Advanced footwork and stance question?

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Just my opinion, not an expert:

1. Moving left (for a right-hander) small jumps or push/slide. If I'm well prepared when stepping around, I'll try a bigger push/slide (easier on the knees), but most of the time I jump (have to, and usually multiple times), or a combination of push-jump-jump. Moving to the right is much easier. Cross-step covers a lot of distance and is not very tiring. Otherwise push/slide for smaller adjustments. I rarely feel the need to jump to the right, but maybe that's just me.

2. Short forehand receive is always right foot forward.

3. I always try to be stationery when making contact. If not possible, hitting while moving right is easier than while moving left. But you'll probably always end up out of position for the next shot. Have to overcome a lot of momentum to land and then move back (dem knees!). I think even pros loose because of this, so no easy way out.
 
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1. I use little jumps. Readjust because each stroke.
2. I do step into the table with my dominant leg. Get as close to the ball as possible.
3. Not feeling comfortable to answer that publicly since my technique is not that good. But I try to not go full balls when I am out of position.

This is more like basic footwork though :|
 
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MOG, there is not only one step but different kind of steps
Here are some thoughts, in random order:

1) always keep on moving, bouncing, making small adjustments even when the ball is travelling to the other part of the table, the moment you stop, it makes it harder to react and move again. Its really a habit to develop

2) one big step or small steps or jump ? depends on where is the next ball compared to where you are !!!

but here is one thing that i discovered only recently which is making a change for me:
when receiving, i think it suits me better to jump both legs together and makes a big difference. against a long serve jump with both legs at the same time a bit backwards or on the side: it helps not lose the balance. In the waiting position i have equal weights on both legs, if i move only one leg then i would lose this 50/50 balance
if i make a BH flick or BH stop receive same i will jump with both legs towards the ball

3) the more difficult step for me is to short FH side. then i step only with the right leg like a lot of players its my weak point. Personally i think it helps to move to the right side of the ball and body facing towards the FH side of the opponent, but its quite a big step and i recover too slowly i think i move too much to the ball.
One of my coach recommended when stepping to the ball to put the heel first and to be on the tip of the toe at the end of the stroke and push with those toes to jump back in position.

4) the cross step is something i don't practice enough. but im not young anymore for this stuff !
 
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MOG, there are a number of ways to move to position... and you get to unconsciously decide and do it right there and then... if you are consciously thinking about it, then you are SLOW no matter what.

So, you have to learn all the basic footworks, why you would use them when and how... then you would need some very structured training with lots of control and reps... eventually, this will become instinctive... and if you are balanced and ready to move, your feet will practically move themselves. (kinda like a Bruce Lee thing)(When Bruce Lee was asked in Enter the Dragon, he replied to the Grand Master that his fists strike on their own)(Or words to that effect)

One concept regardless is the TIMING and CADENCE of those steps, hps, slides, or whatever you do... they play a HUGE role in more ways than one.

- They allow you to be there on balance ready at the right time

... and IF you were SYNCED in your timing and step, you can step, plant, and CHANNEL that kinetic energy created (instead of creating it anew) into your shot.

- This means if you time the step and stroke, you can borrow energy from the kinetic energy generated in your step... which means you make the power EASIER... which means you can have more power (spin or speed or both) on hte shot... and it will be higher percentage with more leverage and control...


... and since you were on balance on time with the right energy used at the the right time... you can now step back off using plant foot and get back ready again much earlier than if you had stopped, waited, and had to start everything new.

Those are som concepts to put in the back of you mind when you are going about training to use footwork.

You will not suddenly be doing footwork "right" or effective right away, although some things you correct and perform pretty quickly.

Some things take YEARS to get past your thick skull, especially if you started TT late and ere not using effective footwork and power transfer.

Perosnall, all the hard-azz footwork oriented training I did in Korea had ALMOST ZERO IMMEDIATE EFFECT on my match performance. I mean ZERO or next to it.

However, years later, there are lasting effects.

I am at my personal all-time high weight pushing 250 lbs and did the Walnut Creek 4 Star tourney in one of the threads... and I can tell you that I was moving around hte court getting to balls I NEVER GOT TO before and strioking better than I ever did.

I credit that to Coach Lee, a female CHOPPER DEFENSIVE player, who banged me upside my head with footwork training, and I did not immediately yield her the results she was looking for... I prolly made her scratch her head more than go oh yeah.
 
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Takkyu_wa_inochi said:
...4) the cross step is something i don't practice enough. but im not young anymore for this stuff !...

Takkyu... you are NOWHERE NEAR my age.. and CERTAINLY nowhere NEAR my weight, even if I had you wear a 30kg rucksack...

... and I still make good use of a cross-over step in matches... and I do it way better now than when I was 10 years younger and 30kg lighter and in much better condition. (back then i could do 100 push-ups/sit-ups and run 3 km under 14 minutes)

Think about that minute... it all isn't about sheer athletic prowess... having bettter anticipation, better efficient movement, even if it is DINOSAUR FOOTWORK, it is still efficient footwork that will help out big time.

I play better than ever, have improved nearly 5 levels in under 2 years... all while I have gained 20 kg, never took even one lesson from a coach, never really trained seriusly with riends at the club, even if there was the chance... and pretty much GOOFED OFF at the club most of the time... I even CHANGED EQUIMENT SEVERAL TIMES (although that one year with the slower Perrson Power Play blade did my game real good)

Think about those apples a country minute. There were a lot of things going in improving to get me all those levels of improvement... I think better mental control, better anticipation and footwork along with shot selection point/game/match management really helped... footwork improvement among those... and I wasn't even training footwork... did that decade earlier... and it only took effect now.
 
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Still, as much as I have been in disagreement with the old-school pundit crowd over the years/decade+... I must agree that one solid possible approach to developing power is to first learn how to make an ALL to ALL+ blade and modern rubber sing first before making an OFF composite blade sing...
 
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Good Control Blades

I started with an ALL blade (Butterfly Timo Boll Control) and upgraded to a Yasaka Ma Lin Soft Carbon. I got elbow problems so I got the Yasaka Battle Balsa (OFF blade, 73g) which has a harder surface but is light. Covid-19 and weight exercises with light weights took care of the elbow, so I switched to the Sanwei Fextra which is faster when hitting hard but much better control when hitting not so hard. I agree that it is easier learning the techniques using a blade with good control (softer surface wood), rather than using a hard carbon layer right under the top wood like for example the Yinhe T11+. Also if you glue the rubbers yourself you need to put MinWax Satin varnish on some types of wood, I did it on all my blades now, including the handle so I can wash it with detergent/disinfectant after playing.

I am definitely leaning towards trying different table tennis rackets. This is helped by princett.com, a typical blade is $20-$40, and tabletennis11.com has rubber sales, right now for the Moristo SP and the FastArc-G1. Looks like for the next 71 hours it's short pips / Mima Ito week (they also have the DHS Dragonow for $11 and the Nittaku Beautry for $29.18). I think their AI is targeting me. They also do buy 4 pay for 3 on some rubbers.

princett.com has the Chinese rubbers, also megaspin.net has some if you need things faster.

Sorry this is slightly off topic but bottom line get a good control blade and it is easier to learn good technique.
 
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Actually my name is Erwin. The "J" is my middle name from my grandfather. I chose ejprinz because I want to minimize keystrokes...
 

Brs

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Brs

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It has been suggested to me and I think it is correct, I use my bh too much and stand in the middle too much ...

That's funny, I am busy teaching myself to stand in the middle more and play more balls with my bh. Even move to my right to play backhands from the middle instead of covering 80% of tue table with my forehand. On balls to the middle I now ask myself "What would Chen Meng do?" then I do it, except infinitely worse. The dream is that this will reduce the distance I have to cover so I can set my feet through the stroke more often instead of jumping. Too bad we can't swap our games, we would both be great!
 
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says Spin and more spin.
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Actually my name is Erwin. The "J" is my middle name from my grandfather. I chose ejprinz because I want to minimize keystrokes...

Darn it. Here we all were thinking you were the Prinz of the EJs. (EJ=equipment junkie). And now you tell us it is just your first and middle initials and there was no hidden agenda? :)

Der, I think the goon squad may be coming after us now. :)
 
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2. Also when moving forward to receive say a short serve on fh (assuming we were a step back on bh corner), it feels like we move our fh (right foot for right handers) forward, now to me this is going to put us on the wrong foot to play a good fh and will almost always force us too touch or push the ball back? How do we get on the good foot in this situation?

I think you got some good answers about other questions on how to move. Lots of ways. Gotta practice them all.

But this one, do me a favor and try to step in with your left foot and see what happens. When you try it, you understand why you don't want to do it. It won't get you over the table because your racket is in your right hand.

For a lefty it is the left foot.

But what you do, if you are taking a flip shot, over the table, near the net, with the FH, is you turn your his as though the right foot was back and you use the hips even though the leg isn't back. Since it is an over the table shot, you are not going to be taking a really big backswing. The racket will be over the table so you cannot drop it below the table.

And, an over the table FH is a shot that takes precision. It is a shot with almost no backswing. So, you should not need more than that little turn from the hips to help power the stroke that is mostly wrist and elbow.

If you can take a backswing that drops under the table, then you don't need your right foot under the table.

I was looking for Waldner's FH flip because it is worth watching. But I had to settle with Ma Long. :) Definitely, in match play, the best FH flip in the world. Too bad this is just demo. But it shows the technique well enough.

Screen Shot 2020-07-30 at 9.59.11 PM.jpgScreen Shot 2020-07-30 at 9.59.18 PM.jpgScreen Shot 2020-07-30 at 9.59.44 PM.jpgScreen Shot 2020-07-30 at 9.59.44 PM.jpgScreen Shot 2020-07-30 at 9.59.51 PM.jpg

You can also see how he turns his hips. In the earlier shots the white logo on the shorts is facing the side. As he is swinging, it is facing where he is aiming.
 
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At the 4:00 min mark in that video you will see Waldner do a FH flip with his right foot back. But both of his feet are on the BH side of the table. So, he did not have to step under the table because he is on the side of the table.

If you are reaching for a ball on the short FH side, you have to step with the right foot.

If it is a short step, you only need to step with the right foot and the left foot can stay planted. If it is a bigger distance, then the left foot should step towards your right foot first before you lunge forward under the table with the right foot.
 
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