Neutral position
Strokes
Steven Watkins Asked 8 years ago
Your website and teaching skills are outstanding, and thank you so much. I am just starting out.
When practicing a stroke, why shouldn’t I practice coming back to the neutral position between each stroke? This seems to make more sense for a real game in terms of getting the right muscle memory.
Alois Rosario Answered 8 years ago
Hi Steven,
You have a good point. That is why it is important to move towards linking strokes quite early in your development. So as soon as you have the basic idea of the stroke then start to use the stroke in conjunction with other strokes. Take a look at our tutorial on The 7 Building Blocks of Table Tennis to see the progression we are talking about.
However I don't think there is time to return to a neutral position in Table Tennis. It is more about moving to the next ball efficiently. Take a look at our tutorial on Improving Your Reflexes which is also relevant here.
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Recommended Video
Stop Coming Back to Ready Position! Do This Instead…
Most players are told to always return to the ready position after every stroke but that might be hurting your game. In this video, we reveal a smarter way to recover:
✔ Track the ball immediately after your shot
✔ Move your racket into position for the next shot instead of blindly resetting
✔ Improve your timing, balance, and flow during rallies
Whether you’re a beginner or advanced player, understanding this subtle change can have a big impact on your consistency and speed around the table.
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Rohan Keogh Posted 8 years ago
And this previous AtC question and answer :)
returning-to-the-ready-position-between-strokes