Moving sideways when playing a topspin
Table Tennis Strokes and Technique
Last updated 4 years ago
martin k Asked 4 years ago
Hi. I am right handed and my forehand topspin works kind of ok, but I feel that I have this issue of dropping my left shoulder when playing the stroke instead of rotating more horizontally. This happens especially when lifting a backspin. To some extent getting the footwork more right and being in position helps a bit, but this still happens and sometimes I even move sideways. The result might be quite a weak shot without proper acceleration, and the stroke can become more "muscled through". With more backspin, the ball ends into the net :(
I really do not know how to break this habit and what to focus on to get the stroke more forward and with better and effortless acceleration.
Alois Rosario Answered 4 years ago
Hi Martin,
Sometime a tight shoulder can be the reason for this happening. Try to firstly relax the shoulder and let the arm swing through naturally.
Next work on the rotating of the waist during the stroke. This can be awkward as you are moving the was it around and the arm up. Do this without the ball to start with to get the feel of the movement. Then translate it to playing a stroke with the ball.
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martin k Posted 4 years ago
Thanks for your great advice, Alois. I am working on this and it is already getting better. I keep focus on my rotation, and this helps. Even it it falls a bit apart during matches ;) I noticed that if I lean a bit forward and stay more on tip of my toes, then this helps me with bringing the stroke more forward and keep the rotation. At least for me, thinking about moving forward in the direction I hit the ball seems to help. This is especially true for lifting backspin. A really good feeling when you lift backspin and also get some power forward! :D
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 4 years ago
Good to hear Martin. Keep working on it. You will start to be able to integrate it into the game situation as well. The leaning forward is a good tip.