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Welcome back to another Top Tip Tuesday!

This week’s topic will seem very familiar to those who have been following my regular Instagram posts over the last few months; I wanted to shift our attention this week to footwork in table tennis!

I talk a lot about the importance of ‘small steps’ in the sport – the act of small, bouncing steps between big movements – so I wanted to try and talk about another aspect of footwork (which funnily enough, to a certain extent, makes use of small steps!)

Top Tip: try to keep moving in a table tennis match, especially if you are feeling tired!

This may seem like a counter-intuitive statement that I just put out there; naturally we would want to move less when we are tired! However, it’s something I try to keep in my head when I’m in a match and my energy levels are feeling low.

The origins of this tip come from my old coach, of which I have myself adapted to suit my own unique physiological needs within the sport.

He told me that whenever I am not playing well in a table tennis match, that I should try to keep moving my legs – this includes before and after each point. He said that more often than not, when we aren’t quite performing at our best, our legs are usually lacking in their task of moving our bodies around the table tennis table.

We all know the fundamental need for good footwork, as it’s what gives us the groundwork to play basic strokes and shots. If we can’t move as we should, such as when we are physically (or even mentally) tired, then this could potentially lead to us playing at a poorer level than we should.

That’s not to say that it’s our footwork that is necessary the ultimate reason behind our ‘off-day’, but rather that it’s a certain aspect that is more of a ‘contributing symptom’ of such a bad day in the office.

Speaking from personal experience, I can say that this advice has seriously helped me throughout my career. The psychological boost alone from keeping your body active as you struggle through a difficult match fills one with hope and a fighting spirit.

So next time you feel that you are struggling in a table tennis match, try asking yourself this:

Am I trying my absolute best to keep my legs moving?

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