Today I noticed something in a slow motion video that I think will help.  I have seen this same thing several times before, but I always ignored it because I never heard or read about it in any footwork discussions.  What I saw was Kanak Jha hitting forehand loops with both feet in the air.  He was not jumping up to hit the loop and lifting his feet off the ground.  He was actually in the middle part of a fairly large side-ways move.  If he had not hit the ball you would have thought that he was moving over to hit a very wide Fh since he landed wider than the point where he hit the ball, but landed with his feet in the same relative position as if he just made a small side-step to set up for a Fh.   I have seen this very often in women's matches particularly when they go to hit wide Bhs.  

So what does this mean for me.  I think I have always been focused on getting my feet firmly planted before I hit a shot.  If you are playing close to the table there are going to be times when you just do not have time to move and get your feet planted before the ball gets to you.  I believe I instinctively recognize this and choose to lean (keeping feet planted until I hit).  Then after hitting I let my feet go.  I need to not be afraid of not getting my feet down.  The most important thing should be getting my body the correct distance from the ball when I swing while keeping my weight centered between the feet instead of leaning.  If there is not time to get the feet back down, that is okay.  It is better to hit the ball with both feet off the ground while balanced than to hit it with both feet planted, but leaning out to the side.

Obviously it is better to move and get the feet down if you can.  However, I think you need to focus on staying balanced (even if the feet are off the ground) instead of focusing on hitting with the feet on the ground.  I am going to try this out with the robot tonight if I get a chance.

What do you guys think about this "hit with feet off the ground" if needed to stay balanced?

Mark

You are right about the cross-step in that it often results in the player hitting the ball with both feet off the ground.  I think it was in watching the cross-step that I first noticed players hitting with feet off the ground.  There is so much built in rotation in the cross-step that I think you do not lose any power hitting with both feet off the ground.   With the standard side-step I do think you lose some power if you hit in the middle of the movement with both feet off the ground, but you gain so much in terms of recovery and spin generation that it is worth it when you are playing close to the table.

What I am really talking about is the mindset when having to move.  If you think that you have to have your feet on the ground before you start your swing I think you will often choose to lean rather than move since you do not believe you have time to move and get your feet down.  If you think that the most important thing is to move in balance and swing whenever you need to whether the feet are up or feet are down you are more likely to move the feet first before leaning.

Mark

 

It's amazing that you picked this up without any help from an advanced player.  William Henzell had to go to the Schlager academy to fix this problem with his footwork.  He has three videos on TTEdge that  come with membership and a footwork series that is expensive but illuminating.  So yes, all I will say is that your observation is on the right path and a part of advanced footwork and is less about hitting the ball in the air and more about moving both feet to remain balanced throughout the shot and facilitate recovery for the next shot.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to accept the pain that comes with incorporating such footwork into my practice.