The base position
Technique · Beginner
Explanation
openBetween two strokes there's a moment when you have to be ready for anything. That moment has a posture — the base position. From it you set off in any direction.
Think of a goalkeeper facing a penalty: lightly loaded, alert, ready to spring. That's exactly the tension you're after. Feet a little more than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, your weight shifted forward onto the balls of your feet — your heels barely touch the floor. Hold the racket loosely in front of your body, shoulders relaxed.
This is active readiness, not a resting stance. The low, slightly forward-leaning stance gets you moving faster than any upright posture. Stand flat on your heels and you lose the first step.
Exercise
openLoad and launch
Goal
Your base position actually makes you faster — not just look good.
How to do it
- Take the base position: feet a little more than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, weight on the balls of your feet, racket loose in front of your body.
- Pick a direction — forward, back, left or right.
- Explode into a single step in that direction.
- Return to the base position.
- Repeat, each time in a different direction.
Self-check
How easily does the first step come? If you can push off without straightening up first, your posture is right. If you have to push yourself up or shift your weight first, you were standing too passively — too upright, too flat on your heels.
Wrap-up
The base position is your starting block. Whether it works, you only notice once you're moving.
Classification
- Playing goals
- Repeated acceleration speed