keeping a low posture/stance
Table Tennis General
Last updated 6 years ago
andrew brand Asked 14 years ago
as a relatively new player, been in the game about a year, i have found the most critical aspect of my game is to have a correct and low stance. i have had a small amount of good coaching this summer, from professional coaches who previously played to a national standard, and the one thing i find affects my game the most is getting down low and staying low whilst playing all types of strokes, soon as my knees start to straighten my game goes right downhill. this can happen a lot due to a long day at work or general tiredness or just forgetting to bend those knees. when im low my attacking shots are much faster, lower and more reliable. my pushing is a lot better actually keeping the ball low over the net rather than popping it high. so i recommend to any new or improving players out there - IF YOU MUST FOCUS ON ONE PART OF YOUR GAME, THIS IS IT.
Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago
Hi Andrew,
This is good advice. It is the one area I try to get right for players from very early on.
Take a look at our Lesson on Footwork Basics. Lesson on Basic Footwork. It shows how to position your body to play more effectively.
Thoughts on this question
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Piers Grey Posted 14 years ago
another thing that you could do to help you keep low is if you look at the lesson Alois was talking about you'll realise how muscular his legs are. So a way to keep your body low is to work on the muscles on your legs considering that all your body weight is on your thighs when your playing with your body low to the table.
Also (before I say this I want to make it clear that I am not making a personal comment about you this is just in general a 'if you are serious about wanting to get this area improved') you could possibly think of doing more cardiovascular exercise at your local gym to keep your overall body weight lighter which will make it easier to play low to the table for long periods of time which is what you need to do in a match situation.
andrew brand Posted 14 years ago
Ji-Soo Woo Posted 14 years ago
Excellent points.
At the 2008 NSW Country Championship, my team-mate had a chat with a member of the Australian Olympic team (I forget who it was...but not William Henzell) who told him that the no.1 difference between the top players and us struggling club players was that the top players stayed LOW while we stood up pretty straight when we played our shots.
You can always tell when you're staying low for your shots because your legs get pretty tired pretty quickly! If they don't...either you are super-fit already or else you are not bending low enough.
My new year's resolution for 2010 is to focus on the fitness aspects of table tennis and build a strong platform for my game to reach the next level.
j s Posted 10 years ago
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 10 years ago
Hi J S,
If you have someone there while you are training, see if you can get them to put their hand or a long stick on your shoulder gently. As you play the shot, you will feel the pressure of your shoulder on the stick. Try to eliminate this pressure. I find it a good cue for players.
martinand bernard Posted 9 years ago
to play very good the most important thing for me is to be low, very low, it seem I am too low it's good for the concentration too, I see the ball very well, I am not late
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago
Interesting. I feel the same Martinand.
martinand bernard Posted 9 years ago
yes a few centimeters too high and there is a big difference, I have to think always " be low, very low "
D K Posted 9 years ago
Is it normal that my back hurt when I keep lower posture than normal standing?
Romeo Chua Posted 8 years ago
I think you should bend your legs more and lessen the strain on your back
D K Posted 8 years ago
I do not bend my back
I just feel pain in my lower back while in half-squat
But this do not happen always
Can it be controlled by my current condition?
Sachin Bhoi Posted 7 years ago
I had the same problem back pain. This comes from hitting shots past your body, you bend backward to play shot, which is ineffective. Cure is to move back and hit with correct swing.
Yousaid Cool Posted 6 years ago
hi,
I found the same improvement in my game. but, after a while, my knees started to hurt and i had to go back on my previious stance.
however, when i did, i decided to naturally let my knees bend and i found the same improvement in my game after a while, but with less strain!
D K Posted 6 years ago
I tried,but I do not know if I am not too low then.
Because most shots went at or above my shoulder level.
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 6 years ago
It is hard to get too low.
D K Posted 6 years ago
Then what can be the cause?
Can it be because my opponents are not at such high level and their attacks are not so low compared to the ones I see at your videos or worldclass?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 6 years ago
That may be the case. You can take the ball earlier or later as well when it is at a more comfortable height.
D K Posted 6 years ago
I always take the ball a bit later than what is usual.
It is more comfortable to me as I like to take the ball when falling: Because this is when the ball moves exactly against my bat's trajectory when looping,and also this is when the ball goes absolutely vertically to my bat when chopping.