Site Products
Larry Hodges

The Chewing Gum Theory of Footwork

Posted on

(By Larry Hodges)

Stop what you are doing. Go to 7-11 or some other store that sells chewing gum. (Bubble gum is fine.) Buy some and enjoy its sweet flavor and perhaps even a burst of energy from the sugar. (Or get sugarless.)

Now comes the part that every club owner is going to yell at me for. Put the gum on the heel of your shoe. Now go play and never let it touch the ground.

This sounds silly, and it is – and yet, I think you get the idea here. When playing, you need to keep your weight toward the front inside part of your feet, around the balls of your feet. There should be no weight on the heels. In reality, the heels should brush the floor, but no more. But guess the best way to develop the habit of not putting weight on your heels? By keeping them off the ground – and that’s where the chewing gum comes in.

In training sessions, you might even try walking between points without putting your weight on your heels. It’ll help you develop the proper leg muscles. (1967 World Champion Nobuhiko Hasegawa made a habit of doing this to develop those muscles – and his leg muscles positively bulged.)

Now a reality check. I’ve never actually put chewing gum on the heels of my shoe, nor have I ever seen anyone else do so. You don’t actually need to do it. The point is that the chewing gum idea gives you an idea of what your feet should be doing when you play. Imagine that gum on your feet, and keep the club owner happy by not getting it on his floor.

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

Try to Stay Within Arm’s Length of the Table

April 6, 2026
(By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame The operative word here is “try.” Table… Read More

Angel Naranjo – Transition Play

April 6, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Angel Naranjo is focusing on a transition exercise using multi-ball.… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: San Antonio Table Tennis Club

April 5, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The San Antonio Table Tennis Club is located on Lookout Run, just Northeast of downtown… Read More

PREVIEW: Central American & Caribbean Championships

April 5, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The 2026 ITTF Americas Central American & Caribbean Championships gets underway Thursday in Santo Domingo,… Read More

World No. 1’s Claim Top Spots at World Cup

April 5, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The world's best converged on Macao for the ITTF Men's & Women's World… Read More

Men’s World Cup: A Pair of Upsets and a Semis Rematch

April 4, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The world's best converged on Macao for the ITTF Men's & Women's World… Read More

World Cup Women: Half Normal / Half Surprise

April 4, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The world's best converged on Macao for the ITTF Men's & Women's World… Read More

Not Too Much Power

April 3, 2026
1 or 2 balls in Backhand and 1 or 2 balls in Forehand FETHOMANIA 25: Drill 2 https://youtube.com/shorts/LjjuJbIBVxQ… 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.