player
4. The physical condition of the player
With that said, I’ll attempt to list some general items that should be learned at each level.
 
Novice
A. Rules of the game
B. Basic footwork (side-to-side)
C. Basic counterdrives
D. Basic topspin serves
E. Ball placement
 
Beginner to intermediate
A. Footwork (longer and shorter movements)
B. Controlled loops
C. Basic pushes
D. Basic passive blocks
E. Game strategies against the most common game styles
 
Intermediate
A. All-types of footwork (including in-and-out, short game, and cross-over step)
B. Loops from all distances
C. Short game (flip and drop-shot)
D. Counterlooping
E. Serve and return against combination spins
 
Elite
A. Advanced loops (including variation in spin, speed, placement)
B. Advanced short game (banana flip, sidespin drop-shot, other tricks)
C. Active and passive blocks
D. Counterloops from all distances
E. Detailed match strategy