Table Tennis: Footwork and Shadow Strokes on Color Cues

A table tennis-specific warm-up without a ball in which students respond to colored cones with the matching footwork and shadow stroke. It activates the legs, hips and playing arm and trains reaction time before table practice.

How to play

1. Mobility for ankles, hips, shoulders and wrist with the paddle in hand (2 min).
2. Ready position and side shuffles without crossing the feet, shadowing in front of a floor line (2 min).
3. The teacher shows a cone: red, forehand; blue, backhand; yellow, step back and topspin; green, step in and push. The group responds in shadow (3 min).
4. In pairs, one shows cones to the other for 30 seconds, then switch (1 min).

Rules

• Each student keeps 6 feet of clear space around them to swing the paddle.
• Moves are short, with no sudden jumps at first.
• The paddle is never dropped or thrown.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair user: responds with the shadow stroke only, rotating the trunk.
• Color blindness: cones also carry a number or a drawn shape.
• Partial visual impairment: cues are also called out loud.

Learning goals

• Activate the muscle groups used in table tennis.
• Improve reaction speed to visual cues.
• Review footwork and stroke patterns.

Equipment for a class of 25

• table tennis paddles: 28
• cones: 8

Teacher tip

Ask beforehand whether any students are color-blind so you can label the cones with numbers. This warm-up fits any space, even a classroom with the desks pushed aside.

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