Some players seem to have absurdly quick reactions. You probably know the sort of player. He is always in position. He seems to know what shot you are going to play before you do. No matter what shot you play, he has an answer for it. It seems like this player can read your mind and has all the time in the world.
I’m sure some players are blessed with naturally quick reactions. But we shouldn’t accept that this is a fixed skill. All players can improve their reaction speed. Here are three tips which will help…
1. Watch your opponent’s bat
Let’s start with our eyes. It is very common for players, myself included, to ball watch. We hit a shot and watch the ball to see if it has landed on the other side. We watch to see whether we have won the point.
Now we have a problem. If we haven’t won the point and the ball is returned, we’re not ready to play the next shot. We feel rushed. We are unprepared. We end up playing a rubbish shot or make an error.
What should we do with our eyes instead? When you have played your shot, try switching your visual focus to your opponent. Specifically, watch your opponent’s bat. You will see much earlier what shot your opponent is going to play. You will see how much spin your opponent is generating. You will see where your opponent is going to hit the ball. You will pick up on lots of small visual clues which help you prepare for your next shot.
When your opponent hits his shot, you then track the ball as it is approaching. You then hit your next shot and once again bring your eyes back to your opponent. And you keep this process going until the point is finished.
By using your eyes in this way, you allow more time for your brain to process what is happening and tell your arms and legs what they need to do. You will start tracking the ball much earlier – even before your opponent has hit the ball. This might seem like a small detail, but it is amazing how much extra time you feel you have to react.
You haven’t suddenly developed super fast reaction powers. You’ve simply used your eyes to observe your opponent and given yourself more time to respond to his shots.
2. Shorten your strokes
To improve your reactions, it really helps to have efficient strokes. If you have really long backswings and really long follow-throughs, you will always find it hard to play multiple quick shots. You soon lose your shape, get out of position and break down.
To play more efficiently – and react quicker – think about your bat finishing position. As a general guide, try finishing your strokes with your bat finishing in front of your body or slightly in line with your right hip (for right handed players). This puts you in a good position to play any shot. You can play forehand or backhand. You can push, block, topspin or drive.
There may be times when your stroke follows through more – if you are going for a big power shot, for example. Let’s not worry too much about that. But if the majority of your shots finish in a good recovery position, in front of the body, then you will more often be ready for the next shot.
The other benefit of using shorter, more efficient strokes, is that you can play a little closer to the table. You can contact the ball earlier, rush your opponent and create this illusion that you have super fast reactions.
3. Move those feet!
Thirdly, let’s talk about what is happening under the table … your legs. Obviously we need to move when playing table tennis. We all know that. But how can we use our legs to improve our reaction speed?
Well let’s focus on your feet. Make sure you are playing on the front of your feet. Your heels should be ever so slightly raised from the floor. Now add in a little bounce from the knees – some constant motion – you will find it is so much easier to make a quicker first movement.
If your heels are planted to the floor, you may feel that it’s a struggle to take the first quick step. You will feel slow and sluggish. And you are more likely to reach out for the ball, rather than move.
But if you play on the front of your feet, and have a little bounce, you will find you can spring into position much easier. You don’t even need brilliant footwork to do this. My footwork is seriously flawed. But by playing on the front of my feet, I can quickly move to the left or right to get closer to the ball and return my opponent’s shot.
Super fast reactions
Now let’s combine all three tips. You play your shot. Your bat finishes in front of your body. It’s in a good neutral position ready to play another shot.
Your eyes observe your opponent’s bat. You see early what shot your opponent will play. Your brain processes this visual information and tells your feet to move.
Your feet are ready! Your heels are slightly off the ground. You have a little bounce and you spring into position.
All of this may occur before your opponent has even hit the ball. From your opponent’s perspective it may seem that you have unbelievably fast ‘natural’ reactions. But this is an illusion. In reality you have used a combination of eyes, feet and stroke efficiency to create more time for yourself. You are reacting quickly, this is true. But it’s nothing to do with natural ability. It’s a skill you have developed.
And the best thing? Any player of any standard is able to do this. You don’t have to be a high level player to have super fast reactions. Even if you are a beginner, you can start using these tips straight away and they will make a big difference to how quickly you react to your opponent’s shots.
Finally, here’s a video with some exercises you can do to improve your reaction speed…
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