Distance for a blocker

Hello Alois and Jeff,

I've been playing table tennis a few years now, and I am a blocker. I'm alright at it, but I have a few questions about it. 1. I can never find an average length to stand away from the table. I know about footwork, but I'm talking about how far away from the table should I return to after hitting the shot. Too close and the opponent hits deep, too far and I can't be aggressive. 2. How do I get more control on my blocks. I can be consistent, but I can never use control to force a bad return. When I do that, I get overpowered and lose the point. 

Thanks in advance!

Hi Josh,

You need to be ready to move constantly.  The forward and backward movement is an important one for the blocker as a major focus for the attacker will be to vary their speed and placement shorter and longer.  The movement needs to be a jumping in and out with both feet as well as adjusting yoru body balance to cope with the changes as well.

Initially a distance that you can work with is where you can just touch the table when you are in the ready position.