Footwork advise please

Hi Alois,

I was wondering that if during a rally I have to move away from my comfortable position in the table to a corner, should I stay there to watch where the ball is returned in the next shot or should I return back to my original position and then if my opponent hits the ball again to the same place I again run back.

What is better to do? If I stay in the same place and observe where the opponent places the ball in the next shot, I am not in the center of the table which means that if the ball is placed on the other side, I have a long way to cover.

On the other hand, if I move back to near the center of the table as soon as I hit the ball then if the ball is placed on the same place again, then I have to move there again and again move to the center and back and forth like this, which could have been much easier if I remained at the same place after hitting.

I would love to hear your thoughts about the matter.

Hi Chandrachur,

Movement is constant.  The next position will depend where you have hit the ball to.  If you hit the ball to their forehand corner then you need to cover more on your forehand corner which is the natural angle of their shot.

The main thing is to watch the ball and allow yourself to move naturally where you can cut of the main angle of their return.