Base Positioning - Advanced Concepts
Your Base Position Will ChangeDuring a rally, your base position will change a number of times. This can be due to a number of factors, such as:
- What stroke you are about to play
- What stroke you just played
- Where you put the ball on the table
- What angle you hit the ball from
- What shot your opponent is likely to play
What Stroke You Are About to Play
On the forehand side, most strokes are played from pretty much the same position relative to your body - a little to the side. But on the backhand, this can be different. Backhand pushes and counters close to the table are usually best performed directly in front of your torso. As you move back from the table, backhand drives, loops and chops tend to be better if you take them a little more to the side of your body. This can and will affect where your base position should be, in terms of sideways positioning.
What Stroke You Have Just Played
The stroke you have just made will also affect your positioning, but in a more up and back manner. If you have just made a strong attack or tight push or chop, you are likely to get a slower, weaker return from your opponent, so you will probably want to come closer to the table, or hold your position. If you have made a weak shot, your opponent is likely to be able to hit harder, and so you may wish to retreat from the table a little.
Where You Put the Ball On the Table
This can have an effect in two ways. Firstly, where you put the ball on the table will help determine what distance away from the table your opponent hits the ball, which can then affect whether you should be coming in close to the table or moving back.
Secondly, if you can put the ball in places that are difficult for the opponent, such as wide angles or into his crossover point, you are more likely to get a weak return, and as such you should be coming closer to the table or holding position, looking for another powerful follow up attack.
What Angle You Have Hit the Ball From
What Shot Your Opponent Is Likely to Play
The stroke that your opponent is likely to play is in part influenced by his own positioning, strengths and weaknesses, and in part by the return you have given him and your own positioning during the rally. The best place to put yourself will change depending on how these various factors interact.
For example, if your opponent has a strong forehand loop crosscourt, but is not so good at hitting down the line, you could adjust for this by standing a little further to your right, knowing that he is not as likely to hit down the line during rallies. Or if he is strong at looping off pushes but tends to block topspin returns, you may wish to go back a little when pushing, then come forward when you reloop his first attack. An opponent who prefers to run around his backhand to hit off-forehands to your backhand may require you to move to your left when he runs around his backhand to attack, but come back to the right if you can survive his first attack and put it wide to his forehand, giving you a chance to pin him down on his backhand side.
Another point to note is that if you can force your opponent to play a certain stroke or a certain direction consistently, you can adjust your base position accordingly. For example, if you have a good deep sidespin serve to your opponent's backhand that your opponent is finding difficult to return down the line, you can stand further to your left when waiting for his return of service. By cutting down his available options, you can get away with standing in a position that would be suicidal if he was flipping the ball down the line easily.
Always Move Towards Your Best Base Position
