Footwork in table tennis is important in order for you to go from one pont to another in the fastest time so that you can hit the same stroke. Good footwork allows you to consistently use your best technique, instead of having to stretch or even bend from the waist just to return your opponent's shot safely.
Good footwork is not only about speed alonebut moving the right amount at the right time.
The most common errors among beginners to table tennis is either not moving their feet at all if they can stretch for the ball, even though this puts them off balance or moving too far, and getting too close to the ball, cramping the return stroke. This problem can be avoided by moving to the ball, even if you only move less than a foot or so. Get in the habit of moving into position, and you will soon be able to get into the right position to hit the ball, whether it is near or far away.
When your opponent hits the ball very hard, you may find that you do not have time to move your feet at all. When this happens, leaning a little to the left or right to reach the ball may be necessary and unavoidable but try to move whenever you can for a more balanced position to hit the ball.
The basic ready position for right-hander is to position yourself slightly to the left of the middle of all possible angles your opponent can hit.This will give you the best chance of being able to reach the ball no matter where the opponent hits it. You stand a little to the left of the middle of all angles because you can reach further to the right (on your forehand) than on your backhand, and because your forehand is hit on the right hand side of your body, while your backhand is hit in front of your body. Your shoulders should be facing square to where the ball is coming from, and your feet should be as far apart as you can comfortably put them - about your shoulder width length is a good rule of thumb. Place your feet also facing the ball, and then move your right foot about six inches to a foot further back than the left foot, and you will have your basic ready position. The right foot is placed further back to allow you to transfer your body weight slightly backwards and forwards when hitting your forehand. If you have your feet too square you will not be able to hit with full power. Having the right foot further back will not affect your backhand much, since there is not much weight transfer on the backhand stroke.
Too much on your toes and you'll tend to overbalance forwards, and too much on your heels and you'll tend to lean backwards too much. Make sure your knees are bent, and you should have a slight crouch and a little amount of forward lean. Keep your feet light and used the balls of your feet to propel you to whicever direction you intend to go.
For balls that are below the table height, bend your knees more to get down to the ball, rather than bending from the waist. Using your knees allows you to hit the ball using your normal technique, while bending from the waist changes the way you have to swing, since your body is now leaning over.



