Purpose of follow through

Ajoy Kumar Asked 12 years ago

Jeff / Alois

What is the purpose of the follow through in Table tennis?  I read elsewhere that in tennis, the only purpose of follow through is to avoid injury due to abrupt stopping.  In table tennis this should not be as big a concern.  Besides, recovering faster is much more critical in table tennis due to fast returns.

My own trainer said follow through is not very important.  The ball will not be affected by what happens after it leaves the bat, follow through or not.

Would it be better to stop the swing after contact and prepare for next shot?  Can you please explain?  thanks

Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago

Hi Ajoy,

The follow through is important because it ensures your contact is correct.  If you focus only on the contact point it can vary too much.  If you focus on the full stroke and make it a straight path, the contact will be a bit more consistent.

Also if you think about having the bat moving its fastest at the point of contact, you need an acceleration phase and also a deceleration phase.  If you stop at the point of contact then the fastest point of your stroke can't be at the point contact.