The ready stance or "basic stance" is the position from which all the player's movements start. It is identified with the position used to return the opponent's serve. The ready stance is one of most basic elements of technique because it affects the player's movements and strokes.

Because the player does not know beforehand what kind of stroke he will use he must have a neutral position that will permit him to move with the greatest possible speed and ease towards the ball. For this reason, the player must have: a) The feet open to a distance equal to or slightly more than a shoulder's width with the toes pointing forwards and out. b) The knees bent at a 110°-130° angle. c) The torso slightly bent forwards. d) The head stretched orwards. e) The hand holding the racket bent at the elbow at a 90° angle and the forearm parallel to the ground with the racket almost perpendicular to the table. f) The free hand in a balancing position. g) The body must be slightly tilted forwards. h) The body weight on the toes.

The above are the basics for the teaching of the ready stance. The basic stance can vary from player to player due to the players being right or left handed, the different playing styles (offensive, defensive), and the different techniques (European, Asian). The offensive players playing far from the table and favoring the topspin stroke have their feet further apart than offensive players who play close to the table and use small strokes with quick movements. This difference is due to the fact that the former need more stability while the latter require a greater freedom of movement. The defensive players stand more to the center of the table at approximately 1-1.5m (3.3-4.9ft), thus covering most of the table area.

On the other hand, the offensive right-handed players stand to the left of the table, or at the middle of the table, in order to take advantage of the strokes from the forehand or the backhand side respectively.

The Japanese stance is more bowed than the European stance. This helps them see the ball but makes the quick movements difficult and requires great strength of the feet.

* Most players have their free hand in a parallel position with the hand that holds the racket.

Source: Table Tennis: From A to Z e-book

Related articles:

• Table tennis technique - Serve execution
• Table tennis technique - Shakehand (European) grip
• Table tennis technique - Basic steps for legs movement
• Table tennis technique - Legs movement during serve reception
• Table tennis tactics - Factors of game tactics (1)

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