Split Step

Charles Unknown Asked 16 years ago

So I'm just curios about this. Can you do the split step from Tennis in Table Tennis? If so, I can reach the ball and improve my form before I hit the ball.

Alois Rosario Answered 16 years ago

Not being an expert on Tennis I am not sure, but my feeling is that the balance that you get with the split step is something like we are looking to do in Table Tennis. It helps to change direction quickly which is what table tennis movement really needs.

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Jeff Plumb from PingSkills Posted 16 years ago

Hi Charles,

Take a look at our lesson on the basics of footwork. In this video Alois talks about the importance of getting to a balanced position before moving in either direction.

Charles Unknown Posted 16 years ago

Okay thanks guys! I thought split step could improve my footwork like in tennis but I guess not. The thing is that I remember someone say play Table Tennis like Tennis but in a table.

Geoff Eaton Posted 2 years ago

I think the split step is used by a lot of the pros in table tennis, but they don't wait until the other player is hitting the ball but do a split step directly after they make a stroke. If you imagine someone returning to the neutral ready position after their stroke but using a two feet hop to reset their balance and location behind the table. The best example of table tennis split step is Mima ito who is basically split stepping once of twice between each stroke. Looks like a boxer in constant moment.