Your stance, feet and body position are crucial foundations to developing and improving your game. We can’t emphasis enough how important this aspect is when it comes to cutting out mistakes and becoming more consistent. So we’ll discuss 2 key tips and exactly how you should be setting up to generate amazing control and balance, two things every table tennis player desires in their game!
Weight forward- Keeping your body weight forward and low is the first aspect to a good solid base and being able to move well around the court and stay balanced. To do this you need to keep your feet just over shoulder width apart so you have a wide base for good balance, as well as a good bend in your knees allowing you to be low and crouched forward comfortably ready to play some killer topspin’s!
Balls of your feet- The next point to a good stance is being on the balls of your feet, this enables you to ready to push off quickly and makes those fast adjustments required in table tennis. If you are flat footed or you have your weight on your heels it won’t be easy to push off the ground quickly and you’ll be much more likely to lose balance making your shots unstable. We also have a detailed video on the Academy dedicated to why this aspect is import, check it out here- https://tabletennisdailyacademy.com/videos/importance-staying-balls-feet/
Something we like to relate both these points too in other sports are the position of a goalkeeper ready to try to save a penalty or a boxer moving in the ring, both of these also require the same low, balanced and dynamic position with the weight forward and on the balls of their feet to allow for quick changes in direction and great balance.
So to improve your all round consistency and cut out unforced errors, as well as reducing the times your caught out of position remember to get your stance right from the word go (when receiving serve and right after you’ve served too).These key elements when brought together will enable you to be stable when moving around the court and keep good form. We’ve seen tremendous results from players who make these small adjustments, so the next time you are training, really try to focus on where your weight is and having a wide base, remember, you need to be on the balls of your feet and avoid hitting shots with the weight on your heels!
For more information on the correct stance and getting the right ready position be sure to watch our video tutorial on this where we explain and demonstrate this in further detail.
