Any tips to improve footwork?

This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jul 2018
282
115
879
Read 1 reviews
I played in a local tournament some time ago, but didn't play really well. I lost against people that I shouldn't have lost against (I don't think they were that strong).
I blame mostly my footwork, which might have been worse than normal because of the kinda slippery floor (the ones they have in sport courts) and my too-passive game. I want to focus on my footwork and adjust to slippery floors.

How can I improve it? Any tips? Exercises? What should I do when I play in slightly slick floor?

Any shoe recommendation? (the ones I use aren't proper for table tennis, but I plan on buying a pair)
 
This user has no status.
I'm no RSM with footwork but found the best exercises for footwork to be side lunges and walking lunges for high reps (25 per set).

Shoes do make a big difference, though. I bought indoor volleyball shoes that were pretty cheap - Asics Gel Upcourt 2 for $40 US - and I really like them so far. At 200 pounds and with many other physical hobbies I can't afford to slip and hurt myself. Good shoes let you be a lot more aggressive with your movement. Also, keep a damp towel next to the table and wipe your shoes on it every few points to help keep dust off the soles.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GusShnaps
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
Well-Known Member
Super Moderator
Dec 2010
16,146
17,685
54,747
Read 11 reviews
Practice lots of shadow stroke/footwork drills.


Do shadow versions of any of these. Do lots and lots. At a certain point you will start feeling yourself using your feet better by educating them.

All the floor ladder footwork exercises are excellent for teaching your legs and feet to move more intelligently as well.


There are a few that are not in here that are better than these. But these will help you use your feet faster and with more control. You have to work on it and you get better at it. Like, you can tell one of the guys in that video is better at those drills than the other three.

This guy is better with his feet than any of them:


Any of the footwork drills in that video will be good as well. But it is hard to move your feet as well as the guy in that video. Still, the drills will all help you with how skilled your feet, legs and hips are.

There are good exercises in this video as well.


One thing to note, the guy in the Success video, he uses his arms and upper body when he moves his feet. The kids in the TT video don't really do that. They would improve more if they used their upper bodies while doing the footwork drills. The guy in the Success video, his body knows that, upper and lower body move in unison even though the upper body is countering what the lower body does.
 
Last edited:
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Oct 2016
1,883
1,583
3,807
Like above said, practice makes perfect. Work on moving the legs without and with the ball. Remember to play soft with the ball so you get to move the legs.

how to move the legs: i am no expert in this and i think i think like the europe. Think the chinese move differently? not sure. Maybe it can help

Stand almost an extended forearm away from the table. It is faster to move forward than back.
Have the legs more then shoulder apart. So you can move the weight and it need to feel okay for you
Have the legs bend. If they are to straigth you can not use the muscles and move fast.
Be on the front of your feet, more on the toes
Shuffle with the legs, first move one step sideways then the other. So almost at the same time.
Move with small fast movement.

Maybe i forget something. Need to go to work.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Sep 2013
7,259
6,225
15,295
Read 3 reviews
always have 2 pairs of shoes in your kit.
one for slippery floors/hard flooring
one for table tennis flooring
with slippery floors, having a wet old towel on the floor for you to stamp on helps a lot

yes, the videos and posts above is a good start.
when I coach, I coach on the mind too - the feet must get there before the body can get there, once the body gets there, only then you can execute the stroke correctly
and only when you execute the stroke correctly can you recover correctly etc
 
  • Like
Reactions: GusShnaps
About footwork all above is excellent.
Just to add that footwork is much easier to train and improve when you do the training in a group, rather than alone. And of course its best to have a coach watching. If alone, a 120 beats/m music helps a lot.
About shoes - my advice is to not use TT shoes on slippery floors, they will be not only useless, but even harmfull. The best what works on slippery floors are the most ordinary thin sole sneakers like this:

cache.php



The thinner and more elastic sole provides firmer contact and better grip of the foot with the ground.
Not prestigious as the 100$ boots, but best working instead.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: GusShnaps
Top