Site Products
Ask The Experts: Stefan Feth No. 396

Ask The Experts: Stefan Feth No. 396

Posted on

Ask The Experts: Stefan Feth No. 396
Butterfly Table Tennis Question and Answer

Question:

Chen Meng’s footwork is so good, so fast. I don’t see a moment in an entire match where her feet aren’t just the right distance apart, on her toes. My question is very basic. To move sideways to a ball, is the very first motion a pull with the leg nearest the ball? Or a push with the leg farther from it?

Stefan FethAnswer: 

This Ask the Experts question was answered by Stefan Feth. He is one of the coaches at the World Champions Table Tennis Academy in Santa Clara, CA. Coach Feth’s response is as follows:

Hi Joe,  
Thanks for the great question.  
 
In my opinion, if you’re anticipating and have time to prepare for a movement – your legs are pushing off the ground in order to move with stability and continuity for the following balls as well. 
 
However, if you’re in the reactive mode to “save” and survive that shot, until you can find better position for the next ball – then it’s quicker to pull the right leg out to cover for the right and vice versa for the left side.  
 
Hope that helps. Happy moving!  
 
Best,  
 
Stefan Feth US National Team & Olympic Coach Coach @ WCTTA www.tt-champions.com

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

Jha and Jorgic Reach Final in Skopje

June 6, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) USA's Kanak Jha doubled up on Saturday, winning early against Simon Gauzy (World… Read More

Kanak Kicking in Skopje

June 6, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Kanak Jha is quietly having a great tournament in Macedonia this week, as… Read More

Where Should I Smash the Ball?

June 5, 2026
Robot plays very high balls one time to very long Forehand and one time to very long Backhand.… Read More

A Forehand Stance While Blocking

June 1, 2026
(By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Many players go into a backhand stance… Read More

Does Watching High-Level Players Help Amateur Players Improve? By Coach Bob Chen

June 1, 2026
(By Coach Bob Chen) Many amateur players enjoy watching high-level matches. They watch world-class rallies. They study professional… Read More

US Nationals Preview: Two Weeks Until the June 16 Entry Deadline

June 1, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, graphic USATT) Action is set to start on July 3rd in San Jose for this… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Table Tennis & More

May 31, 2026
(By Steve Hopkins) Table Tennis & More (TT&M) was founded by Len Winkler in 1996. Over the years,… Read More

Triple Crown for Saarbrucken – TTBL Champion

May 31, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo TTBL via BeLa Sportfoto) FC Saarbrucken TT won the Final Four, securing the German… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.