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Published on: June 16, 2021
Kinematic Characteristics of the Racket in Table Tennis During Backhand Flick Followed by Backhand Fast Block and
Jianfeng Niu1, Chingleong Gan2, Xinyu May Teo3
1Physical Education of Sport Training, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 13, 2026
Summary
Table tennis players exhibit distinct racket movements when transitioning from a backhand flick to a backhand fast block versus a forehand fast block. The forehand transition involves higher velocity and longer durations, offering insights for targeted training.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Sports Science
- Table Tennis
Background:
- The backhand flick is a key offensive move in table tennis.
- Racket motion during stroke transitions after a backhand flick is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze and compare racket kinematics during two common stroke transitions: backhand flick-backhand fast block (BFBB) and backhand flick-forehand fast block (BFFB).
- To identify biomechanical differences in racket motion between BFBB and BFFB sequences.
Main Methods:
- Ten national-level male table tennis players participated in a within-subject design.
- Three-dimensional motion capture system at 200 Hz recorded racket kinematics.
- Quantified racket velocity, phase duration, and spatial displacement for both stroke combinations.
Main Results:
- The BFFB sequence demonstrated higher racket velocity, especially near ball contact, compared to BFBB.
- BFFB exhibited longer hitting and follow-through phase durations, resulting in a longer overall stroke sequence duration.
- BFFB showed greater directional displacement, while BFBB presented a more compact spatiotemporal pattern.
Conclusions:
- Distinct follow-up strokes after a backhand flick are associated with unique racket motion patterns during transitions.
- Findings offer a kinematic reference for developing sequence-specific training programs in table tennis.
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