Forehand Pivot Footwork

I think at some point you're much better of learning a BH topspin rather than pivoting around.

Or maybe just don't pivot around at all and just keep pushin deep to oponents backhand site.

I commented the above because:

1) You take a bigger risk to make that stroke work

2) If it does go well you will get blocked out on the wide FH side!

What's your opinion about pivoting around Pingskillers?

I think in the modern game you are right to try to develop a backhand topspin as the game is getting faster.  However it is still a good weapon to have as a finishing ball.

I find that if I'm crowded I can often make a fairly strong down the line shot using a short close swing but relying on my legs to give it force. If my opponent is positioned for a crosscourt shot this can be a winner.

That can be a good tactic if you see them waiting cross court.  Can be dangerous if they pick the direction because it will give them an easy wide ball to your forehand corner.

When you get into that position you still have the choice to go  down the line as well as cross-court. Roger UK

Dear Alois, pivot has been my fatal Cleopatra as I told you once. But of late as age catches up with me I find it almost impossible to play that stroke. Jeff's video brought out what goes wrong now. The fault lies not in the absence of youthful agility but in the side-on shuffle I make. In the good old days it naturally used to be square on. Thanks to your video now I know why I end up taking the ball on my body. I must shuffle the right way. I'll try that now.Yes ,I agree the pivot leaves your forehand flank hopelessly exposed but then my dear what a fine stroke it is! Only you must ensure it is a 'kill' cross-courrt or down the line.

Oh Vijay,

I am glad that you now have the confidence to attempt it once more... keep shuffling...

hi Alois, I'll send you a video when I do succeed playing that most juicy stroke of the game with some good opponent. I can play that stroke even now with my slow old pals but that's no fun. Let me try this against some young player.

I think it is good to be versatile and to be able to hit a BH loop/drive or to pivot and hit a FH from the BH corner.  The more options you have the better.  Of course, pivoting is a higher risk tactic and how often you employ it will depend on 1) how strong your FH is, 2) how good the opponent is at blocking your FH to the open table, and 3) how fast your footwork is to cover the open table.

Obviously, if you have the FH (and footwork) of Ryu Seung Min, it would be a good tactic to pivot often!

Even if your FH is not as potent, it still is good to pivot every now and then just to give the opponent something to think about and to not be predictable.

Hi guys,

I notice that when I pivot, especially for a 3rd ball attack, I tend to lose track of the ball because it is such a big maneuver. How can I address it?

You do need to keep tracking the ball all the way.  Sometime we get fuzzy vision when we are working on something else.  However, with practice of the footwork, you will then feel more natural with the movement and also be able to focus on the ball better.

hi coach ,

iam prasad, thanq for your videos, iam improving by seeing your videos ,my main problem is attaking .. Iam not able to attak as good as my friends do but iam feel more confident in defence and bloking nice shots so please guid me

And another problem is converting chop into topspin may ne that is my problem with my action ple

Hi Prasad,

I think you are correct, the topspin against backspin is the main stroke that will help you to convert defence into offence.

Take a look at these lessons: Forehand Topspin Off Backspin and Backhand Topspin Off Backspin.

I am enjoying these video series regarding footwork.  My footwork is not very good but, I think it's getting better and these videos will help.  Thank you for sending these along.

Glad it's helping John.

Thank you Jeff!  Great footwork and balance!

Hi guys,

I just noticed that some players use different footwork for the pivot, especially against a backspin ball. Here is Stefan Fegerl:



And here is Ma Lin:



What one may notice is that their feet position are very different: Stefan's feet are almost parallel to the short side of the table, while Ma Lin did not move as much. I guess that Ma Lin's movement is faster, but the shot execution looks awkward. What is the best option to practice?

I think the Ma Lin is preferable because you can move back for the next ball easier by pushing straight across.  He uses more rotation of the waist to get  into a good position to hit the ball.

I often play forehand pivot against backspin as a follow-up after my serve. My opponents notice that and start pushing to my wide backhand. If the push goes very wide, what is the "true" way to adjust my feet position, a large step outwards, or two smaller steps? If I don't adjust, I get cramped and make a weak shot.

If you can get there with one step that is better but if not you might have to take two steps.

Michael mcgoldrick, like Jeff said, it’s way better to be balanced, especially if you want to be consistent. :) You can usually see those compromised leaning shots when the performer doesn’t have enough time to move quickly to the desired position in order to execute the shot in a way they had trained a long time but mostly in a balanced position.  We often see pros do that shot at least for a few reasons - their attacks are very fast and deceptive but they often successfully predict when the ball will land on their backhand side of the table early enough to utilize pivoting; and their FH is often more aggressive and powerful than their backhand (which though is quicker). Why did i say fast and deceptive? Because even pros don’t seem to be sure in their predictions where the ball is going to come (on their FH side or the BH side) so they would keep a ready position in the middle that will allow them to minimize the surprise. This leaves them less time to perform pivoting but still allows them to cover a good portion of the FH part of the table.

That’s my unpro opinion :)