Ask The Experts: Stefan Feth No. 396

Posted on August 9, 2021

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?

Answer:

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

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