says
I want to train...
says
I want to train...
Member
My biggest problem, as I have been discovering recently more and more, is my poor "stance", not just footwork.
Although I have been moving decently, my posture never seemed right.
Now with my new equipment, I can't get away with "simple" backhand technique and "good enough" forehand shots.
Fast forward, I'm hyper focused on getting posture, stance and footwork right for all kinds of shots.
I watch, re-watch, pause, slow, analyze to try and get it right.
I compare it to myself - shadow practice the exact things I want to get right.
Advice like "bend your knees" never worked for me.
Meanwhile here is a YT Playlist I came up with on the way,
I tried picking each video intentionally for this purpose:
- About Shadow Practice -
Shadow practice is NOT a great way to build skills / habits related to TT.
There are several things that shadow practicing alone cannot give you.
One of them is, that it fundamentally lacks the relation between movement and perception which is crucial for learning and developing skills in racket sports.
Even more so in TT which is (arguably) the fastest one with the least time to think about your movement and it largely relies on being "ready", seeing and moving.
( Perception-Action Coupling)
HOWEVER, it can help for conditioning and getting used to how a correct movement feels compared to a wrong one.
Such as footwork, stance and posture - where you can do it slowly almost as well as you can do it in full speed.
And you can actually apply cues and instructions that you give yourself.
So in this case, I do recommend doing it.
- - - -
The things I observed:
(primarily on BH)
Feet way more apart (than what I currently do)
Butt slightly behind feet
Knees around toe-position
- Slight "Kick" in your body forward right before contact,
catching the "recoil" with your feet and not "slipping"
See here:




The things I observed - FH:
What I personally did wrong:
- Lean to heavy on right side
- Move right leg during the movement, instead of keeping it semi-fixed on the ground
- Stay to upright - due to not having feet wide enough
Mostly for continuous looping, but also generally applicable:
Right leg moves first,
-> Then stays mostly steady and carries the weight
- Left leg does the work
- Quads are building a bridge
--> Right quad way more bent
--> All of the above generally ensure central stability
--> More core engagement
Feet way more apart - which makes you be lower automatically
Me bad:

Them Good:



Also me bad - receive Stance:

Goated receive stance:

I can only attach 10 pictures - There are more in this google doc, but unsorted:
docs.google.com
Or you can just watch the videos.
Obviously, take everything I ( or anyone) say with a grain of salt and think for yourself.
It's hard to put all thoughts regarding a topic into a post like this, but I hope you find it helpful, as it helped me.
Although I have been moving decently, my posture never seemed right.
Now with my new equipment, I can't get away with "simple" backhand technique and "good enough" forehand shots.
Fast forward, I'm hyper focused on getting posture, stance and footwork right for all kinds of shots.
I watch, re-watch, pause, slow, analyze to try and get it right.
I compare it to myself - shadow practice the exact things I want to get right.
Advice like "bend your knees" never worked for me.
Meanwhile here is a YT Playlist I came up with on the way,
I tried picking each video intentionally for this purpose:

- About Shadow Practice -
Shadow practice is NOT a great way to build skills / habits related to TT.
There are several things that shadow practicing alone cannot give you.
One of them is, that it fundamentally lacks the relation between movement and perception which is crucial for learning and developing skills in racket sports.
Even more so in TT which is (arguably) the fastest one with the least time to think about your movement and it largely relies on being "ready", seeing and moving.
( Perception-Action Coupling)
HOWEVER, it can help for conditioning and getting used to how a correct movement feels compared to a wrong one.
Such as footwork, stance and posture - where you can do it slowly almost as well as you can do it in full speed.
And you can actually apply cues and instructions that you give yourself.
So in this case, I do recommend doing it.
- - - -
The things I observed:
(primarily on BH)
Feet way more apart (than what I currently do)
Butt slightly behind feet
Knees around toe-position
- Slight "Kick" in your body forward right before contact,
catching the "recoil" with your feet and not "slipping"
See here:




The things I observed - FH:
What I personally did wrong:
- Lean to heavy on right side
- Move right leg during the movement, instead of keeping it semi-fixed on the ground
- Stay to upright - due to not having feet wide enough
Mostly for continuous looping, but also generally applicable:
Right leg moves first,
-> Then stays mostly steady and carries the weight
- Left leg does the work
- Quads are building a bridge
--> Right quad way more bent
--> All of the above generally ensure central stability
--> More core engagement
Feet way more apart - which makes you be lower automatically
Me bad:

Them Good:



Also me bad - receive Stance:

Goated receive stance:

I can only attach 10 pictures - There are more in this google doc, but unsorted:
TT Posture Stuff
Obviously, take everything I ( or anyone) say with a grain of salt and think for yourself.
It's hard to put all thoughts regarding a topic into a post like this, but I hope you find it helpful, as it helped me.